Walton College Ranked in Top 50 by Businessweek

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas ranks in the top 50 among public undergraduate business programs in the latest report from Businessweek.

The Walton College placed 48^th among public schools and 105th in the 2013 rankings of public and private business schools. Those rankings were up from 55^th among public business schools and 108^th among all the top business schools in 2012.

Walton College increased its scores in Businessweek’s student survey rank, employer survey rank and academic quality rank. The college also received an “A-plus” grade for job placement.

“Overall, we are pleased with the results of the latest Businessweek rankings, which are another indicator of the extent to which our students and company recruiters recognize the value and excellence of a Walton College education,” said Walton College Dean Eli Jones. “This positive direction in the rankings further solidifies our reputation for being a leader in teaching, research and outreach to the larger business and academic communities.”

Karen Boston, assistant dean for undergraduate programs, said earning a strong ranking depends on getting students and companies that hire Walton College graduates to participate in the surveys conducted by Businessweek. “I personally appreciate the efforts of our students and employers who take the time to respond to the survey – a major component in getting ranked,” she said.

“Our improvement in so many different areas shows that the Walton College is going in the right direction,” said Boston. “The ‘A-plus’ in job placement is a tribute to the quality of our students, our teachers and the work of the George W. Edwards Jr. Career Center. It shows that employers value Walton College graduates and that our students continue to find success in a tight job market.”

Businessweek uses five sources for the undergraduate ranking: a student survey, a recruiter survey, media starting salaries for graduates, the number of graduates admitted to the top 35 M.B.A. programs and a measure of academic quality. The academic quality measure consists of:

• SAT/ACT scores for business majors
• Full-time faculty-student rations in the business program
• Average class size in core business classes
• The percentage of business majors with internships
• The number of hours students spend preparing for class each week.

 The information about test scores, faculty-student ratios and class sizes was provided by the school, and the data about internships and hours of preparation came from the student survey.

To be eligible for the Businessweek survey, each school has to be accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, the organization that accredits business schools worldwide, and exceed the survey’s cutoff for at least two of these three criteria: university-wide SAT and ACT scores, percentage of applicants accepted and percentage of students coming from the top 10 percent of their high school class. Businessweek ranked 124 programs in its 2013 report.

In September 2012, Walton College was ranked in a tie for 27th among the nation’s public undergraduate business schools by U.S. News and World Report’s “2013 America’s Best Colleges.” The college was ranked 47th place among both public and private business schools. To determine its rankings, U.S. News & World Report surveys business deans and senior faculty.