Robins School moves up in BusinessWeek rankings

BY BRIAN ECKERT
Director of Media & Public Relations

BusinessWeek ranks the Robins School of Business No. 12 among America’s top undergraduate business programs in the 2009 annual rankings released in February.

The Robins School moved up from No. 20 on last year’s list, No. 23 in 2007 and No. 25 in 2006—the first year that BusinessWeek published rankings.

To identify the top programs, BusinessWeek used nine measures of student satisfaction, post-graduation outcomes and academic quality. The Robins School tied the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and Wake Forest University’s Calloway School for No. 1 in academic quality.

Robins scored the highest-possible mark—A-plus— in both teaching quality and facilities and services. Other standout factors included a faculty-student ratio among the best of the top 50; high rank as an M.B.A. feeder school (sending the most graduates on to the top 35 M.B.A. programs); strong student engagement in academic activity; a jump in reputation among recruiters and student satisfaction; and a continuing increase in graduates’ median starting salaries.

Jorge Haddock, the school’s dean, said that high-quality faculty and students, strong corporate support and alumni backing continue to drive Richmond’s rise.

“The generosity of alumni and friends enables us to provide students with a small-class environment that is conducive to high-quality education. And the median starting salary of our graduates has increased again this year, continuing the upward trend of the past several years,” Haddock said.

The Robins School is the only fully accredited, top-ranked undergraduate business school that also is part of a top-ranked liberal arts university. BusinessWeek also recognizes the school as having one of the top 15 part-time M.B.A. programs in the country. Its executive education division offers open enrollment courses and customized leadership development programs for individuals and businesses.