CBE maintains ranking among top undergraduate business schools

Lehigh’s College of Business and Economics is ranked number 24 in Bloomberg Businessweek’s annual undergraduate business school ranking. 

The college has finished among the nation’s top 30 business programs for six consecutive years. The ranking is based on student surveys, corporate recruiter surveys, and institutional data provided by each university.

“We’re certainly proud to be in the company of such great business programs. It’s an honor that reflects the exceptional quality of our students and our faculty,” says Paul Richard Brown, dean of the College of Business and Economics.

“We also recognize that we can’t be complacent, especially given the volatility of the job market,” he says. “Our goal is to continually look for ways to strengthen our curriculum and provide our students with as strong and dynamic a learning experience as possible.”

Lehigh once again scored highly in academic quality, finishing in 14th place. Based solely on student feedback, Lehigh was awarded an A+ for teaching quality, and received high marks for facilities and services and job placement.

In the past four years, the College of Business and Economics has seen a substantial gain in its professoriate, bolstering its faculty ranks while decreasing its student-to-faculty ratio. Brown says the increase in the number of professors allows faculty to collaborate more effectively, especially as they frequently partner on teaching and research efforts throughout the college.

The college’s career placement efforts have also been successful. Class of 2010 business seniors recorded a placement rate of 97 percent six months after graduation. The Office of Career Services has reported that it has seen a 51 percent increase over last year in the amount of business-related jobs that are posted by companies, a sign that the job market may be on the rebound.

Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business captured the top spot in Bloomberg Businessweek’s survey for the second straight year, followed by the University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce and Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. The University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and Cornell’s Dyson School rounded out the top five.