Princeton Review survey shows students rank Fairfield University's Dolan School of Business among the top business schools for accounting | Press Releases

Fairfield University's Dolan School of Business has one of the top 15 accounting programs in the country, according to a national Princeton Review student survey.

Princeton Review's "Student Opinion Honors for Business Schools" recognizes the business schools receiving the highest evaluations from their MBA students. The Dolan School was in great company. Also making the list of business schools deemed to have the best accounting programs were the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, the University of Chicago, Wake Forest University, Boston College and the University of Connecticut.

Norm Solomon, Ph. D., dean of the Dolan School, said, "What is most satisfying about this honor is that it essentially comes from our students. I'm pleased that the Dolan School of Business's Accounting Department and its dedicated faculty have again been recognized. We continue to make significant efforts to meet the needs of our graduate students and to provide them with a complete educational experience."

The Princeton Review, an education services company, asked students for their opinions on how well their schools were preparing them for a business career. Results were determined by surveying students' feedback on six core categories deemed key to a successful business career: accounting, finance, general management, global management, marketing and operations. The resulting "Student Opinion Honors" are comprised of six lists that each names the 15 graduate schools that ranked the highest by students in those core categories.

Fairfield students gave high marks to professors, classroom discussions, Fairfield's Jesuit traditions and teaching philosophy, flexible class times for working professionals, school ties to "well-placed alumni," and proximity to the headquarters of major American corporations, such as Pepsi, IBM and GE. One student responded "Fairfield teachers also are thick-skinned when students challenge them in class discussions. They encourage such open-minded dialogue."

Also appearing on the best accounting program list, in no particular order but alphabetical, were Bowling Green State University, Chapman University, Northeastern University, Southern Methodist University, SUNY Oswego, Texas A&M University, University of Alabama, University of Rhode Island, and University of Rochester. See http://www.princetonreview.com/student-opinion-honors-accounting.aspx or http://www.entrepreneur.com/colleges/mba/1011010.html .

The results are reported in the April 2009 edition of Entrepreneur, the magazine for and about entrepreneurs. "Entrepreneurs have to become experts in virtually every area of business management," said Amy Cooper, vice president and editor-in-chief at Entrepreneur. "As a result, many may find business schools to be the right fit for their needs as a holistic means of learning how to build their companies. This is particularly true with the current challenges in the economy. With the 'Student Opinion Honors' in Entrepreneur, they can get a good sense of what their experiences may include from students themselves, which will help readers in the overall school evaluation process."

The Princeton Review compiled the "Student Opinion Honors" using feedback from its national survey of 19,000 MBA students attending 296 business schools profiled in its book, "Best 296 Business Schools: 2009 Edition" (Random House/Princeton Review, October, 2008), which included the Dolan School. Students were asked to complete an 80-question survey about their classroom and campus experiences and rate their MBA programs on a five-point scale.