Fairfield University's Dolan School of Business named to Bloomberg Businessweek's 2014 list of best undergraduate schools | Press Releases

Fairfield rises from 83 to 58 on the distinguished annual list

Image: Bloomberg Fairfield University's Charles F. Dolan School of Business is among the best undergraduate business schools in the United States, according to Bloomberg Businessweek. Moreover, the Jesuit school jumped an impressive 25 places on the much-anticipated list Bloomberg Businessweek compiles annually.

The news organization noted about its recently released 2014 rankings of 132 business schools: "While the system for ranking schools has remained mostly unchanged since 2006, a shift in the way the rankings incorporated student surveys caused a small number of schools to move up or down. Fairfield University's Dolan School of Business was the biggest beneficiary, moving up 25 spots, to No. 58, on the strength of improved student-survey scores, along with a much higher score for academic quality."

The Dolan School ranked ahead of the University of Connecticut, Quinnipiac and Providence College. It is just the second time the Dolan School has applied to be on the distinguished list. Last year, it ranked 83.

The undergraduate business school rankings are based on five components: student assessment, academic quality metrics, employer opinion, median starting salary, and a "feeder school" score. As for academic quality - which the Dolan School scored higher on this year - five metrics were used: average SAT score for the most recent entering class; ratio of full-time students to full-time faculty; average class size in core classes; percentage of students with business-related internships; and average number of hours students spend preparing for class per week.

Donald E. Gibson, Ph.D., dean of the Dolan School of Business, said he was especially pleased that student feedback was so strong. "The positive surveys, coupled with improvement in the academic metric, speaks volumes about our faculty who are national thought leaders in their fields, and the school's dynamic curriculum that teaches cutting edge business skills. "

On the list, the Dolan School joined the University of Notre Dame, the number one ranked school, as well as schools such as The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, in receiving an 'A+' for its 'Teaching Grade.'

The Dolan School students are educated to be thoughtful, ethical leaders who also take into account others while in their professional pursuits. In addition to the school's business courses, Dolan students' education is complemented by Fairfield's robust arts and humanities core.

In its Bloomberg profile, the AACSB-accredited Dolan School reported that the top industry for its graduates is financial services, and the median starting salary is $54,121 - on the higher end of salaries for grads of the ranked schools.

"Bloomberg Businessweek's undergraduate business school ranking is designed to reflect the changing landscape of undergraduate programs," said Francesca Levy, Business Education Editor, Bloomberg Businessweek, in an announcement. "It gives prospective students a critical overview of the schools currently offering the best academic experience and the best post-collegiate opportunities - in other words, the best return on these students' investment of time and money."

For the complete rankings, see http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-04-04/the-complete-ranking-best-undergraduate-business-schools-2014.

The Dolan School's Part time MBA Program was most recently ranked at number 30 by Bloomberg Businessweek .