University of St. Thomas Opus College of Bus. Lands in Top 25 Percent of Nation’s ‘Best Bus. Schools’ in Latest U.S. Ne...
March 15 2012 - 2:24PM
Business Wire
The Opus College of Business at the University of St. Thomas
found itself among the top 25 percent of the nation’s accredited
business schools in rankings published this week by U.S. News &
World Report.
This was the first opportunity for the Opus College of Business
to be ranked by U.S. News because the news outlet only considers
schools that hold accreditation from the Association to Advance
Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International. Following a
five-year process, the Opus College of Business became the first
private college or university in Minnesota to receive AACSB
accreditation in December 2010.
In its first year of eligibility, the Opus College of Business’
full-time MBA program was ranked 104th among the 441 U.S.-based,
AACSB accredited programs able to take part in the survey. U.S.
News only published its top 102 ranked programs, but listed St.
Thomas as having a “rank not published” in its report and
corresponded directly with the school about its rank. MBA programs
belonging to Stanford and Harvard tied for first in the country and
the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business notched
third place.
In a separate ranking of 326 accredited part-time graduate
business programs, U.S. News and World Report listed St. Thomas at
No. 200.
“We always believed we had an outstanding business school but
there wasn’t a good way to demonstrate that,” commented Dr.
Christopher Puto, dean and holder of the Opus Distinguished Chair
in Marketing. “To move from being unranked to the top 25 percent is
a wonderful affirmation. This initial ranking recognizes the
efforts of our faculty, staff, students and benefactors. I could
not be more grateful or proud of what they have accomplished.”
There are six AACSB-accredited colleges and universities in
Minnesota and 22 in the five-state area. In its “Best Business
Schools” list, U.S. News and World Report ranked only four of those
22 higher than St. Thomas: the University of Wisconsin-Madison,
Iowa State University, the University of Iowa, and the University
of Minnesota-Twin Cities.
About the University of St. Thomas Opus CollegeWith a
vision to educate highly principled global business leaders, the
University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business is the only
private university in Minnesota accredited by AACSB International.
It offers undergraduate concentrations in 13 fields and master’s
degrees in seven programs, including day and evening MBA programs.
The school enrolls another 4,300 participants annually in
executive-education classes.