Boston University’s School of Management ranked among the top 20 undergraduate business schools in the nation, according to a special report by BusinessWeek.
The report, published Tuesday, marks the second consecutive year that SMG has risen in BusinessWeek’s annual rankings. SMG garnered 18th place in 2012, rising 13 spots from the 31st place in 2011 and 19 spots from 37th place in 2010.
BU spokesman Colin Riley said while national rankings may not be the best barometer of a school’s performance, SMG’s ranking of 18th shows the school has excelled in preparing its graduates for the business world.
“We don’t generally endorse rankings,” Riley said in a phone interview. “But when you see a Boston University undergraduate school highly ranked, it reaffirms that the school is preparing students for success in business careers.”
The school boasts a 75-percent job-placement rate and a median starting salary of $55,000 a year for those who enter the job market immediately after receiving their bachelor’s degrees, according to the report.
Other notable Boston business schools include the Boston College Carroll School of Management, which ranked 9th, and Northeastern University, which ranked 27th.
BusinessWeek generated rankings based on student surveys from 2012, 2011 and 2010 as well as feedback from recruiters and employers.
SMG students entering the job market now have the opportunity to begin their careers at elite companies, Riley said.
“I know a couple [undergraduate SMG] students that I’ve spoken with have great job offers with really terrific companies,” Riley said, “and I know they’re not the only ones.”
Kevin Dallaire, a SMG sophomore, said in light of the program’s impressive ability to prepare students for the changing needs of the business world, the school deserves a higher ranking.
“I’m surprised it’s actually not higher because SMG is very good with its Career Services and with things that are really going to help you going forward in management,” Dallaire said.
SMG provides its students with career resources and direct links to employers as a way to reduce the uncertainty of the job search, Dallaire said.
“They have a lot of special networking events all throughout the year,” he said. “You get to meet with recruiters [who] talk about what they do and even potential positions for internships.”
These resources are part of a vast array of tools that SMG uses to keep students’ business education as up-to-date and relevant as possible, said Anand Brahmbhatt, a SMG junior.
“They’re always updating the curriculum to meet different things that are always changing,” Brahmbhatt said. “They’re structuring the curriculum to allow interactions directly with companies around the world that need different perspectives.”
Brahmbhatt said BU’s continued rise in rankings seemed appropriate because of the attention to detail the curriculum provides.
“I’m not surprised by the dramatic rise,” he said. “The fact that the school is number 18 reflects the good faculty that they have in most of the departments in SMG.”
As the school continues to update itself to correspond with developments in the business world, Brahmbhatt predicted SMG should continue to rise in the rankings.
“[SMG Dean Kenneth] Freeman has been trying to make drastic changes to keep up-to-date with business,” he said. “The ranking is well-deserved and I think we’re going to continue to go up in the future.”
SMG senior Logan Duarte said he did not expect the business school to climb much higher in the rankings.
“SMG will probably hover in the high teens for years to come despite the fact it is probably a better school than most above it in the rankings,” he said in an email interview.
While Duarte said he respects BU’s faculty, he noted SMG could still use some improvement.
“I think that the ranking is probably spot on for now,” Duarte said. “We have good teachers and facilities, but I feel like the reputation is lagging significantly behind our rankings when it comes to recruiters.”
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