Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business ranked No. 9 in nation for entrepreneurship by Princeton Review

Jones School among nation’s top 10 for third year in a row  

HOUSTON -- (Sept. 22, 2011) -- Rice University's Jones Graduate School of Business has the No. 9 graduate entrepreneurship program in the country, according to survey results announced Sept. 20 by the Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine.

The 2011 ranking is based on a review of more than 2,000 U.S. undergraduate and graduate programs. Babson College in Massachusetts topped the list. The survey results are published in the October issue of Entrepreneur magazine.

During the past decade, the Jones School moved from an unranked position into one of the top 10 programs in the country. The Jones School is one of only four schools to achieve a top 10 ranking for the past three years. 

“Entrepreneurship at Rice University rests on the core disciplines taught by world-class faculty, fundamental research in all areas of business, courses in entrepreneurship taught by successful entrepreneurs, engaged alumni and phenomenal extracurricular activities supported by the Rice Alliance,” said Bill Glick, dean of the Jones School. “Entrepreneurs integrate cutting-edge ideas from a variety of functional areas. Our approach is to build a quality curriculum taught by the best professors and entrepreneurs while engaging students in business plan competitions and networking with entrepreneurs. We are honored to be ranked No. 9 among graduate entrepreneur programs.”

The Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship serves as Rice's nationally ranked initiative devoted to the support of entrepreneurship. It was formed as a strategic alliance of three  schools at Rice: the George R. Brown School of Engineering, the Wiess School of Natural Sciences and the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business. The Rice Alliance hosts a number of world-class programs each year, including the Rice Business Plan Competition, the richest and largest competition in the world. To date, the Rice Alliance has assisted in the launch of more than 300 companies that have raised more than $1 billion.   

A recent Jones School alumni survey revealed that 22 percent of Rice MBA alumni have started one or more entrepreneurial companies, and 76 percent are still in business today.

“We are extremely pleased and humbled by this recognition from Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine," said Brad Burke, managing director of the Rice Alliance. "The Rice Alliance is committed to helping build successful technology startup companies through education, guidance and connections. This award comes on the heels of being recognized as the National Model MBA Entrepreneurship Program by the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship earlier this year.”

The Princeton Review survey evaluated schools in the areas of entrepreneurship business fundamentals taught in the classroom, departments staffed with successful entrepreneurs, excellence in mentorship, provision of experiential or entrepreneurial opportunities outside of the classroom, as well as nontraditional features that distinguish the programs.

Among the world-class entrepreneurship educators at the Jones School are Professors of Management Edward Williams and Albert Napier, who also is director of the Center on the Management of Information Technology. Businessweek ranked Williams as one of the top three entrepreneurship university educators in the country. In 2008, Napier received the Acton Foundation’s national award for Excellence in Entrepreneurship Education. Additionally, numerous Jones School faculty have published research in the area of entrepreneurship in top academic journals.

The Rice Education Entrepreneurship Program (REEP) is another component of Rice’s entrepreneurship initiative. REEP is designed to equip current and aspiring school leaders with the management tools, strategic framework and supportive networks they need to meet the challenges of public school leadership. With a combination of world-class business training from the Jones School and REEP’s unique education entrepreneurship institute, students are challenged to explore what is possible in education today, Glick said.

To view the complete rankings, visit www.entrepreneur.com/article/220327.