U.S. News & World Report Ranks Undergraduate Business Program at the College of William and Mary in the Top 50 in the Country

The Undergraduate Business Program at the College of William and Mary continues its ascent into the top tier of business schools with its latest ranking in U.S. News & World Report's Best Colleges 2009.

In the Best Undergraduate Business Programs ranking, the Undergraduate Program is ranked 43rd, up five spots from last year's 48th ranking. Among public universities, the business program is ranked 22nd.

U.S. News surveyed deans and senior faculty at each undergraduate business program accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Business school deans and faculty (two at each business program) were surveyed in spring 2008. Participants were asked to rate the quality of all programs they are familiar with on a scale of 1 (marginal) to 5 (distinguished). The undergraduate business school rankings are based solely on this peer survey.

"Unlike the Business Week ranking, the U.S. News Undergraduate Business Program Ranking is purely subjective -- it is a 'beauty contest' of sorts based solely on a survey of deans and faculty members. It is gratifying to know that our colleagues are beginning to notice the attractiveness of our program," said business school Dean Lawrence B. Pulley.

The Undergraduate Program is part of the Mason School of Business at the college. Also in the ranking, The College of William and Mary was ranked 6th among national universities. "We've built our business program on what makes W&M great -- a personalized approach to education where top faculty and talented students examine the issues facing business and society," said Christopher P. Adkins, Director of the Undergraduate Business program.

For more information about the Undergraduate Program at the Mason School, go to http://mason.wm.edu/undergraduate .

The Mason School of Business (http://mason.wm.edu) is an AACSB-accredited school of business. Students are immersed in real business situations throughout the undergraduate and graduate business education programs. The Individual Program of Study (IPS) (http://mason.wm.edu/mason/Programs/undergraduate+business) in the Undergraduate Program gives students the freedom to design a program that fits who they are and prepares them to shape the world. Executive Partners, (http://mason.wm.edu/Mason/The+Mason+Difference/Executive+Partners/) the school's pioneering model of faculty-executive partnership in and out of the classroom, Career Acceleration Modules (http://mason.wm.edu/Mason/Career-Acceleration-Modules) and Leadership Advantage (http://mason.wm.edu/LeadershipAdvantage) in the MBA program combine to form a highly personalized, experience-based education that is unmatched by most business schools today. The school was named for William and Mary alumnus, Raymond A. "Chip" Mason in November 2005. It will move into its new state-of-art building, Alan B. Miller Hall (http://mason.wm.edu/Mason/Our+School/Alan+B.+Miller+Hall) in Fall 2009. Miller Hall was named for William and Mary alumnus, Alan B. Miller in March 2007.

The College of William and Mary, located in Williamsburg, VA, is one of the nation's premier public, liberal arts universities and believes that excellence in teaching is the key to unlocking intellectual and personal possibilities for students. Dedicated to this philosophy, the College provides high-quality undergraduate, graduate and professional education that prepares students to make significant contributions to the Commonwealth of Virginia and the nation. As the second-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and educational home to many early American leaders, The College is revered as the "alma mater of a nation."

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