The University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce was ranked the fourth best undergraduate business program in the nation, and the only public university in the top five, in annual rankings released March 1 by business education website Poets&Quants for Undergrads.
According to Poets&Quants, McIntire joins Wharton as one of the most consistent schools to place in the top five year after year. Earning its high position for 2023 on the strength of three equally weighted categories, McIntire was “buoyed by stellar scores in the alumni survey,” ranking #2 in the academic experience category and #7 among leading business schools in both the admissions standards and career outcomes categories.
The point values that determined Poets&Quants’ 2023 rankings are based on surveys of recent graduates from the 93 participating schools that were asked about topics including faculty availability, extracurricular opportunities, and alumni network accessibility. Changes to the Poets&Quants ranking process this year reflect the increased importance of admissions diversity data, allotting points for first-generation, underrepresented minority, international, and women students enrolled; the data has also expanded its scope to include two years of employment outcomes and alumni survey information.
McIntire Dean Nicole Thorne Jenkins says that the recent recognition is further evidence that the School’s innovative programs and strong community create boundless opportunities for students.
“The Poets&Quants rankings demonstrate what our alumni already know: McIntire provides a transformative education that readies our graduates to deliver immediate value to the organizations they join, while helping them to develop the skills to become ethical, visionary business leaders throughout their careers,” Jenkins says. “As we refine and fortify our renowned undergraduate program, we continue to offer more pathways for our students to apply their knowledge as they prepare to tackle some of society’s grand challenges across the globe. Our brilliant faculty, resourceful staff, dedicated alumni, and engaged corporate partners are the essential difference-makers, investing their time and resources to craft the incredible student experience that, for generations, has defined what it means to attend the Commerce School.”
Amanda Cowen, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Programs and Professor of Commerce, echoes Dean Jenkins, noting the many ways the program and its faculty help set its graduates on the path to professional accomplishment and fulfillment.
“At McIntire, we prepare our students not only for their first job, but for a lifetime of success in the rapidly evolving global marketplace. Our integrated curriculum is designed to provide students with hands-on experience tackling complex organizational challenges and working in diverse teams. As a result, students leave McIntire with a comprehensive understanding of business and the professional competencies they need to thrive, contribute, and lead,” Cowen says. “Our faculty are dedicated to mentoring students every step of the way, ensuring that they have the support they need to achieve their goals and, ultimately, building relationships that often last well beyond graduation.”
Designed to give third-year and fourth-year UVA students a comprehensive skills set, global perspectives through immersive learning opportunities, and experiences that empower them to meet the ever-changing demands of the marketplace, McIntire’s B.S. in Commerce Program is centered on its hallmark Integrated Core program. An intense and demanding third-year curriculum, the program treats students as consultants from day one and teaches them to work collaboratively and to develop their skills across analytic, strategic, organizational, and behavioral areas. Blending instruction and insights from faculty teams, alumni practitioners, and corporate leaders, the Integrated Core is carefully constructed to provide students with exposure to the complexities of business.
McIntire’s corporate partners play a critical role, meeting with students and challenging them to develop comprehensive solutions to real and pressing business problems and, in turn, to effectively communicate their findings during presentations to executives. All aspects of the program place a robust emphasis on the development of vital professional business such as communication, leadership, teamwork, design thinking, creativity, self-learning, and interpersonal skills.
Beyond the Integrated Core, all McIntire students complete up to two specialized concentrations in Accounting, Finance, Information Technology, Management, and Marketing. Fourth-years may choose additional areas of study in tracks such as Real Estate, Entrepreneurship, Business Analytics, Quantitative Finance, Global Commerce, and Strategic Brand Consulting and Communications.
See the complete rankings at Poets&Quants.
