Heavener School recognized as one of nation’s top 20 public business schools
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Heavener School of Business was again recognized as one of the top 20 public business schools in the nation in U.S. News & World Report’s “2016 Best Colleges” edition released Wednesday.
The Heavener School ranked 18th among U.S. public programs, and 29th overall. It remained the top-ranked undergraduate business school from the state of Florida.
“It is wonderful to see that the academic and professional development programs offered through the Heavener School of Business continue to rank among the nation’s best,” said Dr. Brian Ray, Associate Dean and Director of the Heavener School. “The 2014-2015 academic year was momentous for the Heavener School of Business. The opening of Heavener Hall, a state-of-the-art living/learning facility, further established a vibrant professional culture for the University of Florida’s undergraduate business students.”
The Heavener School also fared well in five specialty programs—all finishing in the top 15 among U.S. publics. Those programs were Real Estate (fourth), Accounting (fifth), Quantitative Analysis (sixth), Finance (10th) and Marketing (12th).
Additionally, the Heavener School performed well nationally in two significant categories—Retention Rate and Six-Year Graduation Rate. The Heavener School was fifth among publics and 11th overall with a 96 percent retention rate—the percentage of first-year students who return the following year. The Heavener School’s Six-Year Graduation Rate (88%), the percentage of students who earn bachelor’s degrees in six years, was sixth among U.S. publics and 19th overall.
Dr. Ray attributes the Heavener School’s impressive finish to its new academic initiatives in global business, entrepreneurship, leadership, ethics and communication skills among other factors. These innovative programs, along with the recent requirement that every Heavener student completes an internship or study abroad experience, prepare Heavener students for academic and professional success.
The Heavener School’s top-quality students have been noticed by the world’s elite companies. Fortune 500 companies such as Amazon, Bank of America, Citigroup, Disney, ExxonMobil, General Electric, Google, IBM, Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble and SunTrust Banks have recently hired Heavener graduates.
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 AACSB-accredited business program— were surveyed in spring 2015 for this ranking. Participants were asked to rate the quality of all programs they were familiar with on a scale from 1 (marginal) to 5 (distinguished). The undergraduate business school and business specialty rankings are based solely on the results of this peer survey.
Here is a list of the Heavener School’s impressive finishes:
Heavener School of Business
Overall: 29th
Among Publics: 18th
Accounting
Overall: 10th
Among Publics: 5th
Finance
Overall: 27th
Among Publics: 10th
Marketing
Overall: 27th
Among Publics: 12th
Quantitative Analysis
Overall: 10th
Among Publics: 6th
Real Estate
Overall: 7th
Among Publics: 4th
