USD ranked third for entrepreneurship

Henley Doherty | Asst. Business Editor

The USD School of Business Administration (USD-SBA) has been ranked as having the third best Masters of Business Administration Entrepreneurial Program in the world by the Financial Times, an international business publication.

The rankings included ten schools in total. The only schools ranked higher than USD Stanford University at no. 1 and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology at no. 2. The University of Southern California was ranked just behind USD.

For their survey of the top Masters of Business Administration programs for entrepreneurship, the Financial Times considered programs from all business schools across the globe. Six of the top 10 in the ranking were within the United States.

The ranking was assembled by surveying whether the programs met a set of pre-established criteria: the number of successful businesses created by students from the graduate programs, whether the start-up businesses were considered their main source of income, and the involvement and support of school alumni.

The Financial Times looked into the success of businesses started by students of global MBA programs. According to NBC San Diego, the survey found that since 2011, 34 percent of graduates from the USD-SBA have successfully begun their own business, and another 30 percent considered their start-up as their main source of income.

Senior and International Business major, Andrea Young, understands the impact this ranking has on USD’s business programs.

“To have that sort of recognition only enhances the competitive advantage of students of the School of Business Administration to firms, and makes the program very attractive to students,” Young said. “Most importantly, it proves that the MBA students are experiencing a program that enhances the skill set they need to succeed in entrepreneurship.”

USD-SBA’s ranking holds great significance for current and aspiring students of SBA’s entrepreneurial program.  It also demonstrates the vast support from the alumni network of the SBA that is available to students pursuing business and entrepreneurship at USD. This is greatly attributed to the involvement of the alumni of the SBA in assisting graduate students with their start-up businesses. Due to the highly active role of school alumni, as well as the great academic support of the MBA business program, students interested in entrepreneurship have one of the top programs in the world to start a new business through the graduate program at USD.

Senior and business student, Claudio Trespalacios, sees USD’s ranking as a direct reflection of the strong support students receive from alumni.

“It’s impressive because this shows how strong the support from USD alumni is,” Trespalacios said. “It shows how USD is not just an academic institution but it is also a place where communities are built, and this is just more proof that the USD sense of community goes beyond school.”

This ranking demonstrates how the USD School of Business Administration is able to remain competitive against other top-tier MBA programs across the world, and positions its program as an excellent choice for students wishing to pursue entrepreneurship.