Article: UNH Today (1/12/2021)
Congratulations to us! I am very pleased to let everyone know that we achieved #55 -- our best national ranking to date in the 2021 Poets&Quants rankings for undergraduate business schools.
Moving up in the rankings has been a strategic goal for Paul College since AY15-16. We have moved up 14 points in our Poets&Quants rankings since 2017 when these rankings began. The rankings cover our Business Administration and Hospitality Management programs. We value the Poets & Quants ranking because it is data-driven rather than simply derived from peer perceptions which is the sole criteria used in US News rankings of undergraduate business schools.
Digging a little deeper, I am really pleased that we came in at #34 for the quality of the academic experience. This sub-ranking is based on a survey of our 2018 graduates. Once again, we did very well - #20 - on the question of whether graduates would recommend Paul College to a close friend or colleague (I love this!). Areas of strength rated most highly by our graduates are: availability of faculty for mentoring and informal discussions, quality of teaching, opportunities to strengthen soft skills (effective communication, delegation, time management, etc.), extracurricular opportunities to strengthen skills in business, and quality of academic and career advising. We are also ranked #27 for preparing our students for the world of work.
In the other two major ranking categories, we were #49 for career outcomes and #84 for admissions standards. While that latter score, based solely on the measurement of students at entry, is something we want to see improve, our primary mission as a public university is to deliver the best possible education and experience to those who choose to come to Paul College. Our scores reflect that we are doing a good job in this area.
Some of our local competitors – Bentley, Babson, and Bryant – are not included in the rankings this year. For other comparisons, Northeastern was ranked #18, WPI #20, BU #27, UMASS – Amherst #34 and Providence College #47. For context, other schools close to us in the rankings include U Delaware, U Denver, Drexel, U South Carolina, RIT, and American. As usual, the top 10 are comprised of U Penn, Univ. of Virginia, NY University, U Michigan, Georgetown, UNC-Chapel Hill, Notre Dame, Carnegie Mellon, Cornell, and Georgia Tech (new).
This is a great way to start 2021! I want to congratulate and thank all faculty and staff for your steadfast commitment to giving our undergraduate students a high quality and meaningful educational experience that sets them up for success in their careers and life more broadly. We will continue to innovate and invest in the quality of the education and experiences we give our students. I am eager to see us break into the top 50 in the 2022 rankings.
#paulpride #PQURankings @UNHPaulCollege
Onward,
Deborah
Deborah Merrill-Sands, Ph.D.
Dean
Paul College of Business and Economics
University of New Hampshire
603-862-1983
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