Babson Named Top College Entrepreneurship Program for Undergraduates and MBAs By The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur Magazine

WELLESLEY, Mass., Sept. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine have ranked Babson College #1 for undergraduate and MBA entrepreneurship programs.

According to The Princeton Review, it annually ranks the top 25 undergraduate and top 25 graduate entrepreneurship programs offered at U.S. institutions, providing a snapshot of the best schools at which to begin the choose-your-own adventure. This year the survey ranked Babson number one for undergraduate and MBA entrepreneurship programs.

"When this ranking is considered alongside all of the major survey rankings—and less than two weeks after U.S. News & World Report ranked our undergraduate program as number one in entrepreneurship education for the 16th time in a row—it is more evidence that recognition of our leadership in the field is consistent and widely-shared," said President Len Schlesinger. "It also is further proof that we are increasingly regarded as one of America's elite colleges. I want to emphasize that Babson faculty across all disciplines contribute to this ranking, teaching the mindset and skills that are critical to educate entrepreneurial leaders of all kinds."

"What is most important is that we remain firmly committed to this institution's leadership in entrepreneurial education as measured by our own internal standards, as well as survey results— and we will continue to prepare Babson's undergraduate and MBA students to create economic and social value everywhere," Schlesinger said.

The ranking is compiled using survey data from more than 2,000 colleges and universities and is based on the following questions and methodology.

• Academics and requirements: Schools were asked if they offer an entrepreneurship program, major or minor and to specify the total number of courses offered, as well as the type. Other academic requirements that affect the ranking include the availability of internships, externships, experiential and cooperative learning and consulting opportunities for small-business owners.
• Students and faculty: The institutions were asked what percentage of the total student body in the 2011-12 academic year was formally enrolled in the entrepreneurship program and what percentage was enrolled in an entrepreneurship-related course. They were also asked what percentage of formally enrolled entrepreneurship students in the most recent graduating class had launched a business since graduating, what percentage of those are still in business and what percentage of the entrepreneurship faculty had started, bought or run a successful business. Schools were also asked for the number of faculty members teaching entrepreneurship courses exclusively and the number teaching at least one course in the subject.
• Outside the classroom: Schools were asked whether they have partnerships with other schools that allow access to their entrepreneurship programs, as well as the number of officially recognized clubs and organizations for entrepreneurship students and the budgets for such clubs. Other questions concerned the scope of entrepreneurial scholarships, noncurriculum-based entrepreneurial activities and official mentorship programs available to entrepreneurship students. Schools were also asked if they host an annual business plan competition and the amount of the prize, as well as the total amount of prize money won at any competition.

David Soto, director of content development for The Princeton Review, conducted the survey from April 2012 through June 2012. For more information, visit Princeton Review.

Babson College is the educator, convener, and thought leader for Entrepreneurship of All Kinds™. The College is a dynamic living and learning laboratory, where students, faculty, and staff work together to address the real-world problems of business and society -- while at the same time evolving our methods and advancing our programs. We shape the leaders our world needs most: those with strong functional knowledge and the skills and vision to navigate change, accommodate ambiguity, surmount complexity, and motivate teams in a common purpose to create economic and social value. As we have for nearly a half-century, Babson continues to advance Entrepreneurial Thought and Action® as the most positive force on the planet for generating sustainable economic and social value. For information, visit www.babson.edu.

SOURCE Babson College