BYU’s MBA program is climbing the charts, according to BusinessWeek’s latest rankings that place BYU twenty-second in the nation—the program’s highest ranking since the publication started grading MBA programs twenty years ago.

“We’re proud of the students who come through our doors,” says Gary Cornia, dean. “They’re building a strong reputation for their leadership, honesty, and tremendous ability.”

BusinessWeek’s MBA rankings are published every two years and are based on a survey of graduating students and recruiters. The magazine also looks at the number of articles published by each school’s faculty in twenty top academic journals.

“It’s very satisfying to see the school break into BusinessWeek’s top tier. This commendation is not only for the quality of our students but also for our excellent placement staff and superb faculty,” Cornia adds.

According to BusinessWeek, BYU’s MBA program is helped by a focus on ethics, values, and leadership, which draws top recruiters to the school.

The rankings mark the first time BYU has cracked BusinessWeek’s top tier; in 1996, 1998, 2002, and 2006 the program was ranked in the second tier. Ranking No. 22 puts BYU’s Marriott School in the top five percent of American schools accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

“I think recruiters value BYU students because they know they will get good, ethical employees,” says Ryan Allred, a first-year MBA student from Greenville, North Carolina. “The alumni who came before have gone out and done well, and that makes recruiters want to come back.”

The University of Chicago was at the top of the rankings, followed by No. 2 Harvard, No. 3 Northwestern, No. 4 University of Pennsylvania, and No. 5 University of Michigan. Rounding out the top twenty-five were No. 20 Notre Dame, No. 21 Texas at Austin, No. 22 BYU, No. 23 Emory, No. 24 Yale, and No. 25 USC.

BYU was also ranked highly for return on investment, coming in fifth among U.S. business schools. On average, BYU MBA graduates pay off their education in less than four years. In addition to a relatively low total cost, BusinessWeek estimates BYU MBA graduates will gain an 80 percent salary increase over their pre-MBA salaries.

Finally, the publication’s recruiter survey recognized functional areas and specialties. Accounting was ranked fourth, operations/production (global supply chain) was ranked ninth, marketing was ranked eleventh, general management was ranked fourteenth, and finance was ranked sixteenth.


When Kevin Rollins, former CEO of Dell Inc., typed the word “happiness” into Google, he found results like “Happiness for Dummies,” “weekend happiness courses,” and “happiness through hypnosis.” At the 2008 Marriott School Honored Alumni Lecture, Rollins shared with students and faculty his thoughts—not Google’s—on how to achieve personal happiness.

“Some people live waiting for a time in the future when they will be happy,” Rollins said. “Why wait to have joy? Why don’t we try to figure out how to do more of that now?”

In his speech, Rollins outlined several ways he seeks to achieve happiness in his own life. The first thing he taught was that there is no such thing as multitasking.

“It is impossible to do all things at all times and remain happy,” Rollins said. “Multitasking is a myth—a way to do many things concurrently and all of them poorly.”

Instead, students were challenged to focus on one task at a time and bring their personal best to each task they do.

Service is also an important factor in achieving happiness according to Rollins. No matter how small an act may seem, it may be large to those who receive it. Serving others is a lifelong responsibility, and opportunities for service should constantly be sought.

“Give back always; don’t wait until you’re rich enough to start giving back,” Rollins said.

The last way Rollins said to achieve happiness was to work hard at school, work, and home. Putting diligent and intense effort into all you do will bring confidence and peace, he said.

He also specifically noted that levels of happiness do not increase along with increases in salary.

“I have had the pleasure of being rich and the pleasure of being poor and the happiness quotient in my family did not change between those points,” Rollins said. “Your goal should not be to make a certain amount of money. Your goal should be to do well, have success, and be proud and productive.”

Rollins served as president and CEO of Dell Inc. until 2007. Currently, he is a senior advisor to TPG Capital, is co-chair of BYU’s President’s Leadership Council, and is a member of the Marriott School’s National Advisory Council.


TechRepublic, a leading technology news organization owned by CBS Interactive, ranked BYU’s undergraduate information systems program among the top ten in the nation.

In its first-ever ranking, TechRepublic evaluated schools that provide information systems education geared toward careers in administration, consulting, and management. The publication, which is widely read by technology professionals, highlighted ten schools with particularly strong programs.

“Our Education Committee pored over information from lots of different colleges and universities and ultimately came up with this list of ten ‘can’t miss’ programs,” said Jason Hiner, editor in chief of the TechRepublic report. “A degree from one of these ten programs will provide a great foundation for a successful information technology career.”

The top ten schools are: BYU, Carnegie Mellon University, James Madison University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Pennsylvania State University, Temple University, University of Arizona, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Maryland, and Virginia Tech.

Hiner said, “We chose not to rank by number, since that gets even more subjective. The bottom line is that you can’t go wrong with any of these programs.”

TechRepublic evaluated programs based on curriculum, cost-value analysis, student-to-faculty ratio, percentage of faculty with a doctorate degree, placement within six months of graduation, co-ops and internships offered in the program, number of computer labs, and overall strength of the program. The report highlights BYU’s strengths in regard to quality of its information systems faculty, high rates of graduate placement, and hands-on curriculum that challenges students to tackle business problems using information systems solutions.

The report called BYU information systems graduates “some of the nation’s most sought-after graduates,” citing a 100 percent placement rate within six months of graduation.

“Employers are very pleased with our graduates, and in most cases once they hire one, they want more,” says Reid Grawe, a placement advisor for the program. “The students really sell themselves.”

According to the report, students in the BYU program face a rigorous set of courses that provide important hands-on experience to prepare them to face business world problems.

In addition to having a high-quality faculty, the report points out that BYU ensures students have access to professors, with thirteen faculty members for 120 students.


The 2009 Princeton Review’s “The Best 296 Business Schools” ranked BYU’s Marriott School as the nation’s most family-friendly business school.

Rankings for The Princeton Review are based upon a survey of more than 19,000 business school students across the country. Questions on the survey help determine which school is the most family friendly by assessing how many students have children, how helpful the school is to students with children, how happy married students are, and how much the school does for spouses. The Marriott School makes a special effort to be family friendly through various programs such as the MBA Spouse Association.

“In addition to students who are committed to their families, our MBA Spouse Association is a focal point for the family experience in the BYU MBA program,” says Craig Merrill, MBA director. “The spouses’ association makes the BYU MBA community feel like an extended family for everyone involved.”

The Marriott School MBA program was also ranked fourth for most competitive and tenth for best classroom experience.

“These two rankings, taken as a pair, tell a great story about the BYU MBA classroom experience,” Merrill says. “Our students feel like they are challenged, but when it is over they look back with fondness on the experience. That is a great tribute to our students and faculty.”


Accounting professors from across the country selected BYU’s graduate accounting program as best in the nation—unseating the University of Texas at Austin, which had held the top spot for more than a decade.

Some 1,557 accounting educators weighed in to pick BYU as the No. 1 graduate accounting program in the 2008 survey administered by Public Accounting Report, an independent newsletter of the accounting profession.

BYU’s undergraduate accounting program ranked third, making it the twelfth consecutive year that both the undergraduate and the graduate programs have been ranked among the top three in the nation. Both programs were ranked No. 2 in 2007.

“We’re delighted with the recognition,” says Kevin D. Stocks, director of the School of Accountancy. “The rankings reflect a team effort of faculty, administration, and external supporters. Together we continue to work to make the best program possible.”

The rankings are based on a survey of accounting professors and department heads around the nation who were asked to name programs that produce students capable of attaining partner status in the future.

The top five 2008 graduate accounting programs are BYU, the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Southern California, and the University of Michigan. The top five undergraduate accounting programs are the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, BYU, Notre Dame, and the University of Southern California.

Published by the Marriott School at Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah. Copyright 2012 by Brigham Young University. All rights reserved. All communications should be sent to Marriott Alumni Magazine, 490 Tanner Building, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602. Email: marriottmag@byu.edu. Telephone: (801) 422-5083. Fax: (801) 422-0501. The views expressed are those of the various authors and not necessarily the Marriott School. Change your mailing address here.