Four Years Family Strong

PROVO, Utah – Nov 29, 2011 – The Marriott School of Management at Brigham Young University is adding another title to its collection, but this one has been seen before. For the fourth year in a row, the Marriott School has been voted the most family-friendly business school in the United States by The Princeton Review.

The 2012 rankings also name the school No. 7 for most competitive students. The results were taken from the opinions of more than 19,000 students at 294 MBA programs.

"BYU's MBA program provides a world-class education with excellent placement opportunities in a setting where family relationships are valued and supported," says Craig Merrill, director of the MBA program.

During the past ten years, 60 to 80 percent of MBA candidates have been married. To accommodate this high number, the MBA Spouse Association was established.

"The MBA Spouse Association provides a place to gather for socials and educational events, which lead to lifelong friendships among families in the MBA program," Merrill says. "For our married students, the choice of MBA programs is as much a family choice as a professional development decision."

Matthew Walsman, a second-year MBA candidate from Washington, D.C., who is married with three children, says the association adds to the family friendliness by hosting activities and weekly gatherings during the busy school year.

"When our son was born during orientation last year, people brought food and came over to check on him and my wife," Walsman says. "This organization gave my wife the chance to get involved in an organization she cares about. She feels just as invested in BYU as I do, and our whole family has made friends whom we will miss when I graduate."

The complete rankings and two-page profile are published in "The Best 294 Business Schools: 2012 Edition."

The Marriott School is located at Brigham Young University, the largest privately owned, church-sponsored university in the United States. The school has nationally recognized programs in accounting, business management, public management, information systems and entrepreneurship. The school's mission is to prepare men and women of faith, character and professional ability for positions of leadership throughout the world. Approximately 3,000 students are enrolled in the Marriott School's graduate and undergraduate programs.