The University of Delaware’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics rose 13 places to No. 84 in U.S. News & World Report’s 2022 Best Undergraduate Business Programs rankings, which were released on September 13. The survey ranked a total of 514 accredited undergraduate business programs across the nation.
“Since 2013, Lerner has added three majors – entrepreneurship, financial planning and wealth management and business analytics – that now enroll 329 of our 3,365 students,” said Lerner College Dean Bruce Weber. “While finance, marketing and accounting remain our three most popular programs, Lerner is quick to respond to evolving business needs. I believe our commitment to innovation and continuous updating of our programs keeps Lerner at the forefront of leading business schools.
“It’s important to note that U.S. News & World Report’s Best Undergraduate Business Programs rankings are based on surveys of deans at other AACSB-accredited institutions,” he continued. “Therefore, it’s crucial that we communicate how we are improving and build our reputation with other business school leaders. I make it a point to attend deans conferences and I encourage other deans and faculty to speak at academic events to lift Lerner’s profile.”
UD is ranked 38th among national public universities in U.S. News’ Best Colleges 2022 edition. Overall, UD is ranked 93rd among almost 300 public, private and for-profit national universities reviewed. Although these most recent rankings relate to undergraduate programs, in March of this year, 21 UD graduate programs were ranked by U.S. News as among the 100 best in the nation, including the Lerner College’s Online MBA program.
From 2016-2020, graduates of Lerner undergraduate programs had an employment rate of 94 percent and an average salary of $54,645. Top employers for graduates included JPMorgan Chase, KPMG, EY, Deloitte, PwC, Bank of America, Amazon, Aramark and various major companies across numerous industries.
For more than 100 years, the Lerner College has invested in its students and communities, giving back philanthropically and with its valuable skills. Lerner’s mission is to deliver inspirational education and pioneering scholarship, and build an inclusive community that beneficially transforms business and society.
It delivers on this promise with top-ranked academic programs, innovative experiential learning centers from Wall Street-standard Geltzeiler Trading Center to the cutting-edge JPMorgan Chase Innovation Center, transformative study abroad experiences, impactful initiatives that advocate for diversity and inclusion across industries and research on meaningful topics like third world economic development, cybersecurity, women’s leadership, corporate social responsibility and more. Through collaborations with students and alumni, it creates businesses that work to solve society’s greatest problems.
What is next for the Lerner College? Weber shared that, “Our goal at Lerner is to become a top 50 business school and while competition is fierce, we are on our way.”