Michigan Ross Jumps to No. 4 in the Princeton Review’s Annual Ranking of Graduate Schools for Entrepreneurship Studies
In the Princeton Review’s 16th annual ranking of graduate schools for entrepreneurship studies, the Ross School of Business earned the No. 4 spot, up one from last year, out of the nearly 300 schools surveyed by the publication.
To compile the list, the rankings considered more than 40 data points about the schools, according to the announcement recently released by the Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine. The areas assessed included entrepreneurship-related academic offerings; students and faculty involved in those offerings; number of companies started by alumni; variety of co-curricular entrepreneurship programs and competitions; and amount of scholarships and other financial aid for the study of entrepreneurship.
This latest ranking is another proof point that Michigan Ross is a great place to start or accelerate a business venture and learn entrepreneurial thinking to leverage in any career path. The school is home to the Zell Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies, which offers a wide range of entrepreneurship-focused courses, programs, and resources, and is located in Ann Arbor — both hotbeds for student innovators and professional entrepreneurs alike.
"The entrepreneurial ecosystem changes rapidly, especially as disruptive technologies continue to emerge at lightning speed. In turn, entrepreneurial offerings within the university must evolve and pivot to better prepare our graduate students," said Stewart Thornhill, executive director of the Zell Lurie Institute and Eugene Applebaum Professor of Entrepreneurial Studies at Michigan Ross. "The Zell Lurie Institute continues to introduce new programs and opportunities to further develop innovative leaders and future founders — delivering action-based learning experiences inside and outside the classroom with the opportunity to start, invest, and lead real ventures."
Those sentiments were shared in an Entrepreneur article about the rankings. The feature recognized how the University of Michigan's entrepreneurial mindset gives “graduate students an essential new way to perceive failure and opportunity, and helps orient them toward systems thinking,” which “helps to spark creativity and innovation inside and outside the classroom.”
This contemporary approach toward an entrepreneurial education focuses on action-based learning that reaches far beyond the basics of creating a business. With a broad mix of in-depth programs and cross-campus collaboration connecting students from our 19 schools and colleges, U-M students are immersed in an experiential approach to entrepreneurial education.
New healthcare accelerator, +Impact Studio’s Founders Program, and flagship entrepreneurship programs underway
This year, Michigan Ross announced the launch of a new Pinkert Healthcare Accelerator with the goal of supporting needed healthcare innovation by helping students develop and launch their creative ideas for addressing major challenges facing the industry. The school’s +Impact Studio also welcomed six student-led ventures and entrepreneurs spanning equity, education, health/wellness, and entertainment as part of its Founders Program.
In addition, the release of Princeton Review’s ranking coincides with the kickoff of several of the Zell Lurie Insitute’s flagship programs: the Michigan Business Challenge, a multi-round business plan competition where U-M student teams have the opportunity to win cash prizes totaling over $100,000 across three tracks (impact, innovation, and invention); Michigan Investment Challenge, a venture capital investment competition in which students play the role of venture capitalists; and the pitch event for the Eugene Applebaum Dare to Dream grant program, which offers U-M students offers the chance to earn thousands in grants for their business plans.
Matthew Trevor, Senior PR Specialist
mtrevor@umich.edu