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The Indiana Daily Student

academics & research

Kelley School of Business ranked high by Bloomberg

The IU Kelley School of Business rose in the undergraduate rankings of Bloomberg Businessweek to 13th overall.

According to a press release from Wednesday, the undergraduate program surged from its spot at number 16 last year to 13 this year.

“In my opinion, it’s recognition for the great things we’ve been doing all along,” Kelley Interim Dean Idalene Kesner said. “But we also have added new revisions.”

These revisions include a program new to the school called Compass.

“Compass is a multi-year program that starts during year one,” Kesner said. “It helps students find a job after graduation.”

The Compass program, Kesner said, begins with classes during freshman year that highlight job skills. Students learn about communications, how to make and give presentations and how to think critically.

The program is continued in the students’ sophomore year by expanding on things learned in the previous year. In the students’ junior year they once again expand on skills they’ll need to land a job during their senior year.

“It helps students identify jobs and get them secured,” Kesner said. “It includes all the skills needed to get the jobs, such as critical thinking and career development.”

Another reason for the rise in rankings is a new freshman course, called X170, Kesner said.

“The class introduces students to the concepts of business early in their
career,” Kesner said.

As well as new classes and programs, there are also other, smaller reasons Kelley keeps up its place in the rankings.

“We actively are teaching about global business,” she said. “And we have an increased focus on business ethics. We also have ongoing workshops, with special attention from faculty. We really deliver when it comes to career service.”

The rankings Bloomberg Businessweek uses are decided by a very long formula that ultimately all boils down to one number that decides the rankings, Kesner said. The criteria for the rankings consist of a large range of factors, such as recruiter opinions, GPAs and SAT scores, as well as student to faculty ratio.

“All rankings use different criteria, and each is unique,” Kesner said.

According to the press release, three other schools in Indiana were ranked on the Bloomberg list: the University of Notre Dame at number one, Butler University at 47th and Purdue University at 58th.

Bloomberg Businessweek has ranked IU in the top 20 since the beginning of its undergraduate rankings, eight years ago.

--Laura Schulte

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