For the fourth year in a row, The Princeton Review has recognized the excellence of the University of ϱ, Reno College of Business in its Best Business Schools guidebook, based on the quality of its MBA Program.
The Princeton Review collected opinions of more than 19,000 students at the best, accredited MBA programs in the world, and chose to include the University of ϱ, Reno College of Business in its just-published The Best 294 Business Schools: 2012 Edition based on student surveys, as well as data from the schools. Although the guidebook does not rank the schools in order, the University of ϱ, Reno program's overall "Academic Experience Rating" was 85 this year, up four points from last year.
"Being included in The Princeton Review's Best Business Schools book again this year is very rewarding," stated Kambiz Raffiee, director of the MBA Program and associate dean of the College of Business. "It is especially gratifying to see that we have scored even higher this year, evidence that our faculty members are not content to rest on our laurels. They work hard to make the program better each year."
The students gave the program's professors especially high marks, evidenced by the 93 they scored the program in the category of "Professors' Interesting Rating." Students said their professors are "extremely knowledgeable in their fields," and they liked the instructors' "case study and team-oriented" approach.
Additionally, the students said the program provided solid preparation in doing business in a global economy, as well as general management. They said the program is "challenging and well-rounded," and "focused on working professionals making the move to the next level." The students appreciated that their cohorts come from diverse backgrounds and with a variety of work experiences, with one student commenting, "Most of my peers have five to 10 years of experience and I am learning something new from them every day."
The program offers class times convenient for working professionals and requires all students to take core courses that include a foundation in statistics, operations, marketing, economics, management and finance. Students can specialize in accounting, finance, gaming management or information technology.
The guidebook lists the average base starting salary of program graduates at $50,000. A 1984 graduate of the program, Hera Siu, who also earned her bachelor's degree in managerial sciences at the College in 1982, was just named one of "10 global women on the rise" by Fortune magazine. Siu is president of operations in China for the German software giant, SAP. Fortune sited that since Siu's appointment to the position last year, its China sales were up 33 percent in the first half of 2011 and that Siu is on track to double revenues of her division within the next three years. The College of Business recently recognized Siu as their 2011 Distinguished Alumna.
Siu's husband, Bernard Kwok, also earned his MBA from the program in 1984 and his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering at the University in 1981. Kwok is also a corporate leader in the worldwide software industry, currently serving as senior vice president of Asia Pacific and Japan for Symantec.
"Our goal is to prepare students to succeed in a global economy," said Greg Mosier, dean of the University's College of Business. "The success of our graduates, as well as recognition such as this by The Princeton Review, affirms that we are providing our students with the skills and knowledge they need to become our business leaders of tomorrow."
For more information about ϱ's MBA Program, contact Raffiee at (775) 682-9142 or raffiee@unr.edu.