DePaul University’s College of Commerce has leaped into the top 50 in BusinessWeek’s 2010 survey of undergraduate business programs, landing at No. 40 in the national rankings announced this week.

DePaul’s program also was ranked No. 3 nationally for being a good value among private university programs. This ranking was based on return on investment, which BusinessWeek calculated by comparing annual tuition with the median base salary students receive at graduation.

DePaul's program earned an A+ for teaching quality, an A for facilities and services and an A for job placement.

"We have been working diligently to enhance academic quality and this ranking is external validation of the results of these efforts," said Ray Whittington, dean of the College of Commerce. "It is especially gratifying to earn recognition for the excellence of our faculty and career services."

The rankings are based on surveys of seniors majoring in business and job recruiters, as well as extensive information supplied by business school administrators on student academic achievement, program offerings and career outcomes at each institution.

DePaul received high marks from students.

"At DePaul, we are taught only by professors, not teaching assistants, and classes are very small," wrote one student quoted by BusinessWeek. "Teaching is personalized and reflects real-world experience, and you can tell the professors truly care about your future in the professional world."

Another wrote: "All the professors have worked in their field and have knowledge of the workforce outside of school. Presenting the materials in a way for us to understand and lead us in the direction of success has made my confidence go up now that we’ve arrived at graduation."

"DePaul has this way of attracting fantastic firms for internships and job opportunities, and the opportunities help out a great deal in getting students started and obtaining experience in business," said a third senior. "The advisors also go out of their way with getting you in the door of the business world, which is rare in any institution."

This latest ranking is one in a series of accolades earned by DePaul’s College of Commerce and Kellstadt Graduate School of Business for academic excellence from well-known publications during the past year. DePaul’s undergraduate entrepreneurship program placed eighth and the graduate program was ninth nationally among more than 2,300 schools surveyed in the most recent "Best Schools for Entrepreneurs" rankings issued by Entrepreneur magazine and The Princeton Review. The part-time MBA program is ranked ninth in the nation by U.S.News & World Report in its "America’s Best Graduate Schools" 2010 guidebook.

Among Illinois university programs participating in the BusinessWeek survey, DePaul had the second highest standing. In total, 111 programs from across the country were ranked. To view the full rankings, go to: http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/rankings/.

With 4,564 students, DePaul’s undergraduate business program offers a wide-range of majors in accountancy, finance, management, marketing, economics and real estate, including leading programs in hospitality leadership, sales leadership and entrepreneurship. Graduates benefit from the College of Commerce’s 50,000-strong alumni network. DePaul’s College of Commerce can be found on the Web at commerce.depaul.edu. 

For admission questions about DePaul's College of Commerce, call (312) 362-8300 or e-mail admission@depaul.edu.