DePaul University is one of the country’s 25 best academic institutions for entrepreneurship education, according to the annual rankings issued by Entrepreneur magazine and the Princeton Review.

Of the more than 2,000 schools surveyed by The Princeton Review for Entrepreneur magazine, DePaul’s graduate entrepreneurship program was ranked 11th and its undergraduate program was ranked 17th. Both programs were evaluated on how well they teach business fundamentals, whether the faculty includes successful entrepreneurs, and the availability of experiential or entrepreneurial opportunities outside the classroom, among other criteria. The rankings appear in the October issue of Entrepreneur, which hit the newsstands Sept. 20.

“DePaul has consistently moved up in the top 25 rankings,” said Harold Welsch, Coleman Entrepreneurship chair at DePaul. “Interest in entrepreneurial initiatives has never been stronger among students.”

Welsch said entrepreneurship programs are especially popular in tough economic times. “During these turbulent economic times, entrepreneurship has proven to be the most effective job creator we have,” he said. “Economic development continues to rely on the small business sector as the solution to our economic malaise.”

The magazine noted that ranked universities “offer the type of training, encouragement and direction that nurtures entrepreneurial skills. This ranking is an excellent resource for those interested in academics as a pathway to their goals, and it can help tremendously in the discovery process to finding the right program.”

“The right education enhances and reinforces curiosity and creative thinking in entrepreneurs,” said Amy Cosper, vice president and editor in chief at Entrepreneur magazine.

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About DePaul

With more than 25,000 students, DePaul University is the largest Catholic university in the United States and the largest private, non-profit university in the Midwest. The university offers approximately 275 graduate and undergraduate programs of study on two Chicago campuses and four suburban campuses. Founded in 1898, DePaul remains committed to providing a quality education through personal attention to students from a wide range of backgrounds. For more information, visit www.depaul.edu.