Syracuse University’s Martin J. Whitman School of Management ranked No. 42 in the ‘U.S. News & World Report’ 2007 list of the top 50 undergraduate business programs.

The rankings are the results of a survey from more than 400 deans and senior faculty of undergraduate business programs throughout the country accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

Bob Morse, the director of data research for ‘U.S. News & Report,’ said business is ‘one of the top few majors in the country … (and) will help (students) get a job after graduation.’

The practical skills and applicable techniques offered by business schools allow such programs to have relatively stable rates of enrollment and graduation, as incoming students witness the job security that prestigious business programs have to offer, Morse said.

The Whitman School offers concentrations in accounting, finance, entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises, marketing, general management and supply chain management among various other specifications.

Another outstanding facet of the school that sets it above others is the community service and internship requirement that students must fulfill before they graduate, said Steve Matyas, the assistant dean of undergraduate programs.

Matyas stands by the idea that a varied array of concentrations, especially the specification in entrepreneurship and supply-chain management, helps the school stand out to prospective students when it comes to choosing a college, and later obtaining a job.

‘There’s this standard now that when a student comes from our program that they’ve got some internship experience, they’ve got some idea of community service, and that’s a unique part of the program,’ Matyas said.

Kelly Fisher, a freshman retail management and marketing major, said she chose Whitman for the same reason. She said in the week she has been on campus, she has already experienced the emphasis on team-building and leadership.

‘They’ll have you doing internships by the end of your freshman year,’ Fisher said citing the school’s ‘focus on career preparation.’

Jane McLaughlin, junior retail management and marketing major, said she has plenty of success in her academic training at The Whitman School thus far. McLaughlin said the best aspect of the curriculum is definitely the enthusiasm of the professors combined with the best guidance for career training.

Some other awards given to Whitman throughout the years have included the 2005 National Model Undergraduate Program by the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship, being ranked in the top 50 for undergraduate business programs according to ‘Business Week’ and being ranked in the top tier for national universities by ‘Entrepreneur Magazine’ in both 2004 and 2005.

Published on August 30, 2006 at 12:00 pm