TAMIU College of Business Gets a Top Ranking by the Princeton Review
Texas A&M International University's College of Business Administration is one of the nation's most outstanding business schools and ranks second in the nation in offering the "Greatest Opportunity for Minority Students" by The Princeton Review.
The ranking and a profile of TAMIU is included in the New York-based education services company's recently released 2006 edition of The Best 237 Business Schools. It is based on the percent of students from minorities, the percent of faculty from minorities, and student assessment of resources for minority students, how supportive the culture is of minority students and whether fellow students are ethnically and racially diverse.
Dr. Jacky Yuk-Chow So, dean of the TAMIU College of Business Administration, said the ranking is especially significant as it reflects the opinions of TAMIU students who participated in The Princeton Review's surveys.
"We are absolutely thrilled with this national recognition of our program and especially honored that this ranking reflects the perceptions of our students. We have worked hard to create and deliver international programs that are richly relevant for our students, their research and their career aspirations. We are also honored to be ranked among a select group of American graduate business schools accredited by the American Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). This is a sweet affirmation of why we do what we do, day after day," Dr. So said.
TAMIU president Dr. Ray Keck concurred, adding that Laredo's long-standing tradition as a crossroads of commerce and cultural make it an ideal place for business study.
"Our city has long championed international trade and commerce and offers an ideal setting for the study of international business at TAMIU. This honor further reminds us of our important charge to continue to provide access to the life-changing benefit of higher education," Dr. Keck said.
Robert Franek, vice president of publishing for the Review, explained the importance of inclusion in The Best 237 Business Schools.
"Every school we profile in this book offers a terrific MBA education, yet each one is distinctive in its academic programs, school offerings and campus culture. We don't name-and don't think it's useful to name-one best business school overall. The key question for applicants is 'What is the best b-school for me?' To help them decide this, we survey students attending the schools and report what they say about their experiences at them. Our profiles and ranking lists of top schools in various categories are based on straight-from-the-campus data we collected from school administrators and students at the schools," Franek wrote the University.
Two-page profiles in The Best 237 Business Schools have sections on the school's academics, student life, admissions and career / placement programs. The profiles also have ratings on the school's academics, admissions selectivity and career programs.
In the TAMIU profile, the book's editors describe students as noting the international focus of the program gives them "the opportunity to immerse themselves in an international environment in which we can analyze situations of different countries."
The profile observes that nearly half of MBA students are international students, with almost half from Mexico and Latin America. Some 30 percent of the international student body comes from Asia.
The students surveyed also praised faculty as "extremely optimistic" and "honestly care about their students and are always willing to offer a helping hand."
Students also pointed out that "the small size of the program is a great strength. The student population is not big, so there is enough opportunity to interact with your professors and get to know everyone in your college." MBA students surveyed especially appreciated how "professors acknowledge that the majority of the class works full-time and also goes to school, so they make the assignments challenging, but not impossible."
Overall, the survey said the College of Business offers "solid preparation in finance, general management and teamwork" and describes students as "happy" and liking "smart classrooms," that are equipped with the latest computers and software.
In the ranked category of "Greatest Opportunity for Minority Students," TAMIU out-ranked San Francisco State University, but was topped by Howard University in Washington, D.C.
TAMIU's AACSB-accredited College of Business Administration offers an MBA, an MBA in International Banking (MBA-IBK), an MBA in International Trade (MBA-IT), a Master of Professional Accountancy (MPAcc), a Master of Science in International Logistics (MS-IL), a Master of Science in Information Systems (MS-IS) and a Doctorate in International Business Administration (PhD-IB).
For additional information regarding TAMIU College of Business Administration programs, contact Imelda Lopez, graduate admissions counselor, at 956.326.2485, e-mail lopez@tamiu.edu, visit offices in the Western Hemispheric Trade Center room 204 B or click on tamiu.edu/coba.
"Best 237 Business Schools" is one of more than 200 Princeton Review books published by Random House. The line includes "Best 159 Law Schools" (for which The Princeton Review surveyed 15,000 students attending the schools in the book), "Best 162 Medical Schools," and "Complete Book of Graduate Programs in the Arts and Sciences." The Princeton Review is known for its graduate school and college admission services, test-prep courses, books and education services.
For additional information, visit: princetonreview.com.
Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information Services at prmis@tamiu.edu