Press Releases

Sept. 20, 2006
DEPAUL'S ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAM RANKED NUMBER TWO IN THE NATION

Undergraduate and Graduate Programs Score High in Entrepreneur Magazine/Princeton Review Survey

The honors keep rolling in for DePaul University’s entrepreneurship programs. Consistently ranked among the country’s best, both the undergraduate and graduate programs solidified that status in the latest rankings issued jointly by Entrepreneur Magazine and the Princeton Review.

DePaul’s graduate entrepreneurship program ranked second in the nation, while DePaul’s undergraduate program ranked third in the country in the rankings. These represent the highest standing the programs have ever received in the Entrepreneur rankings, which will appear in the October 2006 issue of the magazine due to hit newsstands Sept. 26.

According to a press release issued by Entrepreneur and Princeton Review, universities that achieved high rankings demonstrated a devotion to practical, hands-on experiential learning to provide the skills that translate into real-world businesses the top-ranked schools also had students and alumni actively involved in entrepreneurial endeavors and had faculty whose members serve as mentors, having already demonstrated success in their own entrepreneurial pursuits.

We are fortunate the Chicago entrepreneurship community has recognized that entrepreneurship education is one of the linchpins of economic development and job creation. We are working closely with many significant and successful entrepreneurs who are giving us the benefit of their insights and experiences which we deem essential and complementary to the development of new entrepreneurs, said Dr. Harold P. Welsch, the Coleman Foundation Chair in Entrepreneurship and the Founder of DePaul’s Entrepreneurship Program.

The rankings were the result of a survey of more than 700 schools offering entrepreneurship majors. Judging was based on a number of criteria, including the entrepreneurial emphasis of the curriculum, mentoring, experiential learning, faculty credentials and the success of graduating students and alumni.

Additional Ranking Criteria Included:
Number and range of entrepreneurship courses offered.
Enrolled students.
Percentage of total business school student body enrolled in entrepreneurship-related courses.
Number of entrepreneurship faculty.
Entrepreneurship faculty with direct entrepreneurship experience.
Research grant relationships.
Speakers on entrepreneurship that have spoken on campus.
Enrolled students who have launched a business.
Student-launched businesses that are still in business.
Partnerships with other business schools.
Emphasis on business ethics and/or social entrepreneurship.
Clubs / organizations offered specifically for entrepreneurship students.
Mentorship program.
Annual business plan competition.
Non-curriculum based activities and/or competitions in the area of entrepreneurship.
Entrepreneurial scholarship resources available.

This honor for DePaul validates the commitment the university has made to entrepreneurship, and the dedication of our faculty, students, and alumni to the program’s success, said Raman Chadha, executive director of the Coleman Entrepreneurship Center at DePaul.

Founded in 1982 at the College of Commerce, DePaul’s entrepreneurship program has grown to encompass 12 undergraduate and graduate courses taught by 16 faculty members. Courses cover business plan development, entrepreneurial strategy, new venture financing, business growth and management, creativity, innovation, and technological change, among other important topics. More than 400 students take courses in the program each year.

The entrepreneurship program at DePaul is supported by the Coleman Entrepreneurship Center, which manages outreach programs designed to stimulate the start-up and growth of small businesses. The center offers consulting services, start-your-own-business workshops, business plan competitions, high school outreach programs, an Angel Investor Academy and seminars designed for specific stages of a business life cycle. The center is also home to the DePaul Entrepreneurs Association.

DePaul’s entrepreneur program has been ranked in the top tier by Entrepreneur magazine for four consecutive years and was named one of the best 26 programs by TechKnowledge Point Corp. in its 2006 evaluation of more than 1,000 schools around the country. DePaul’s Ryan Center for Creativity & Innovation also has been recognized for its innovative programs for fledgling business owners. The March 2006 issue of Fortune Small Business magazine named it among 10 university programs that are entrepreneurial hot spots.

With an enrollment of 23,148 students on two city and four suburban campuses, DePaul is the largest Catholic university in the nation and the country’s 10th-largest private, not-for-profit university. DePaul is an innovative and diverse university offering pragmatic educational programs that instill values, including a commitment to community service.

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