#1 AGAIN! MAKE THAT FOUR IN A ROW

It's a four-peat: The Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame took the No. 1 spot for the fourth year in a row in the Bloomberg Businessweek 2013 "Best Undergraduate Business Schools" ranking.

The publication ranked 124 schools nationwide based on nine measures, including surveys of both senior business majors and employers, median starting salaries for graduates, and the number of alumni each program sends to top MBA programs. Mendoza's Undergraduate Studies ranked first in student satisfaction and fifth in employer satisfaction—the two main ranking criteria. The College also earned scores of "A+" for teaching quality, facilities and services, and job placement.

According to the article accompanying the ranking, students especially lauded the College's well-rounded business curriculum, strong liberal arts bent, and focus on ethics. "Academically, Mendoza is not all that different from other upper-tier business schools," says Rob Nelson, a senior business student at Notre Dame quoted in the article. "But our Catholic tradition puts extra emphasis on ethics and the idea that business should be used to generate more than just profits."

Another student commented, "Mendoza College of Business is unique because it cares for the whole student. They care about our academic pursuits, but also care about our personal development and future careers. The academic advising office is extremely supportive and always willing to help. The professors are the most unique aspect of Mendoza. They work hard to cultivate personal relationships with students."

"There is so much that goes into the educational experience of being part of the Mendoza College of Business, including the spirit of the students, faculty, alumni and University as a whole," says Roger D. Huang, Martin J. Gillen Dean of the Mendoza College. "The ranking is a wonderful opportunity to thank all of those who make this a special place—especially the Mendoza College Undergraduate Advising Office, the Notre Dame Career Center and the Undergraduate Admissions Office. And of course, our students, who never cease to amaze me."

University of Virginia's McIntire School of Commerce ranked second and Cornell's Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management ranked third.

As part of its annual ranking of business programs, Bloomberg Businessweek also releases rankings based on student ratings in 10 specialty areas. As of press time, several of these specialty rankings had been released, with Mendoza earning the following:

^#1 Ethics

^#2 Accountancy

^#4 Finance

^#5 Sustainability