Rankings just one measure of entrepreneurship program's success story
The John W. Altman Institute for Entrepreneurship is ranked among the top 10 public programs in the world for the 14th consecutive year.
Rankings just one measure of entrepreneurship program's success story
In the just-released Princeton Review/Entrepreneur Magazine’s rankings of the world’s top entrepreneurship programs, the John W. Altman Institute for Entrepreneurship at Miami University’s Farmer School of Business has been ranked as one of the top 10 public undergraduate programs in the world. This marks the 14th consecutive year that the program has earned that distinction, this year as seventh among public universities and 13th overall.
Farmer School dean and Mitchell P. Rales Chair in Business Leadership, Jenny Darroch, noted, “While we are proud of this sustained accomplishment, it’s what’s behind those rankings that’s the real success story. We measure success by the outcomes our students achieve and the number of alumni who remain actively engaged with us.”
Founded less than 30 years ago, the program’s graduates have amassed an impressive track record: Miami grads have founded nine unicorns ("Unicorn" is a term used in the venture capital industry to describe a privately held startup company with a value of over $1 billion).
The program focuses on “learning by doing,” applying a practice-based, immersive model of entrepreneurial learning that incorporates play, empathy, creation, experimentation and reflection. The program has a 100% placement rate for internships which allows students to solve real-world problems. The overwhelming majority of professors have real-world entrepreneurship experience. Combining that with a highly-engaged alumni base who mentor students, serve as competition judges and frequently speak to classes and student groups and students graduate beyond ready to successfully launch their careers.
The department ensures that its’ students build relationships with potential funders by purposefully integrating curricular and co-curricular programs with entrepreneurial ecosystem builders across the U.S. in ways that provide students the ability to network with hundreds of angel investors, venture capitalists, accelerator directors, founders, social impact entrepreneurs and ecosystem builders.
This year alone,
- Nearly 1 in 4 of all Miami undergraduates representing every major across campus took at least one entrepreneurship-themed course.
- Almost 1,000 student-entrepreneurs from across campus participated in Entrepreneurship co-curricular programs.
- 581 student-founders created 124 actionable business models that led to 42 student-led startups launched.
- More than 400 Miami Alumni and Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Professionals engaged with ESP programming.
- 2 Student-Led Venture Funds (RedHawk Ventures & Social Impact Fund) invested $100,000 in 3 outside organizations.
- Entrepreneurship graduates led the way for the Farmer School in starting salaries, earning more than $72,000 annually on average.
Tim R. Holcomb, Chair, Department of Entrepreneurship and Director, John W. Altman Institute for Entrepreneurship, commented, “There is so much more to entrepreneurship than simply starting a business. Entrepreneurship is a unique skill, a mindset of sorts, and given the pace of change in our world, we need more graduates who possess creative skills and an entrepreneurial mindset to keep pace with those changes, adapt, and attack new challenges as they arise. At Miami, we don’t just teach students about entrepreneurship. We teach them to do it. While we are pleased with the rankings recognition, we are most proud of the success of our students, whether they launch a high growth company or social enterprise or bring innovative thinking to major corporations in the U.S. and beyond.”
