Brigham Young University�s undergraduate business programs rank seventh overall and first among recruiters according to BusinessWeek magazine�s comprehensive ranking of U.S. undergraduate business programs. The Marriott School of Management was also ranked first in return on tuition for private colleges.

In a story in the March 10 issue of the magazine, students hail the Marriott School's emphasis on producing successful and ethical business leaders.

"This is a thrilling recognition to be in the top 10 for the third consecutive year," says Joan Young, director of BYU�s undergraduate management program. "I think it says something about our staying power and the mix we have of highly motivated students and a curriculum that really stretches them."

The University of Pennsylvania�s Wharton School ranked No. 1, followed by No. 2 University of Virginia, No. 3 Notre Dame, No. 4 Cornell, No. 5 Emory, No. 6 Michigan-Ann Arbor, No. 7 BYU, No. 8 NYU, No. 9 MIT and No. 10 Texas-Austin.

"I don�t believe there are a brighter group of students anywhere," says Marriott School Dean Ned Hill. "The fact that our faculty is so interested in undergraduate students says a lot about our program. We also try to keep our classes small enough to facilitate that essential interaction between faculty and students."

Only 127 colleges met BusinessWeek's stringent criteria to be considered for the undergraduate business rankings. Schools must have an accredited undergraduate business degree program that meets criteria for program size, age, test scores, and grade point averages for business majors and number of full-time tenured faculty, among other things.

Colleges were ranked according to five weighted sets of data: a survey of more than 80,000 students; a survey of 618 corporate recruiters; median starting salaries for graduates; the number of graduates admitted to 35 top MBA programs; and an academic quality measure that consists of SAT/ACT test scores for business majors, full-time faculty-student ratios in the business program, average class size in core business classes, the percentage of business majors with internships and the number of hours students spend preparing for class each week.

"I believe that we have some of the best faculty in the country," says Heidi Green, a senior majoring in finance from Centerville, Utah. "They not only motivate and inspire me to learn business concepts but also teach me to become better in my personal life."

The weakest point in BYU�s performance was the percentage of students with internships. "Although we strongly encourage internships, we don�t require them," Young says. "The number of students doing internships has been a point of discussion for several years. And I'm happy to report that we recently introduced new online resources to help students find internships, determine the quality of internships and make good company contacts. This is an area we are strongly focusing on."

The Marriott School has nationally recognized programs in accounting, business management, entrepreneurship, public management and information systems. Approximately 3,000 students are enrolled in the Marriott School's graduate and undergraduate programs.