The University of Notre Dame has been ranked as the No. 15 top graduate school for entrepreneurship by The Princeton Review as part of its annual “Top 50 Undergraduate and Top 50 Graduate Schools for Entrepreneurship Studies” rankings. While the University’s ESTEEM Graduate Program, a one-year professional master’s degree conferring a Master of Science in Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship, is the primary driver behind this distinction, the University’s total entrepreneurial profile also includes programming and course work offerings from the Mendoza College of Business and the Keough School of Global Affairs.
The 2023 rankings were announced by The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine on Nov. 15. The rankings are based on data from the publication’s annual survey of more than 300 colleges and universities that offer entrepreneurship studies and programs. The survey focuses on a wide variety of input variables about a particular school’s academic course offerings and degree opportunities focusing on innovation and entrepreneurship – as well as applied and experiential learning programs – in an attempt to fully understand and evaluate the school’s overall commitment to providing their students with a high quality education in this discipline.
"This is the first year that the University of Notre Dame applied for and was included among The Princeton Review's ‘Top 50 Graduate Schools for Entrepreneurship Studies,’” said Kelley Rich, interim vice president and associate provost for innovation at Notre Dame’s IDEA Center. "We are honored to be recognized among the most prestigious schools selected for this year's ranking."
Most of the data submitted to The Princeton Review came from Notre Dame’s ESTEEM Graduate Program, whose emphasis is on the action of entrepreneurship, not just the academic study of it. ESTEEM is the university’s principal academic program at the graduate school level focusing on innovation and entrepreneurship. It demonstrates its focus on the discipline of entrepreneurship on many levels, including hands-on student engagement; the percentage of faculty, students and alumni currently involved in entrepreneurial ventures; successful alumni ventures; mentorship; scholarship and grants; student involvement outside the classroom; and corporate-sponsored entrepreneurship/innovation programs.
Commenting on the honor, David Murphy, assistant provost and executive director for student entrepreneurship and the ESTEEM Graduate Program, said, "We are thankful to be recognized by The Princeton Review as being among the country’s top graduate programs for entrepreneurship. This acknowledgment reflects the hard work and dedication of our students, our faculty and staff, our alumni and so many others – both inside and outside the university – who make up our vibrant and engaged entrepreneurial ecosystem at Notre Dame. ESTEEM stands out from other entrepreneurship programs because of our focus on recruiting students with strong technical backgrounds, such as in STEM, social sciences and design, who have the curiosity, desire and discipline to become powerful forces for good in the world through innovation and entrepreneurship. They want to fix things that matter.”
For more information on this year’s honorees, visit The Princeton Review website here.