University of Utah earns top 5 ranking among public schools for entrepreneurship opportunities

SALT LAKE CITY — The David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah continues to earn high praise when it comes to entrepreneurship, recently receiving the 12th spot in MBA rankings for entrepreneurship according to a 2024 U.S. News and World Report ranking.

The program’s positioning in the rankings also comes in as the fifth-best in the nation among public schools.

The latest rankings come on the heels of a U.S. News and World Report from September 2023 that ranked the Eccles School as the seventh-best undergraduate entrepreneurship program overall and fourth-best among public schools for 2024.

“We have a large and growing number of opportunities for entrepreneurs at the University of Utah, and we welcome everyone to learn more and get involved,” said Jennifer Brown, chair of the Department of Entrepreneurship and Strategy at the Eccles School, in a statement. “We have leading faculty teaching entrepreneurship. These talented instructors give students the opportunity to learn about business creation in and out of the classroom.”

The school’s positioning in this year’s rendition of the rankings is due in part to the ongoing growth and development of entrepreneurship offerings at the Eccles School, its Department of Entrepreneurship and Strategy, and the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute.

Lassonde Studios — part of the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute — is a living and learning community where students from any major or background can live while creating and launching their business ideas. It’s housed in a five-story building at the center of campus, with an innovation space on the first floor and dorm space on the upper levels.

The school, as well as the Lassonde Institute, has student success stories that give weight to its rankings.

In February, Lassonde student Sadie Bowler successfully launched her company — SadieB Personal Care — in 507 Target stores across the nation.

“We really hope to expand even further into retail. There’s about 2,000 Target stores, so expand into the rest of Target and then Ulta and Walmart and Kroeger and then globally into Canada,” Bowler said.

Another innovative curriculum addition for student entrepreneurs is the Master of Business Creation program at the Eccles School, which focuses on helping a founder grow and scale their company. In 2023, the program expanded to begin offering an online option, providing more flexibility.

On the undergraduate side, the Eccles School in 2019 launched the Lassonde+X program — a three-course program for undergraduates to “learn the entrepreneurial mindset.”

Also under the Lassonde umbrella, the Lassonde Founders program is a residential entrepreneur community for incoming students who are active entrepreneurs. There are also options for alumni, with Lassonde For Life launching in 2022 and open to all U. graduates, regardless of degree, to receive “lifelong” entrepreneurial support including workshops, networking opportunities and more.

“The Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute provides all students at the University of Utah with the opportunity to apply what they are learning in class to launch and grow a business and work for themselves when they graduate,” said Troy D’Ambrosio, executive director of the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute and assistant dean at the Eccles School, in a statement. “Students at the University of Utah have access to grants, workshops, mentors, and much more to launch a company.”