UM College of Business Once Again Atop the Big Sky

MISSOULA – The University of Montana College of Business ranks among the best in the nation, according to recently released U.S. News and World Report 2021 rankings.

For a fifth consecutive year, the college earned the top spot in the Big Sky Conference, sharing the honor with the University of Idaho.

“Our ranking among Big Sky Conference schools is a testament to the hard work of our faculty, staff, alumni and students in the College of Business,” said Dean Suzanne Tilleman. “We are very proud to be recognized as a premier business learning ecosystem and a leader in economic development.”

The Big Sky Conference comprises universities in Washington, Idaho, Montana, Arizona, Colorado, Oregon, California and Utah. The UM College of Business came in 157th in the nation, more than 40 spots ahead of other business schools in Montana.

The College of Business offers six undergraduate majors in accounting, finance, international business, management, management information systems and marketing. At the graduate level, it offers the only separately accredited master of accountancy in Montana and the first master of science in business analytics in the Pacific Northwest. Its Master of Business Administration –the only degree of its kind in the state – lets students earn their diploma entirely online.

With nearly 20,000 alumni, the college has a strong track record of preparing students to launch successful careers as leaders in their chosen fields. UM business alumni rise to management positions with global powerhouse companies like Microsoft, Nike, KPMG and Boeing, and launch careers as accountants, IT consultants, marketing professionals and entrepreneurs – work that bolsters local economies in Montana and beyond.

Over 80% of students from the UM College of Business are working or attending graduate school within three months of graduation.

UM accounting programs, which have longstanding reputations for preparing top grads, rank nationally for CPA exam pass rate, which is 72% over the last five years. Both the undergraduate and master’s accounting programs have received national recognition. The Public Accounting Report Rankings had the UM undergrad program ranked 21st in the west region and the master’s program ranked 20th.

Overall, U.S. News and World Report ranked UM at 258th among all public and private universities nationally. To view the complete rankings, visit http://www.usnews.com/colleges.

For more about UM’s College of Business and its accredited programs, visit the College of Business website (http://www.business.umt.edu).

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Contact: Garrett Finke, UM College of Business director of marketing and communications, 406-243-4436, garrett.finke@umontana.edu.