The Luter School of Business at Christopher Newport University ranked 70th this year, five places behind what it ranked last year, at No. 65, and a decline in seven spots from the previous year’s rank of 63rd.
Luter had an acceptance rate of 77.15% this year, similarly to last year’s 79%, but it proved much more selective than the year prior’s rate, at 93.42%. The B-school’s average SAT score was not reported this year, though last year’s score had dropped to 1195 from the prior year’s score of 1213. 59% of Class of 2022 graduates secured a full-time position in a business-related field with three months of graduating, a considerable drop from the prior year’s 92% employment outcome. 76% of Luter graduates secured an internship in 2022, which was up compared to the prior year’s outcome of 67%.
While Luter fell slightly behind overall in our rankings this year, the B-school still offers a quality business education that is characterized by its comprehensive core curriculum, strong professional development opportunities, and a capstone project where students simulate a real-world business.
LIBERAL LEARNING CORE CURRICULUM
As a two-year business program, Luter requires all undergraduates to complete the Christopher Newport Liberal Learning Core Curriculum. The core curriculum consists of the Liberal Learning Foundations and the Areas of Inquiry. Courses in the Liberal Learning Foundations include writing literacy, a second language, mathematical literacy, logical reasoning, and economic modeling and analysis.
There are five Areas of Inquiry that are designed to give students a range of scholarly approaches to learning. Areas of Inquiry include: Creative Expressions, Civic and Democratic Engagement, Global and Multicultural Perspectives, Investigating the Natural World, and Western Traditions.
Luter’s core curriculum offers a comprehensive education that ensures a strong foundation in general studies, but also a range of diverse perspectives as well. Through its Areas of Inquiry, Luter teaches students how they should learn rather than what they should learn — an important distinction that prepares students well for the real world.
Upon completion of the core curriculum, students can choose from four business majors including Accounting, Finance, Management, and Marketing.
THE LUTER SIGNATURE PROGRAM
As a small, public university, Christopher Newport University can devote a large portion of its resources to student development. One prime example is the Luter Signature Program, where students explore career opportunities and build personal and professional soft skills. All Luter students participate in at least one extracurricular elective. Elective topics range from “interviewing skills” to “personal marketing.”
In addition to an extracurricular elective, students also fulfill at least one academic elective in the program, with experiences ranging from student research to Bloomberg certification.
Mentorship is a key component of the Luter education. The Executive Mentorship Program allows students to engage in a 12-month one-on-one mentoring experience with a local business executive. Throughout the year-long mentorship, students explore possible career options while gaining invaluable insights from an industry leader.
Nearly every B-school offers some sort of development resource, but what makes the Luter Signature Program unique is the expansiveness of resources students have access to. Whether through a mentorship program or research opportunity, each and every Luter student graduates with valuable experience.
CAPSTONE PROJECT
A large number of Luter alumni that we surveyed spoke highly of their capstone experience, where student teams simulate running a real-world business. Each student is designated a role from CEO to CFO and is tasked with managing their business from ordering inventory to tracking finances. Student teams compete against each other in building and growing their businesses.
“This was extremely difficult but provided me with the realistic experience of the daily operations of running a successful business,” one alumni told us. “At the end of the semester, we had to present our results to a panel of professors and business executives. During this presentation, we had to display our results, go through each decision we made and the outcomes of those decisions, and what we would have done differently to achieve better results. This was an incredible experience for me and helped me grow exponentially in my professional career as I have used what I learned from that specific experience in my profession.”
Many alumni also spoke highly of the collaboration aspect of the capstone simulation.
“I can’t say that the simulation itself was meaningful or practical (ie: a fancier version of Lemonade Tycoon), but the impact came from the group project environment,” another alumni said. “I couldn’t do everyone’s part for them. We all had to trust one another to do our job and really make sure every decision we made was clearly communicated. I’ve thought about that simulation a lot while collaborating on projects at work.”
Alumni in 2021 say:
“I participated in an internship program where I participated in various accounting functions within a business office at the University. This experience helped me develop good communication skills, writing skills, and other soft skills as well as proper documentation skills necessary in the field of accounting. I also participated in a capstone project in my senior year. This project involved working with other majors to simulate the operations of a business. I learn to demonstrate good communication skills, negotiation skills, time management, planning skills, and team-building skills necessary in the field of accounting. This capstone project helped develop business habits that I have come to use in my current job.”
“Our capstone project had us team up with peers from other majors in the business school to form a successful company. Management, Marketing, Accounting, and Finance majors working together helped me realize what operating a business was really like.”
“I participated in a marketing and management study abroad that traveled through Europe. The experience gave me a broader perspective on global businesses and how different cultures operate within the corporate world.”
“I was able to gain hands-on real-world projects that allowed me to be confident and capable in my abilities in the workplace because I had already experienced similar scenarios at business school.”
