Elon University’s Martha and Spencer Love School of Business (LSB) landed at No. 39 in the 2023 rankings – only a few places behind last year’s No. 35. The Love School had a slightly more lenient acceptance rate of 74.22% for the Class of 2023 as compared to last year’s 77.39% rate. The average SAT score rose from the Class of 2022’s average of 1243 to an average score of 1256 for the Class of 2023.
Students graduate from LSB with strong employment prospects. The Class of 2023 scored a 97.59% rate for full-time employment within three months of graduation – almost identical to that of the Class of 2022’s 97.20%. Additionally, 99% of the Class of 2023 had a business-focused internship before graduating – the same as last year. Elon’s Love School was lifted by a 18th-place finish in the Academic Experience category of the rankings and a 26th place finish in the Career Outcomes category.
LSB’s vision is to prepare its students to lead with the skills and aspiration to make the future better for the organizations and communities in which they serve. That vision is embodied through the B-school’s values-driven education and strong study abroad opportunities.
VALUES-DRIVEN EDUCATION
LSB students can choose from majors including: Accounting, Business Analytics, Economics, Economic Consulting, Entrepreneurship, Finance, International Business, Marketing, Project Management, Human Resource Management, and Supply Chain Management.
A small, but a significant distinction of the LSB education is how the B-school structures its credits. While most B-schools use the standard three-credit course structure, LSB offers four-credit hour courses, to allow sufficient time during a class for students to begin, complete, and debrief on projects.
Many alumni we surveyed highlighted projects or experiences that had an element of community service-based values.
“I did a service experiential learning that provided volunteer income tax assistance; it gave me real-world experience which helped me develop and prepare for my career,” one 2018 alumni told us. “The work itself also impacted me greatly about the difference this kind of service can make in the community.”
“During my time at Elon I was able to work with local businesses in Downtown Burlington North Carolina through the Business Fellows Consulting project, and this truly sparked my interest in management and people-driven consulting,” another 2018 alumni said.
The B-school actively encourages students to apply their business knowledge to make a real impact. Students can apply for the Love Award for Excellence in Business Leadership, a $12,000 grant to support an independent research project.
“The award (Elon’s Love Award for Excellence) was essentially a grant to cover any expenses of a service-learning, business-centered project,” another 2018 alumni said. “I used the funds to execute a research project centered on tax and poverty. The experience enabled me to study an area I was passionate about, helped me grow as a professional in numerous ways, and resulted in real, tangible help for others. I presented my research at several conferences and was able to publish my research paper.”
The opportunities and level of support exemplify the B-school’s dedication to ensuring its students have the resources to make a real difference in the communities they serve. In turn, LSB students learn the value in not only applying their business knowledge to the real world, but applying it to make a real difference.
78% OF LSB STUDENTS STUDY ABROAD
LSB encourages students to travel abroad and learn business from a global perspective. Students have 106 semester abroad opportunities offered through Elon University. Of those, 50 are business-specific. LSB students can choose to study anywhere around the world from Sydney to the United Arab Emirates.
The sheer number of study abroad opportunities at LSB prove that the B-school is committed to ensuring its students can become business leaders in a global community. Additionally, the experiences that students have abroad help widen their perspective of how business is done globally and what type of impact business can have in greater society.
“I did two studies abroad,” said a 2018 alumni. “The first was in the UAE where I got to learn about how business in the Middle East is different from business in the US. Then I also studied abroad in France and learned about French culture and how food and religion have impacted the French people.”
“I studied savings-led microfinance programs in northern Uganda serving South Sudanese refugees and materially poor host community members,” another 2018 alumni reported.
With its values-focused education and strong global opportunities, LSB is a B-school that truly lives up to its vision of building business leaders who are intent on making a real difference in the world.
Alumni say:
“A class called start-up implementation gave us capital provided by the school to start a new venture throughout the semester and the professors acted like investors. It gave us time to research all aspects of the industry we were getting involved in and the professors helped us see things that we couldn’t have thought on our own. It was an amazing experience and helped us discover new avenues in the entrepreneurial world.”
“I was a part of the business fellows program which offered specialized classes included study abroad programs where we worked with a micro finance initiative and a consulting class where we worked with a local small business to help them grow revenue. Both of these experiences were some of the first tangible real world experience I had and allowed me to better pursue careers I wanted and use the experience I gained in job interviews after graduation.”
“I competed in multiple case competitions both domestically and internationally. These programs and the preparation required for them were instrumental in my growth as a young professional.”
“The business fellows portfolio investment course allowed students real-world experience into researching companies and giving pitches in a unique and meaningful way that truly impacted the endowment.”
“I was a member of the CFA Institute Research Challenge team, McGill Management International Case Competition team and Fed Challenge team during my time at Elon and each competition equipped me with valuable skillsets for a career in finance.”
Where the Class of 2020 Went to Work:
- PwC – 12
- Deloitte – 10
- Vanguard – 8
- EY – 8
- Wayfair – 5
- Baker Tilly – 4
- Oracle NetSuite – 4
- FactSet – 4
- Fidelity Investments – 4
- Wells Fargo – 3
- KPMG – 3
