The Eller undergraduate business education is best known for its heavy emphasis on teamwork. The University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management came in at No. 51 in this year’s 2023 rankings, down just 6 places from No. 45 in our 2023 rankings. Eller performed best in the Academic Experience category, placing 32nd.
The B-school was more selective this year, with an acceptance rate of 66.28% for the incoming class in contrast with their acceptance rate of 69.60% for last year’s class, and their average SAT scores were the same for two years in a row, at a solid 1240.
Eller students have relatively strong employment and internship outcomes. This year, their career stats dipped about 10% from 87.29% for the Class of 2022 to 77.50% of the Class of 2023 securing full-time employment within three months of graduation. Internship-wise, 85% of the Class of 2023 landed a business-focused internship before graduating – up one percent from the Class of 2022’s 84%.
From relevant course projects to unique experiential opportunities, Eller students are constantly learning how to not only be skilled business professionals, but successful teammates as well.
HIGHLY SKILLS-BASED & RELEVANT EDUCATION
Eller students can pursue either a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration or a Bachelor of Arts in Economics. Majors available include Accounting, Business Administration, Business Economics, Business Management, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Management Information Systems, Marketing, and Operations, and Supply Chain Management.
The B-school is constantly looking for ways to keep its program relevant and its students up-to-date on in-demand skills. One prime example is the recent addition of its Level Up Tech Workshop Series, a collection of workshops that cover a variety of technological topics from “VR for Business” to “Virtual Workspaces and Classrooms in Discord.”
Eller places a strong emphasis on giving its students a real view of what the business world is like and the relevant skills to succeed before they graduate.
“Eller and my overall business school experience did an exceptional job in preparing me for the ‘real world,’” one alumni told us. “The courses were tough, took group efforts, collaboration with peers and professors, and always had a portion where you had to speak in front of a board of judges or your class/profs. All of these experiences were huge in my development.”
TEAMWORK-FOCUSED OPPORTUNITIES
Teamwork is central to nearly every opportunity at Eller. Students compete in six embedded formal competitions within classes with their peers. Each experience is formally judged to ensure students develop presentation, important collaboration and presentation skills.
“After completion of pre-business coursework, interviews, and evaluation, all accepted students in the business school are placed into groups among their classmates to complete vigorous projects surrounding all aspects of business topics,” one alumni told us. “We were challenged in case competitions and real-world scenarios to strengthen our soft-skills and knowledge.”
“I was incredibly shy before getting into Eller, so having to take BCOM 314 [Business Communication] right off the bat was terrifying to me,” another alumni said. “However, this class effectively turned me into an extrovert. I gained invaluable presentation skills and learned how to get along and work with a variety of personalities. The confidence I built in this class has helped me at every step in my career.”
Alumni view these experiences positively. When asked to rate the opportunities given to them at Eller to nurture and improve their soft-skills in business, alumni gave a strong 9.25 average rating.
Soft-skills, such as collaboration and communication, are central to business roles, or any career for that matter. Teller emphasizes strong soft-skill development by infusing elements of teamwork into its curriculum and activities. In turn, Eller students are ready to work seamlessly within any team by graduation.
Alumni say:
“My team and I won the Eller Business Communication Case Competition. Learning how to prepare for and present a business case in that scenario is a skill that is incredibly important in the real world. Public speaking did not come naturally to me, but is now a skill that I have and use regularly.”
“I was in the McGuire Entrepreneurship program during my senior year in the Eller College of Management, where we spent the year building a business plan – from the marketing to finance plan, and competed in a competition at the end of the year. The competition, the New Venture Competition, judged us based on our product, financial plan and marketability. This business plan was also used for my honors thesis. It was unique because we were able to put our four years of learning about business into the real world and decide if we wanted to continue our venture after graduation.”
“My senior thesis was analyzing cross-border business in Mexico. The experience included interviewing employees at the Embassy and traveling to Mexico to meet with local businesses and business students. It was important to me because it involved more than just my major, but an international issue, and was an experience I’ll carry with me throughout my career.”
“Every opportunity at the business school is a tool to make me more unique than the next person. Each individual was exposed to different paths and challenges that made us all well prepared yet different from one another that can carry different skills to our future roles.”
“The first semester of the business school is infamous for group work, especially in your business communications class. I still use the practical skills I learned on a daily basis while networking and navigating through law school.”
