The Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver secured a place at No. 38 in this year’s 2023 rankings – down only one place from last year’s No. 37.
This year’s acceptance rate was 61.39%, slightly more selective than last year’s 67.79%. The average SAT score was 1294 for the Class of 2023 – up from last year’s average of 1270.
Employment-wise, Daniels students have very strong outcomes, though the rate did decrease slightly, with 91.21% of the class of 2023 securing a full-time position within three months of graduation as compared to 94.32% for the Class of 2021. Daniels held to their trend of hovering in the strong low 90’s for internship rates, with 92.00% of the Class of 2023 securing a business-focused internship before graduating as compared to 93% for the Class of 2021, and 94% for the Class of 2020.
This year, Daniels placed 47th in Academic Experience, 43rd in Admissions Standards, and 43rd in Career Outcomes. The success of Daniels graduates is largely tied to the B-school’s innovative and relevant curriculum with strong mentorship and support.
TWO DEGREES
Daniels offers two distinct degrees: a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy.
The Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree offers seven majors to choose from including Business Information and Analytics, Finance, Hospitality Management, International Business, Management, Marketing, and Real Estate and the Built Environment.
The Bachelor of Science in Accountancy is an integrated accounting program that also offers the option for students to continue on to the Master of Accountancy degree, also known as the 3/2 Program.
RELEVANT CURRICULUM
One of the key characteristics of the Daniels education is the relevance of the information that students learn in the classroom. Experiential learning is well integrated across the curriculum.
“As a hospitality major, most of my experiences with studies were experiential,” one 2018 alumni told us. “One of the most memorable, and beneficial, was a Human Capital class where the course focused on the importance of the employees. As part of this class, we worked with a student in the refugee program at the school and mentored/trained them to be the service staff at a formal dinner. This experience was both eye-opening and very educational. A great learning experience provided by the school.”
The Daniels College has long been a forward-thinking and innovative institution. The B-school launched the first-ever “Business of Marijuana” course in the state of Colorado back in 2017, offering students a thorough view of the growing industry (no pun intended), from management to ethics.
“I took the only accredited Business of Cannabis class in the country at the time,” one 2018 alumni recalled. “That specific class is the reason I have the role I do today.”
With its innovative curriculum, Daniels can consistently offer students a relevant education that opens doors to internship and job opportunities. Moreover, Daniel alumni view the quality of teaching relatively well, with surveyed 2019 alumni giving an 8.6 average rating.
STRONG MENTORSHIP & SUPPORT
Daniels offers a number of resources to support students in their professional development. Its LEAD (Learning by Example, Attaining Distinction) Mentorship Program pairs undergraduate business students with professionals in their chosen field or career trajectory. Mentors meet with undergraduate students once a month and offer guidance and support from someone in their professional development and help them build connections with professionals in the community
Students interested in exploring potential careers can participate in the Job Shadow Program, where undergraduate students can shadow professionals and learn more about the day-to-day job of the role that they are interested in.
2019 alumni also rated the B-school’s faculty highly for availability for informal discussions and mentoring outside of class, giving this category a 9.2 average rating.
But the career support at Daniels goes beyond mentorship and shadowing programs. All Daniels undergraduates are required to take part in professional development as part of the Daniels Core Curriculum. Students must complete requirements including creating a polished resume, writing a cover letter, attending career services workshops, participating in mock interviews, and more.
“The amount of extra support in building resumes, test interviews, what to wear, how to communicate was something that you can’t learn in a classroom,” one 2018 alumni told us.
With an innovative curriculum in the classroom and plenty of support outside the classroom, Daniels students are given the tools they need to succeed in any career path they choose to take.
Alumni say:
“In the international marketing class I took, we split into groups to develop a marketing plan for a company we chose to move into a new country. We had to develop the plan, research what, where, why, and how, and then present within a time limit to the class a concise summary of all the plans made in our full-length marketing plan.”
“The Business Law and Ethics program, case competitions, the Ethics Fellows capstone class, and Ethics Boot Camp all provided wonderful opportunities to learn about ethics in business and expand my perspective. “
“During my tenure at DCB/The Burns College, I was engaged in various case competitions and experiential learning opportunities. Of the actives that I was involved in, I have to name the Daniels Fund’s Ethics Competition and the NAIOP Challenge as two of the most meaningful and impactful. To quickly summarize, both of those events went above and beyond in terms of allowing me to practice my learned skills in a practical setting and I can unequivocally say that they prepared me for life after university.”
“The business analytics department has a real life consulting project for a current company with real time data. This sets you up with work experience as well as enables you to practice and perfect the skills you learned throughout the program.”
“We worked with McDonald’s corporate in an advertising class. I benefited from the experience of presenting in front of an actual client and getting their honest, real-world feedback on my ideas.”
Where the Class of 2016 went to work:
Arrow Electronics, Inc.: 5
U.S. Bank: 4
Goldman Sachs: 4
Marriott International: 5
EKS&H: 3
Motivity Solutions: 3
Boeing: 2
Fransen Pittman General Contractors: 2
Janus Capital Group: 2
Northwestern Mutual: 2
