Despite sliding from 5th in 2019 to 6th in 2020, then 7th last year and now 8th in this year’s rankings, the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame has very much solidified itself as one of the premier undergraduate schools. In all six years ranked, Mendoza has always finished within the top 10.
Mendoza saw slightly improved employment and internship outcomes this year, above already impressive outcomes. A solid 93% of the Class of 2021 secured a at least one business-focused internship before graduation, up a few percentages from last year’s 91.40%. An immense 98.94% of the Class of 2021 landed a full-time job after graduation, up from last year’s 97.96% for the Class of 2020.
The acceptance rate this year at Mendoza was at 15.10%, more selective than last year’s 19.78%, making Mendoza far more competitive than the B-school’s fellow in-state rival programs like Indiana University’s Kelley School and Purdue’s Krannert School, which both accepted more than 45% of applicants. Additionally, the average SAT score at Mendoza was 1460, up from last year’s 1441.
Being a B-school within a Catholic university, the Mendoza education is best described as one that teaches students the importance of growing the “good in business” — a practice that the school prides itself on.
As it advertises on its website, Mendoza states, “This is not an era for business as usual. Too much is at stake—in our world, in our workplaces, in our communities. This is an era for virtuous individuals, with diverse interests and uncommon potential, to lead human enterprises forward. And this is an era for a business degree that gives those purpose-driven leaders the tools to connect their gifts to a better future for all.”
FORESIGHT IN BUSINESS AND SOCIETY
Mendoza’s signature undergraduate course is called “Foresight in Business and Society,” a required course for all junior-level students at Mendoza. The capstone course is designed to give students a view into the real-world and features guest lecturers, use of alternative class space and activities, a mentorship program, class discussions, and teaching by a diverse team of instructors. Throughout the semester, students take part in the Foresight Project where they test research and analytical skills and techniques by working in student teams to address complex problems.
“Your group selects a specific part of an industry and spends an entire semester researching everything about it (current trends, future projections, situational impacts) to produce a forward-looking report and presentation on it,” one 2018 alum explained in our alumni survey.
These types of experiential capstone courses are common at nearly every B-school, however, at Mendoza, there’s an increased emphasis on helping students “develop an awareness of important issues and trends affecting society, including issues related to sustainability” — further reinforcing Mendoza’s slogan of “grow the good in business.”
“My group focused on projecting and forecasting income inequality in New York City looking at various factors (social, economic, political, technological, etc.),” one 2018 alum said about their experience in the Foresight course. “I predominately researched political influences and learned a lot about New York City and its current political representatives.”
A RICH ETHICS-BASED CURRICULUM
The Mendoza undergraduate program offers a holistic education with a rich variety of classes in liberal arts, science, theology and other programs, and a foundation in ethical ideals. Mendoza students can choose from six majors including: accountancy, business analytics, business technology, finance, management consulting, and marketing.
“Embedded in course content is that underpinning of the ideals of community, human development and integrity that go back to the founding of the college in 1921 and the university in 1842,” Jean Meade, Rankings & Projects Manager at Mendoza, told us.
Additionally, 2019 Mendoza alumni rated the quality of teaching in business courses highly with a 9.2 average rating. When asked to give a score for the business school faculty’s availability for informal discussions and mentoring outside of class, Mendoza 2019 alumni gave a whopping 9.6 average rating.
“The career preparation and mentorship combined with strong relevant coursework created a great environment conducive to propelling a student into their career,” one 2018 alumni told us.
STRONG NETWORK OF SUPPORT
The Mendoza alumni network is very supportive. Surveyed 2019 alumni gave the B-school’s alumni network and connections a solid 9.8 average rating in terms of helping them throughout their career as well as helping them connect with potential employers.
Moreover, when asked how much they believe their business degree assisted them in climbing to a new socioeconomic status, Mendoza alumni gave a 9.0 average rating. Salary-wise, the Class of 2021 at Mendoza earned an average overall salary of $72,500, up $500 from last year’s $72,000 which is higher than starting salaries for grads at both Indiana’s Kelley and Purdue’s Krannert’s.
For students seeking a well-rounded, hands-on business education with an emphasis on “doing good” coupled with a strong network of support both during and after college, Mendoza is the perfect choice.
Alumni say:
“Exploring the Frontiers of Marketing Thought, a seminar style class. EFMT was academically challenging, and allowed my classmates and I to take a close look at marketing field from an academia perspective – learning about various academic journals, discussing the field’s infrastructure and leading scholars, and conversing with guest faculty speakers on their own background, careers, and research. The class was conducted around the principles of exploration, dialogue, and learning for learning’s sake. It was fascinating, and without even realizing it, I took away both research skills & vital soft skills like posing good questions and communicating complex ideas to others that have helped me in my career.”
“I did undergraduate research with the Well-being at Work team at Notre Dame’s innovation park. With this Lily-endowed research team, I studied – what augments the work satisfaction and wellbeing of professionals. Our findings and insight into the corporate world gave me unparalleled soft skills, while at the same time the position gave me very practical skills in project management, SQL, protecting PII, and creating externally-facing reports.”
“Notre Dame’s business clubs (SIBC and Investment Club) provided me with the opportunity to work with professionals in the finance industry and develop skills that I deployed immediately upon entering internships and my full-time positions.”
“I participated in the Applied Investment Management course in which we manage a small portfolio of stocks within the University’s endowment. This provided hands-on, intensive training in analysis and understanding of finance concepts with real consequences and impact.”
“The Student International Business Council offered a wide variety of real-world case studies in various industries that helped me learn what type of work I was interested in pursuing post-graduation. Being able to present our findings and receive in-depth feedback from real world professionals was instrumental in building public speaking confidence as well as professional etiquette.”
“My Social Entrepreneurship class. I designed a program to help veterans cope with PTSD, and I fully intend to start this program in my hometown in the next couple years, using the framework developed in this class as my starting point.”
Where The Class of 2018 Went To Work:
Deloitte – 41
EY – 28
KPMG – 17
PwC – 13
JP Morgan – 12
Bank of America – 10
BMO Financial Group – 8
Citi – 8
Goldman Sachs – 8
Accenture – 6
Bain & Company – 6
Epic – 6
Nielsen – 6
PNC – 6
