U.S. News and World Report, The Wall Street Journal and the Princeton Review recently ranked the Kogod School of Business as one of the top business schools in the region and nation.
In U.S. News and World Report's America's Best Colleges, Kogod's undergraduate business program ranked 83rd among the top 150 business programs in the nation. It also ranked 31st out of 51 business programs at private colleges and universities. Kogod ranked eighth out of 13 business programs at schools in D.C., Maryland and Virginia.
The Princeton Review ranked Kogod as second in the nation for "Best Campus Environment." It based its reviews in this category on the safety, attractiveness and location of each campus.
The Wall Street Journal and Harris Interactive research company ranked Kogod's graduate program 36th out of 51 schools in the region in the "Wall Street Journal Guide to the Top Business Schools." Kogod ranked 42nd on the same list in 2004.
"We are honored that Kogod's graduate and undergraduate programs have been acknowledged by these rankings," Kogod Dean Richard M. Durand said in a press release.
The school's rankings do not compare to one's personal drive in succeeding in business, said Josh Safran, a sophomore in Kogod.
"A degree from a good school would definitely help," he said. "But I think it's more about personal drive and what you do."
Kogod is currently going through a number of changes. The school recently expanded its curriculum by offering an interdisciplinary major - the bachelor's degree in business administration and language and cultural studies - with the College of Arts and Sciences. Students in the new major need to also choose a concentration in one of four languages - Spanish, German, Russian or French. Kogod also requires students in that major to spend a semester abroad in a country where that language is spoken, The Eagle previously reported.
Nick Cavallaro, a sophomore in Kogod, said he would have been interested in the interdisciplinary program if he were a freshman. However, he said he wasn't interested in any of the languages.
"I would definitely do it if I were just coming in, and if it was in Italian," Cavallaro said.
Kogod is also expanding its building. The expansion, currently under construction, will add seven new classrooms, new seminar rooms, a financial services and information technology lab, a student lounge and a career service center. These changes will expand the Kogod building by 20,000 feet and cost $13 million, according to information on AU's Web site.
