Texas A&M on 2017 Princeton Review “Top 25 Undergraduate and Graduate Schools For Entrepreneurship Studies”

Texas A&M University is on The Princeton Review’s 11th annual survey naming the 25 undergraduate and 25 graduate schools best for entrepreneurship studies for 2017, The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine announced Wednesday. Texas A&M was 20th on the undergraduate list and 21st on the graduate list.

About 250 startups were launched by Texas A&M graduates in the last five years. Mays Business School is a leader in entrepreneurship on the Texas A&M campus, and has 900 students enrolled in entrepreneurship classes.

Entrepreneurial thinking aligns with Mays Business School’s vision to develop transformational leaders who possess the qualities of an entrepreneur: responsible leaders with vision and strong business competencies, exemplify selfless service and value diversity and inclusion.

The school has launched several initiatives related to entrepreneurship. The Center for New Ventures and Entrepreneurship (CNVE) is a hub of entrepreneurship for Texas A&M since 1999. The CNVE offers 16 undergraduate courses and certificate programs to undergraduate, graduate and PPA students interested in furthering their entrepreneurial education. The CNVE leads several initiatives, including:

• Startup Aggieland, a student-designed business incubator, accelerator and co-working space that helps startups leverage Texas A&M resources and private support without relinquishing equity ownership in their companies.
• Blackstone Launchpad Initiative, a program that provides a network of venture coaches and an entrepreneurial support system. Texas A&M joins The University of Texas at Austin and The University of Texas at Dallas in the three-year campus entrepreneurship program started with a $3 million grant.

Entrepreneurship is also an integral component of the new major at Mays, the Master of Science in Business, an 11-month program for graduates of non-business degrees. The participants in the class work in teams to research and launch businesses.

The ranking was determined after The Princeton Review surveyed more than 300 colleges and universities to decide which best serves the entrepreneurial spirit. The methodology took into account a number of factors, including the entrepreneurship programs offered at the school, the number of entrepreneurship clubs and organizations available to students, if business plan competitions were held and the faculty’s experience in the startup world.