._ent_ranking_edited.jpg "University Pitch Madness 2019")
DePaul's Coleman Entrepreneurship Center hosts events and competitions, like University Pitch Madness, where student startups from seven universities recently competed for a chance to win a top prize. The Princeton Review once again has ranked DePaul University among the top universities in the nation for studying entrepreneurship.
DePaul’s graduate entrepreneurship program placed No. 19 and the university’s undergraduate entrepreneurship program was No. 23 in the Best Colleges
for Entrepreneurs 2020 rankings released by The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine Nov. 12.
“Our leadership in graduate and undergraduate entrepreneurship education continues to be recognized," says Lisa Gundry, interim chair of the Department of Management & Entrepreneurship at the Driehaus College of Business. "Our faculty and members of our entrepreneurial community are preparing entrepreneurs and innovators who will impact business, communities and society.”
DePaul’s entrepreneurship program at the Driehaus College of Business prepares students to identify viable business ideas, create sustainable business plans and pursue investment strategies for launching and growing new ventures. Courses are taught by a blend of professors and entrepreneurs who emphasize hands-on learning. DePaul’s business college soon will expand the program by offering an entrepreneurship minor for non-business majors.
The university’s Coleman
Entrepreneurship Center and the Women
in Entrepreneurship Institute support DePaul student and alumni entrepreneurs with programming that includes workshops, mentorships, internships, start-up incubators, innovation showcases and new venture pitch competitions. DePaul also connects students to Chicago’s vibrant entrepreneur community through its memberships in the city’s
1871 and
2112 business incubators.
“We are proud once again to be in the top 25 for both graduate and undergraduate programs, the only school in Illinois to rank in both categories,” says entrepreneur Bruce Leech, executive director of the Coleman Entrepreneurship Center and a DePaul alumnus. “We are very excited to continue to be a partner in the great entrepreneurial ecosystem in Chicago. These rankings helps us to continue attracting students and alumni to develop their entrepreneurial mindset and create new ventures in this great city.”
The Princeton Review based its 2020 top 50 undergraduate and top 25 graduate entrepreneur program rankings on a survey of more than 300 colleges and universities in the U.S. and abroad. The survey, according to The Princeton Review, evaluated “each institution’s ability and dedication to providing access to world-class mentors, professors and alumni, as well as creating an environment where ideas can flourish.”
Survey data submitted by DePaul underscores the success of its alumni entrepreneurs:
- More than 307 DePaul baccalaureate graduates have launched companies in the past 10 years, and these entrepreneurs have raised more than $229 million.
- Over 178 DePaul graduate degree alumni have launched businesses in the past decade, and these entrepreneurs have raised more than $265 million.
This fall, DePaul also was named one of the country’s “most innovative schools” in the 2020 Best Colleges rankings published by U.S. News & World Report.