Wharton gets top ranking in survey

The Wharton School of Business tied for first place with the University of California at Berkeley in the U.S. News and World Report's first-ever survey of 50 of the nation's business schools. Though in the past the magazine has included lists of the top specialty schools, this is the first time a full report has been done. Trailing Wharton in a four-way tie for third place were Carnegie Mellon University, the Massachusetts Institute for Technology, the University of Michigan and the University of Carolina at Chapel Hill. Wharton placed in the top five in eight out of 10 individual category rankings, and placed first in three of the sections -- finance, marketing and real estate. It also received high ratings in the accounting, entrepreneurship, general management, international and quantitative analysis categories. Wharton Dean Thomas Gerrity welcomed the magazine's findings. "We are very pleased to see our undergraduate program receive the recognition it deserves," he said. "In particular, this report continues to reinforce the school's unparalleled strengths across departments." Gerrity said he was particularly happy that the survey gave Wharton top marks for the Marketing Department -- "an academic department that is truly a leader in the field." Wharton Deputy Dean Janice Bellace said she was "delighted" that the undergraduate program was being acknowledged, as opposed to the MBA program, which is more commonly recognized in national rankings. A special March issue of U.S. News and World Report had put the Wharton School's graduate division in the number two slot -- behind MIT's Sloan school. Wharton scored 99.8 percent, while MIT received a perfect rating. The School of Engineering and Applied Science did not fare as well in another U.S. News poll -- a survey of the top 50 engineering schools in the country. The Engineering School scored 28th in the poll. Massachusetts Institute of Technology placed first. Engineering officials were unavailable for comment.

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