EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. –- The Willie A. Deese College of Business and Economics at North Carolina A&T State University is the No. 1 business school among America’s historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), according to U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Graduate Colleges” rankings, released this Tuesday.
The Deese College has now appeared in the Top 100 for four consecutive years, coming in at a tie for No. 79 with the University of Detroit Mercy, a private, Roman Catholic campus. Clark Atlanta University (No. 93, tie) is the only other ranked HBCU. Howard, with which N.C. A&T was tied last year and is unranked this year.
Among North Carolina schools, A&T only trails Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and North Carolina State University. The college is named after A&T alumnus Willie A. Deese, who served prominently as president of global manufacturing for the pharmaceutical giant, Merck. Now retired, Deese continues to play a prominent role at his alma mater.
“We’re delighted that our Deese College continues to factor so prominently nationally among graduate business schools,” said Lisa Owens-Jackson, Ph.D., interim dean of the Deese College. “Our ranking this year is an honest reflection of the quality of our MBA programs, the excellence of our students, and our graduates’ career placement success.”
A&T’s fast-growing master’s and doctoral programs in computer science moved into a tie for No. 163 nationally, up eight positions from last year. A&T ranks No. 7 nationally in graduation of African American master’s graduates in computer science and No. 1 among HBCUs.
Other nationally ranked A&T graduate programs remain in the same positions as last year, owing to multiple factors at U.S. News & World Report. The magazine encountered data issues with its Best Engineering Programs list and has postponed new rankings until that is resolved.
Ranked programs in rehabilitation counseling, biological sciences, earth sciences, and mathematics maintained their 2023 positions, as U.S. News has not published new rankings data for those disciplines. Master’s and doctoral rehabilitation counseling programs in the College of Education continue to be A&T’s most highly ranked graduate programs, coming in at No. 46 (tie) nationally.
With nearly 1,700 master’s and doctoral students, A&T continues to grow at the graduate student level. As America’s most affordable doctoral research university, it offers outstanding academic quality at an exceptional price and strong connections to industry. According to U.S. News’ most recent salary rankings, graduates earn the second-highest starting salaries of any campus in the University of North Carolina System.
About North Carolina A&T State University
North Carolina A&T State University is the nation’s largest historically Black university, as well as one of the top 25 “Most Innovative” universities in America (U.S. News & World Report, Best Colleges 2024).
North Carolina A&T is a land-grant, doctoral research university and a constituent member of the University of North Carolina System. A&T is widely recognized for its leadership in producing graduates in engineering, agriculture, and other STEM fields. The university was established in 1891 and is located in Greensboro, North Carolina.
