Best universities for business degrees in the United States 2024

Top 10 universities in the US for business degrees 2024

Scroll down for the full list of best universities for business in the US

US business rank 2024	Business rank 2024	University	State
1	1	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	Massachusetts
2	2	Stanford University	California
3	3	Harvard University	Massachusetts
4	4	University of California, Berkeley	California
5	7	The University of Chicago	Illinois
6	9	Yale University	Connecticut
7	12	University of Pennsylvania	Pennsylvania
8	13	Northwestern University	Illinois
9	14	Columbia University	New York
10	17	New York University	New York

The US has more than 4,000 universities, including some of the world’s top universities for studying business. 

The American higher education system offers flexible options that students can switch up according to their needs and interests. At the undergraduate level, students can choose different courses before they declare their choice for a major at the end of second year. 

Many of the top universities in the US do not offer business as an undergraduate degree, but instead encourage students to study across the arts, humanities, sciences and social sciences to build a strong foundation. Students are also encouraged to participate in business research, entrepreneurship, work experience opportunities and taster sessions to discover whether a master’s degree in business is right for them.  

Some of the MBA programmes offered at US universities are recognised all over the world and have a strong alumni network that can be accessed long after graduation.  

These are the best universities in the US for business degrees according to Times Higher Education’s  World University Rankings 2024. 

---

Best universities for business degrees
Best universities for business degrees in the UK
Best universities for business degrees in Australia
Best universities for business degrees in Canada

---

5. The University of Chicago 

The Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation drives venture creation and technology commercialisation at The University of Chicago. Through education, partnerships and new venture support, the Polsky Center advances the knowledge and practice of entrepreneurship, accelerates the commercialisation of research and helps  The University of Chicago community navigate the complex process of creating and growing a start-up. 

The University of Chicago Booth School of Business (Chicago Booth or Booth) is the graduate business school of  The University of Chicago. It offers full-time, part-time, and executive MBA programmes, as well as a PhD programme in business. For those already on their career path and looking to educate themselves further, the executive education courses may be a good choice.  

While the university does not have a specific undergraduate programme in business, Booth does offer a number of programmes and business certificates for undergraduates. Undergraduate students are also able to take an economics major and specialise in business economics.  

The university offers more than 45 faculty-led study abroad programmes in at least 20 countries, including those in conjunction with its centres in Beijing, Delhi, and Paris. 

4. University of California, Berkeley

The Haas School of Business at the University of California Berkeley offers a range of courses for students interested in pursuing business degrees at university.

Unlike some of the other universities in the US, the Haas school does offer undergraduate degrees. It does offer a BS in business administration, as well as a management, entrepreneurship and technology programme and the global management programme. 

In terms of postgraduate programmes, students can choose from a full-time MBA or a evening and weekend MBA and an MBA for executives. 

The school also offers a couple of pre-college courses for students that are planning to study business at university. These courses aim to help to address any gaps students may have in their education and are typically for students who are the first in their family to go to university, or are from low-income families or have average grades. 

3. Harvard University 

The Harvard Business School  offers a two-year, full-time MBA programme with a general management curriculum focused on real-world practice. It also offers management-related doctoral and executive education programmes. There is also the opportunity to study a joint master’s degree with one of six other graduate schools at Harvard. 

The university does not have an undergraduate business programme, however the business school runs summer programmes for undergraduate students. These range from a one-day taster of the MBA programme to a 10-week course on research into markets and organisation.  

Harvard is home to the largest academic library in the world and once enrolled at Harvard Business School, students have lifelong access to the Baker Library which provides resources for career, business and organisational research. 

All business school alumni are able to access four complimentary career coaching appointments per year.  

---

What can you do with an accounting degree?
What can you do with a business and management degree?
What can you do with an economics degree?

---

2. Stanford University 

The Stanford Graduate School of Business is widely regarded as one the most selective business schools in the world, admitting only about 6 per cent of applicants. 

 The school only offers postgraduate degrees: an MBA, an MSc, and a PhD programme. Non-degree and certificate programmes are also available. For any undergraduate student interested in a graduate programme at the Stanford Business School, majoring in humanities, social sciences or sciences will provide a good foundation. Students are also expected to have some work experience to study at the Stanford Business School.  

There are careers advisors on site for undergraduate students, who can advise them on preparing themselves for a career in business.  

Faculty members at the Stanford Graduate School of Business include three winners of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, five recipients of the John Bates Clark Award, 19 members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and four members of the National Academy of Sciences. 
 
Companies founded by Stanford affiliates and alumni generate a total annual revenue of more than $2.7 trillion, which would be the 10th largest economy in the world. These companies include Google, Nike, Netflix, Hewlett-Packard, Sun Microsystems, Instagram and Charles Schwab. Stanford alumni also have founded non-profit organisations such as Kiva and SIRUM.  

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology 

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is an independent, co-educational, private research university based in the city of Cambridge, Massachusetts. 

MIT’s business school, the MIT Sloan School of Management, aims to offer practical business teaching to new students, mid-career professionals and everything in between. It offers 11 courses from undergraduate to PhD level as well as non-degree and certificate programmes.  

Students who choose to study business at the MIT Sloan School of Management will find themselves part of a strong alumni network on graduating – there are more than 120 alumni clubs worldwide.  

MIT estimates that its living alumni have launched more than 30,000 active companies, created 4.6 million jobs and generated roughly $1.9 trillion in annual revenue. 

The university is associated with 85 Nobel laureates, 58 National Medal of Science winners, 29 National Medal of Technology and Innovation winners and 45 MacArthur Fellows.  

---

Top US universities for business and economics 2024

Click each institution to view its World University Rankings 2024 profile

US business rank 2024	Business rank 2024	University	State
1	1	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	Massachusetts
2	2	Stanford University	California
3	3	Harvard University	Massachusetts
4	4	University of California, Berkeley	California
5	7	The University of Chicago	Illinois
6	9	Yale University	Connecticut
7	12	University of Pennsylvania	Pennsylvania
8	13	Northwestern University	Illinois
9	14	Columbia University	New York
10	17	New York University	New York
11	18	Duke University	North Carolina
12	19	University of California, Los Angeles	California
13	20	Cornell University	New York
14	21	University of Michigan-Ann Arbor	Michigan
15	32	Carnegie Mellon University	Pennsylvania
16	33	University of California, San Diego	California
17	34	University of Minnesota	Minnesota
18	=48	Dartmouth College	New Hampshire
19	50	Michigan State University	Michigan
20	51	University of Southern California	California
21	54	University of Washington	Washington
22	=59	University of Texas at Austin	Texas
23	61	University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign	Illinois
24	63	University of California, Davis	California
25	65	Boston University	Massachusetts
26	66	Indiana University	Indiana
27	67	University of Wisconsin-Madison	Wisconsin
=28	=68	Purdue University West Lafayette	Indiana
=28	=68	University of Virginia (Main campus)	Virginia
30	=72	Johns Hopkins University	Maryland
31	=76	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	North Carolina
32	=80	University of Massachusetts	Massachusetts
33	85	University of Maryland, College Park	Maryland
34	=91	Penn State (Main campus)	Pennsylvania
35	94	University of Florida	Florida
36	95	Texas A&M University	Texas
37	=99	Ohio State University (Main campus)	Ohio
=38	101–125	Arizona State University (Tempe)	Arizona
=38	101–125	Boston College	Massachusetts
=38	101–125	George Washington University	Washington DC
=41	126–150	University of Georgia	Georgia
=41	126–150	Vanderbilt University	Tennessee
=41	126–150	Washington University in St Louis	Missouri
=44	151–175	Georgia State University	Georgia
=44	151–175	Northeastern University, US	Illinois
=44	151–175	Temple University	Pennsylvania
=44	151–175	Worcester Polytechnic Institute	Massachusetts
=48	176–200	Georgetown University	Washington DC
=48	176–200	North Carolina State University	North Carolina
=48	176–200	University of Rochester	New York
=48	176–200	Washington State University	Washington
=52	201–250	University of California, Irvine	California
=52	201–250	Case Western Reserve University	Ohio
=52	201–250	University of Iowa	Iowa
=52	201–250	University of Notre Dame	Indiana
=52	201–250	University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh campus	Pennsylvania
=52	201–250	Rice University	Texas
=52	201–250	Syracuse University	New York
=52	201–250	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University	Virginia
=60	251–300	University of Arizona	Arizona
=60	251–300	University of Central Florida	Florida
=60	251–300	University of Colorado Boulder	Colorado
=60	251–300	Emory University	Georgia
=60	251–300	Iowa State University	Iowa
=60	251–300	University of Miami	Florida
=60	251–300	University of South Carolina-Columbia	South Carolina
=67	301–400	Drexel University	Pennsylvania
=67	301–400	Florida International University	Florida
=67	301–400	Florida State University	Florida
=67	301–400	University of Hawai’i at Mānoa	Hawai'i
=67	301–400	University of Illinois Chicago	Illinois
=67	301–400	Missouri University of Science and Technology	Missouri
=67	301–400	University of Nevada, Las Vegas	Nevada
=67	301–400	Rutgers University – New Brunswick	New Jersey
=67	301–400	University of South Florida	Florida
=67	301–400	The University of Tennessee-Knoxville	Tennessee
=67	301–400	University of Texas at Dallas	Texas
=67	301–400	University of Utah	Utah
=79	401–500	American University	Washington
=79	401–500	University of Arkansas	Arkansas
=79	401–500	Auburn University	Alabama
=79	401–500	Baylor University	Texas
=79	401–500	University at Buffalo	New York
=79	401–500	Colorado State University, Fort Collins	Colorado
=79	401–500	University of Connecticut	Connecticut
=79	401–500	Florida Atlantic University	Florida
=79	401–500	George Mason University	Virginia
=79	401–500	University of Houston	Texas
=79	401–500	University of Kentucky	Kentucky
=79	401–500	Lehigh University	Pennsylvania
=79	401–500	Louisiana State University	Louisiana
=79	401–500	University of Nebraska-Lincoln	Nebraska
=79	401–500	New Jersey Institute of Technology	New Jersey
=79	401–500	Oklahoma State University	Oklahoma
=79	401–500	Old Dominion University	Virginia
=79	401–500	Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute	New York
=79	401–500	Stevens Institute of Technology	New Jersey
=79	401–500	Stony Brook University	New York
=79	401–500	Wake Forest University	North Carolina
=100	501–600	University of Alabama	Alabama
=100	501–600	University of Delaware	Delaware
=100	501–600	Mizzou - University of Missouri	Missouri
=100	501–600	University of North Carolina at Charlotte	North Carolina
=100	501–600	University of Oregon	Oregon
=100	501–600	Portland State University	Oregon
=100	501–600	University of Rhode Island	Rhode Island
=100	501–600	Rowan University	New Jersey
=100	501–600	University of Texas at Arlington	Texas
=100	501–600	Tulane University	Louisiana
=110	601–800	Bowling Green State University	Ohio
=110	601–800	University of California, Riverside	California
=110	601–800	Central Michigan University	Michigan
=110	601–800	Chapman University	California
=110	601–800	University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus	Colorado
=110	601–800	University of Denver	Colorado
=110	601–800	University of Kansas	Kansas
=110	601–800	Kansas State University	Kansas
=110	601–800	University of Memphis	Tennessee
=110	601–800	Mississippi State University	Mississippi
=110	601–800	Montana State University	Montana
=110	601–800	New Mexico State University (Main campus)	New Mexico
=110	601–800	Northern Illinois University	Illinois
=110	601–800	Rochester Institute of Technology	New York
=110	601–800	Saint Louis University	Missouri
=110	601–800	San Diego State University	California
=110	601–800	SUNY Binghamton University	New York
=110	601–800	University of Texas at El Paso	Texas
=110	601–800	University of Texas Rio Grande Valley	Texas
=110	601–800	The University of Texas at San Antonio	Texas
=110	601–800	Texas State University	Texas
=110	601–800	Texas Tech University	Texas
=110	601–800	University of Toledo	Ohio
=110	601–800	Virginia Commonwealth University	Virginia
=110	601–800	Wayne State University	Michigan
=110	601–800	Western Michigan University	Michigan
=110	601–800	William & Mary	Virginia
=110	601–800	University of Wyoming	Wyoming
=138	801+	College of Charleston	South Carolina
=138	801+	Georgia Southern University	Georgia
=138	801+	Marquette University	Wisconsin
=138	801+	Nova Southeastern University	Florida
=138	801+	Oakland University	Michigan
=138	801+	Ohio University (Main campus)	Ohio