Quick Facts
Range of Programs
The Pamplin College of Business offers majors in accounting and information systems, business information technology, economics, finance, hospitality and tourism management, management, and marketing. Its on-campus
enrollment is about 3,600 undergraduates and about 290 full-time graduate students in the MBA, Master of
Accounting and Information Systems, Master of Hospitality and Tourism Management, and Ph.D. programs.
The college enrolls about 125 evening MBA and about 55 executive MBA students at Virginia Tech’s Northern Virginia
Center in metropolitan Washington, D.C., and about 50 professional MBA students, who take classes that alternate
between Roanoke and Richmond.
National Accreditation
Pamplin’s degree programs are accredited by AACSB International (the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business).
In the Top 50
Pamplin’s undergraduate program is ranked in the nation’s 50 best business schools by U.S. News & World Report. Pamplin ranks No. 40 overall (which puts it in the top 10 percent of the 445 U.S. undergraduate programs accredited by AACSB International) and No. 24 among the public institutions.
Other Notable Rankings
- Undergraduate program ranked No. 52 overall, No. 37 by employers, Bloomberg Businessweek, 2012.
- MBA program ranked No. 84, Evening MBA program ranked No. 37, U.S. News and World Report, 2012.
- Master of information technology ranked No. 4 in the nation for teaching practices and student engagement, No. 10 for faculty credentials and training, and No. 16 for student services and technology, U.S. News and World Report, 2012.
- Accounting and information systems: among top 25 undergraduate programs in accounting, Public Accounting Report 29th Annual Professor's Survey, 2010.
- Management, Marketing: two faculty members among world's top 25 business ethics scholars, Journal of Business Ethics, 2010.
- Hospitality and tourism management: four faculty members among world's top 50 tourism scholars, Tourism Managenent, 2009.
Groundbreaking Research, Eminent Scholarship
Pamplin faculty members are tackling major issues in industry, finance, management practice, and information technology, to name a few areas. Their research has contributed to greater understanding of business issues, been cited in government hearings and court testimony, and played a role in policy making. Though sponsored research is not
a central aspect of the research programs of business schools, several Pamplin faculty members have attracted
national funding for their research, working as members of interdisciplinary teams. The college’s departments are also
regularly ranked among the nation’s or world’s top programs for scholarly productivity, based on article publication in
the leading academic journals in their fields.
Master of Information Technology
The college manages this interdisciplinary, online education program, with 380 students in the United States and
several other countries.
Nationally and Internationally Recognized Faculty Experts
Pamplin’s senior faculty teach many of the required courses, and students learn from the professors
who win teaching and research awards, write the books used in classrooms everywhere, serve as
consultants to companies, or have worked in business and industry. The college has had 22 winners
of the university’s Wine Award for teaching excellence since the award was established in 1957.
Preparing Students for Leadership Roles
The Center for Leadership Studies, directed by Dean Richard E. Sorensen, offers leadership development programs for all Virginia Tech students, supports academic research in leadership, and coordinates leadership programs across campus. These programs include the Business Leadership Center, which promotes the development of leadership knowledge and skills of students through classes, interaction with business leaders and scholars, and leadership roles on campus; and the Corps of Cadets Rice Center for Leader Development, which is based in the college and aims to prepare students to be leaders of integrity. The college offers a minor in leadership studies.
Preparing Students for International, Multicultural Business Challenges
The college sponsors several faculty-led study-abroad programs. It offers an international business minor and programs
at Virginia Tech’s Center for European Studies and Architecture in Riva San Vitale, Switzerland, and at other universities
in Europe. Six Pamplin faculty members have received Fulbright Awards. The college’s minor in business diversity seeks
to educate students about diversity issues in the workplace. The minor is coordinated by the Business Diversity Center,
established in 2007 to coordinate the college’s teaching and research programs in business diversity.
Student Investors
Through two student-run investing groups, Pamplin students manage about $10 million of Virginia Tech’s endowment.
SEED (Student-managed Endowment for Educational Development), manages about $5 million through stock investments — and is believed to be the nation’s largest student-run portfolio that is managed as an extracurricular activity.
BASIS (Bond And Securities Investing by Students) manages about $5 million in bonds and other fixed-income securities
— and is one of a handful of bond-only student-investor programs in the nation. SEED’s advisers are finance professors
John Pinkerton and Mike Kender; BASIS is advised by professors George Morgan and Derek Klock.
To help alleviate the critical national shortage of business-school faculty, the college launched an innovative program
in June 2008, designed to prepare Ph.D.s in non-business, but related, disciplines for new careers as business faculty
members. Pamplin is among four U.S. business schools that are the first to launch post-doctoral “bridge-to-business”
programs approved by AACSB International, the accrediting organization for business schools worldwide.
Distinguished Speakers
The college offers opportunities to students and faculty to learn about current events, business issues, and leadership
practices by bringing top executives, journalists, attorneys, political pundits, and accounting and other professionals
to speak on campus through the Cutchins Distinguished Lecture, the Wells Fargo Distinguished Lecture, the BB&T
Distinguished Lecture, and the annual Business Ethics Symposium. Speakers have included George Stephanopoulos,
David Gergen, George Will, Peggy Noonan, Gloria Borger, Greg Ip, Doris Kearns Goodwin, and Ralph Nader. Watch presentations of recent distinguished speakers.
Career Services
The college’s undergraduate and MBA career services staff serve both students and employers. Recruiters from a range of business and government organizations attend Business Horizons Career Day, organized annually by Pamplin undergraduates. Five of our majors are routinely in the 10 majors most sought after by recruiters visiting campus.
Service to Community and Society
Several college centers offer the expertise of its faculty and students:
- The Business Diversity Center focuses on teaching and research on diversity issues and coordinates the business diversity minor.
- The Center for Global Electronic Commerce conducts research and promotes education in e-commerce, and assists companies with Internet business applications and training.
- Management and Professional Development organizes customized, faculty-led programs designed to meet the continuing education needs of businesses, government agencies, educational institutions, and other organizations.
