Facts

Fact Sheet (PDF)

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 3,800 undergraduates and 230 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 160 part-time MBA and 57 executive MBA students at Virginia Tech's Northern Virginia Center in metropolitan Washington, D.C., and about 70 professional MBA students, who take classes that alternate between two other sites in the state.

Dual-Degree Programs

Through partnerships with Thunderbird University in Glendale, Ariz., and Institut National des Telecommunications in Evry, France, the college offers students an opportunity to earn a dual degree -- a Pamplin MBA and a master's degree from either one of the partner schools.

Master of Information Technology Program

The college manages this university-wide, interdisciplinary program that offers courses online to students at their computers. The program, which won an award for the nation's most innovative online education program, attracts outstanding students from across the country and around the world. Extended to India through a partnership with the S.P. Jain Institute of Management and Research in Mumbai, the program graduated its first students there in April 2006. More than 400 students in the United States and several other countries are enrolled in the general VT-MIT program. Another 60 students take courses in the MIT-India program.

National Accreditation

The college's degree programs are accredited by AACSB International - The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business or the Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration. 

In the Top 50 Programs

Pamplin's undergraduate program is ranked in the nation's 50 best business schools by U.S. News & World Report. Pamplin ranks 41st overall (which puts it in the top 10 percent of the 400-plus U.S. undergraduate programs accredited by AACSB International) and 24th among the public institutions. The Pamplin College ranks 25th among U.S. institutions for number of business doctorates produced in 1996-2000, based on data in AACSB's 2003 Doctoral Faculty Commission Report.

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.

Nationally and Internationally Recognized Faculty Experts

Pamplin’s senior faculty teach many of the required courses; 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 20 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 programs to Africa, Asia, and Europe each year. It offers a global 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. It offers scholarship assistance for study abroad. Four Pamplin faculty are Fulbright Award recipients.

Student Investors

Through two student-run investing groups, Pamplin students manage about $10 million of Virginia Techs endowment. SEED (Student-managed Endowment for Educational Development), manages about $5 million through stock investments and is believed to be the nations largest student-run portfolio that is managed as an extracurricular activity. BASIS (Bond and Securities Investing by Students) manages another $5 million or so in bonds and other fixed-income securities and is one of a handful of bond-only student-investor programs in the nation. SEED's faculty advisers are finance professors Art Keown and Randy Billingsley; BASIS is advised by professors George Morgan and Raman Kumar.

Distinguished Speakers

We offer students and faculty opportunities to learn about current events, business issues, and leadership practices by bringing top executives, newsmakers, and political pundits to speak on campus. The Cutchins Distinguished Lecture series has presented George Stephanopoulos, George Will, David Gergen, Tim Russert, James Carville and Mary Matalin, among others. The Wachovia Distinguished Lecture series has featured CEOs and other senior executives from GE, IBM, 7-Eleven, Ralph Lauren, ChoicePoint, and other companies. The annual Ethics Conference has featured speakers from Tyco, Enron, and other institutions as well as Ralph Nader. 

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 AT&T Center for Scientific Visualization of Organizations seeks to improve organizational performance by making organizations more understandable  through physical and computer-based visualization techniques.
• 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. 
• The Forest Industries Center does research on industry issues, conducts continuing education programs, and provides learning opportunities for students.
• The Center for Services Science, Quality, and Innovation coordinates research, instruction, and outreach activities related to the design and improvement of service systems.
• The Business Technology Center aims to stimulate economic development by providing top- quality business assistance at an affordable cost to emerging technology-based companies. The center offers services related to strategic planning, market opportunity and competitive assessment, and financing.
• 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.