Georgia Tech College of Management offers great return on investment for undergraduate management majors, according to the latest BusinessWeek rankings.

Ranked 44th in the magazine's Top 50 list of best undergraduate business programs, Georgia Tech placed second in the nation for return on investment among public colleges. The school also ranked 44th in student engagement (the number of hours spent on class work each week) and 49th for internship opportunities. Among corporate recruiters, Georgia Tech is number 12.

"I am extremely proud of the excellent quality of the business school's undergraduate program," says College of Management Dean Steve Salbu. "We're gratified that the rankings are increasingly reflecting all we have to offer students."

To identify the best undergraduate programs, BusinessWeek surveyed nearly 80,000 business majors at top schools as well as undergraduate recruiters. The magazine considered starting salaries, how many graduates each school sent to top MBA programs, and academic quality (determined by five measures including average SAT scores and faculty-student ratios).

BusinessWeek published rankings of undergraduate business programs for the first time in 2006, when Georgia Tech was not eligible for inclusion because of a shortage of survey responses from students and recruiters.

This year, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania topped the overall list for the second time. Emory (fourth, up from fifth) is only other business school in Georgia in the Top 50. The University of Georgia slid from 40th in 2006 to 56th this year.

In the latest U.S. News & World Report ranking of undergraduate business programs, Georgia Tech is 35th in the nation.

Writer: Brad Dixon, College of Management