The Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship at Florida State University continues to maintain its standing among the nation’s top entrepreneurship programs.
The Princeton Review’s latest rankings of the nation’s top undergraduate entrepreneurship programs placed the Moran College at No. 21 overall. The college also ranks as the No. 1 and No. 2 public program in Florida and the Southeast, respectively.
Susan Fiorito, dean of the Moran College, said the ranking is an affirmation that the college is delivering on its mission to inspire and prepare the next generation of entrepreneurial leaders.
“It’s further evidence that we are continuing to be one of the top programs in the country,” she said. “There are new entrepreneurship programs opening all the time. We work very hard to do the best for our students. That work continues.”
With that in mind, Fiorito said the college is regularly evaluating and updating its curriculum, including the addition of a course focused on artificial intelligence.
Regardless of how the business world and technology evolve, the Moran College continues to be guided by the principle that each of its students gain real-world, hands-on experience.
“That experience starts with faculty members who are entrepreneurs,” Fiorito said. “A key to the success of our college is that our faculty bring that experience into the classroom.”
The Princeton Review says its rankings are based on institutional survey data, including academic offerings, experiential learning opportunities, and career outcomes, among other factors.
The college opened as a school in 2017 and welcomed 70 students. It has since moved into a state-of-the-art building in downtown Tallahassee and become a nationally ranked college granting graduate degrees and propelling students’ ideas into brands and businesses.
Courses in the college are designed to promote an entrepreneurial mindset through hands-on learning and real-world experience. Moran College students are required to start their own business by their junior year. The idea is not necessarily for that business to become the next tech start-up unicorn, Fiorito said.
“A key part of the process is failing and having to start again,” she said. “We encourage learning from that failure, pushing past it so they know how to handle challenges and disappointments in the future.
Fiorito added: “That’s all part of the process of getting better.”
For more information, visit jimmorancollege.fsu.edu.