In 1974, Houston Endowment provided funding to establish a business school at Rice University. This launched an effort to find a dean to lead the school, locate facilities for holding classes, recruit exceptional faculty, and attract ambitious, talented students to the new program. At the beginning, just three full-time faculty, four adjuncts, and 55 students embarked on a journey in a few classrooms in Sewall Hall. The school offered two business degrees in the 70s: the Master of Accounting and the Master of Business and Public Management. Five decades later, Rice Business offers eight outstanding graduate programs and an undergraduate business major to more than 1,700 students.
We’ve done a lot in the past 50 years. Here’s a look at where we came from — and where we’re going.
Just as our past has defined who we are today, today will define who we become over the next 50 years. If we move forward with the same passion and innovation that built Rice Business, we can't go wrong.
The Jones Graduate School of Business is one of the top business schools in the nation and in Texas. Over the past decade, the school has grown tremendously in terms of its programming, enrollment, reach and impact. It’s now one of the main reasons students want to come to Rice and is a big part of why Rice is the esteemed institution it is today.
Princeton Review & Entrepreneurship Magazine Five Years in a Row (2020-2024)
#1
MBA in Texas
Financial Times, 2023 (based on global rankings) and Bloomberg Businessweek, 2023-2024
#17
MBA in the U.S.
Financial Times, 2023 (based on global rankings)
#19
Best Full-Time MBA Program
Bloomberg Businessweek, 2023-2024
#3
Best MBA for Entrepreneurship
Poets&Quants, 2022
#4
Top Online MBA Programs
Princeton Review, 2023
Our Growth
Note: FY2017 data reflects fall 2017 unique enrollment for the undergraduate minor only. The undergraduate major was not offered at that time. FY2024 data reflects the fall 2024 unique enrollment for both the undergraduate minor and major.
Here’s to Our Future
The world is changing, and it’s up to us to bring together the best minds and prepare aspiring leaders to use business as a positive force for growth. In short: We have big plans for our future.
We are — and will continue to be — committed to supporting our scholars and their research.
We will continue to offer rigorous and innovative programs to respond to the changing world of business.
We will continue to embrace and foster our tight-knit and inclusive culture — we know that our strength lies in our community.
We will continue to be a leader in entrepreneurship, benefiting students, alumni, our communities and beyond.
Our location and faculty expertise position us to be the top school for the study of the energy transition and the decarbonization of the economy.
Shell AuditoriumMcNair Hall, Rice University
Invest in Rice Business
Rice Business started with a gift from Houston Endowment. That was followed by a major gift from the McNair family and thousands more from donors like you. The truth is, Rice Business couldn’t be what it is today without the generosity of our donors. We’ve accomplished a lot together — just imagine what we can do over the next 50 years.
