Accreditation and Student Outcomes

The McKenna School of Business has six majors accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP). They are: Accounting, Business Economics, Finance, International Business, Management and Marketing. Two new programs in Business Data Analytics (launched Fall 2020) and Sports Management (launched Fall 2021) are in candidacy for accreditation.

The Economics, Politics Science and Criminal Justice programs are not accredited through the ACBSP; however, all programs in the McKenna School have regional accreditation through the Middle States Association. The ACBSP is one of the two premier accrediting agencies for business schools worldwide. With a requirement for faculty professional development (e.g., publications and research) and courses primarily taught by faculty holding doctorates, the ACBSP is the leading business accreditation program devoted to teaching excellence and service to students.

High Placement Rates

• 100% undergraduate placement (employment in field, further education, military 12 months after graduation, 91% response rate, 2023 data).
• Recent graduates of the McKenna School go on to attend premier colleges and universities to pursue graduate degrees, master’s degrees, doctorates and juris doctorates including at Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, Dickinson, Florida State, Duquesne University, University of Pittsburgh and others.
• Mean starting salary across programs = $57,000 with the top salary at $80,000 (2023 data).

Unique Focus

• One of the only SAP Business One-focused programs in the world.
• Political Science takes a great books focus.
• Programs leverage regional, national, and global industry partnerships to create engaging hands-on learning experiences unique only to Saint Vincent.
• Since 2016, CPA pass rates of our students have regularly been in the top 10% or higher of comparable academic institutions.
• Tracks in the finance major include Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and Certified Financial Planner (CFP) preparation courses.
• Operational Excellence courses lead to Six Sigma Green Belt Certification.

Indicators of Learning

• Students learn the areas of Quantitative Business Analysis, Marketing, and International Issues well in comparison to other universities according to the ETS Major Field Tests in Business.
• Four-year graduation rates in business increased by over 7% and freshmen to sophomore business retention rates increased by over 15% in two years.
• Over 90% of all McKenna majors reported meaningful increases in skills related to critical thinking, information literacy, and public speaking.
• Seven teams in the Business Policy and Strategy Course were ranked in the top 3% of global teams in the Business Simulation Competition.

Rankings and Awards

• The Master of Science in Operational Excellence is regularly ranked among the best non-MBA business graduate degrees by US News and World Report (highest ranking #32) and Value Colleges (highest ranking #17).
• The Master of Science in Criminology, Law, and Society highly ranked in several regional and national rankings.
• The Small Business Development Center has won prestigious awards for Global Competitiveness and Best Regional SBDC.
• The SVC-affiliated SCORE office regularly helps start-ups craft business plans to help grow them for success.

Research

• Since 2015, at least a dozen graduate students published peer reviewed articles (attached) and several book chapters during their students.
• The Criminology, Law, and Society faculty engage in cutting-edge crucial research on such topics as the opioid epidemic, white collar crime, and violence.
• Leadership research applies academic theory to popular culture to illustrate complex ideas to make them practical and actionable in the real world.

For more information, download the 2024 Annual Report of the Alex G.McKenna School of Business at Saint Vincent College.