Perdue Students Rank High on National Business Test

Monday May 5, 2003

SALISBURY, MD---Students at Salisbury University's Franklin P. Perdue School of Business have again put in a strong showing in a national business knowledge test, placing SU in the top 20 percent of schools in the country.

This test represents another external assessment of the quality of the Perdue School's curriculum. "The results further validate the School's place among the best business education programs in the Mid-Atlantic region," said Perdue School of Business Dean William Moore.

The 159 graduating Perdue seniors who took the Major Field Test for Business 2003, administered by the Educational Testing Service (best known nationally for the SAT), competed with students from other business schools across the country. The tests are used to gauge students' knowledge of accounting, economics, management, finance, marketing, information systems, and legal and international issues.

Perdue School Professor of Management Frank Shipper said the results point to a developing trend. "Every year that Perdue seniors have taken the test, the school has ranked in the top 20 percent," he said. "Our accounting, finance, information/decision sciences, management, and marketing majors all scored above 94 percent in their respective fields."

Finance, information/decision sciences, legal/social issues, management and marketing were areas of relative strength for all the Perdue School business students. Four students - finance majors Douglas Church and Alexis Johnson, management major Benson Harper and international exchange student Karsten Ploog - scored in the 99th percentile on the overall test.

The test results help faculty members determine the progress of their students and evaluate the curriculum. Other schools that participated in the testing include James Madison University (VA), Davidson College (NC), Baylor University (TX) and Drexel University (PA).

The Perdue School is one of approximately 25 percent of the business schools nationally accredited by AACSB International - Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Of 5,300 undergraduate students at Salisbury University, 1,200 pursue business degrees.

For more information call 410-543-6316 or visit the University’s Web site at www.salisbury.edu.