David Eccles School of Business University of Utah

In 1896, University of Utah business education was part of the Economics and Sociology Department. The need to expand academic offerings led the University of Utah to establish the School of Commerce and Finance in 1917. In its first year, 126 students enrolled, and over the next 80 years, the enrolment figure increased over 25 times. Today, the David Eccles School of Business educates more than 4,500 students in six departments of study.

In 1927, the name of the school was changed to "College of Business" and course divisions included Accounting, Distribution and Production, Finance, and Economics. In 1933, the first graduate degrees were awarded. The College of Business was officially accredited by the American Association of Collegiate Schools of Business in August 1936. In 1955, the MBA program was instituted at the College of Business. The School's first MBA degrees were awarded in 1957, and its departments were reorganised to Accounting, Finance, Management, and Marketing.

In 1991, a $15 million endowment was given by David Eccles’ youngest daughter, Emma Eccles Jones, to honor the legacy of her late father. With that gift, the school was renamed to the David Eccles School of Business. David Eccles was a leading pioneer industrialist who, in the latter part of the 19th century, founded 48 businesses in various sectors throughout Utah, Idaho, Oregon, and Wyoming.

The Eccles School's MBA program has four completion options, including a traditional, two-year Full-Time MBA; a two-year weeknight-based Professional MBA (PMBA) program with an average work experience of 5 years; a two-year MBA Online program with maximum scheduling flexibility; and a 21-month, weekend-based Executive MBA (EMBA) program, designed for experienced professionals with an average work experience of 14 years.

The Eccles School's array of specialized graduate degrees includes an MS Information Systems with on-campus and online options, Utah's only MS Business Analytics program, the Master of Business Creation for serious entrepreneurs, an MS Finance, a Master of Real Estate Development, a Master of Accounting, and a Master of Healthcare Administration with full-time and professional options.

The Eccles School's nine undergraduate majors include: finance, accounting, information systems, marketing, management, entrepreneurship, business administration, operations & supply chain, and quantitative analysis of markets and organizations. Undergraduate students can also select from four minors: business, entrepreneurship, information systems, and professional selling & business development.

The Executive MBA program was most recently ranked No. 24 nationally by the Financial Times. It is the only school in Utah to be ranked in the Financial Times’ top-100 Executive MBA programs. The Professional MBA program was most recently ranked No. 60 in the U.S. by U.S. News & World Report. The Full-Time MBA program is ranked No. 44 in the U.S. and No. 22 for public schools by U.S. News & World Report. The MBA Online program is ranked No. 14 in the world by the Princeton Review and No. 25 in the U.S. by U.S. News & World Report.

The MS Business Analytics was most recently ranked No. 10 in the U.S. by the TFE Times and is Utah's only ranked business analytics master's degree. The Financial Times has ranked the MS Finance No. 1 in the U.S. for value for money, No. 11 in the U.S. overall, and top 55 worldwide for three consecutive years. The Master of Accounting program is ranked No. 34 in the U.S. and No. 8 in the West by the Public Accounting Report.