Montana State University College of Business seniors score in 90th percentile in U.S

MSU College of Business http://www.montana.edu/cob/index.php seniors were in the top 90th percentile of a national test to measure knowledge of business concepts, the college learned recently.

MSU College of Business seniors were in the top 90th percentile of a national test to measure knowledge of business concepts, the college learned recently.

Seniors in Montana State University’s College of Business recently scored in the 90th percentile among 513 schools nationwide in a test to measure knowledge of business concepts.

The Major Field Test for Business (MFT-Business) is a standardized test administered by Educational Testing Services (ETS), the same testing facility that administers the SAT and GRE. The test is designed to measure a student’s knowledge of business and their ability to apply significant concepts, theories and analytical methods to practical business problems. The test has been administered to MSU students four times in the past two years, with MSU students consistently placing in the 90th percentile, College of Business officials said.

"We are pleased with these results that show our students have superior knowledge and skills relative to the majority of business graduates across the country," said Rich Semenik, dean of the MSU College of Business. "The Bracken Center for Excellence in Undergraduate Business Education in the College http://www.montana.edu/cob/bracken/brackenhome.htm has most certainly had a primary effect on student skill development. The small classes, which are taught by a highly skilled faculty member, give our students the personalized attention they deserve in their quest to prepare themselves for the challenges of a business career."

This is the second year that MSU graduating seniors were required to take the test. In all, 242 MSU College of Business students have taken the test.

"The average scores of our MSU College of Business students has consistently been at the 90th percentile as compared to the averages from 513 other institutions across the nation who have also utilized the assessment," said William Brown, MSU management professor.

"One of the central tenets of our mission is that we seek to provide our students with knowledge of current business practices and theory and to be conversant in the language of business," Brown said. "This test is a way to compare the business knowledge and skills of our students to students around the country."

One MSU student said he believes that cross training in various business disciplines helped MSU students achieve on the test.

"The MSU professors do a very good job of providing a well-rounded education," said Alan Poole, a senior marketing student from Bozeman. "Even though you may be in a finance class, a marketing class, a management class, or an accounting class, the professors go beyond the scope of that subject to apply the terminology to real world business scenarios. I think that is what helps us to do so well on the field test. It is basically a culmination of four years of study."

http://www.montana.edu/cpa/news/nwview.php?article=3957