The Lundquist Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Oregon's Lundquist College of Business has been honored as one of the top fifty programs by Entrepreneur magazine and The Princeton Review. The center ranked number twenty-three in the graduate category of the survey.

For five of the past six years, Entrepreneur has ranked the Lundquist Center for Entrepreneurship in the top 4 percent of the more than 1,000 entrepreneurship programs evaluated by the magazine. This year the high ranking for the center was consistent, but the competition was more intense, with more than double the number of programs evaluated in 2008.

Entrepreneur magazine and The Princeton Review collected survey data from more than 2,300 undergraduate and graduate schools about their entrepreneurship programs to finalize the rankings. Questions covered academics and requirements, students and faculty, and outside-the-classroom experiences.

"The Lundquist Center for Entrepreneurship's recognition as a top program is a tribute to great students, dedicated faculty, a strong link to the business community and innovative programs that have become world class," said Randy Swangard, executive director for the Lundquist center.

The New Venture Championship and Technology Entrepreneurship Programs sponsored by the Lundquist Center have reached levels of national and international reputation. Over the past four years, at least one start-up venture has evolved out of the center's Venture Launch Pathway Program to become a striving business. In addition, entrepreneurship students have gone on to provide leadership in every size of company across the Northwest, throughout the U.S. and internationally.

"The ranking by Entrepreneur magazine is much deserved and most timely as our staff and students are in China for an extended study tour and meetings with leading entrepreneurial firms in three centers for innovation in China," said Dennis Howard, dean, Lundquist College of Business. "Our students are being provided with unique, real world experience and national rankings continue to recognize the efforts."

Representatives from the Lundquist Center for Entrepreneurship and the college's Warsaw Sports Marketing Center and Securities Analysis Center are traveling to China as part of an annual Engaging Asia Study Tour, now in its third year. The groups are visiting Beijing, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and Shanghai to meet with entrepreneurial leaders, visit research and development facilities, spend time with fellow M.B.A. students and faculty, and tour high tech manufacturing operations.

"At the University of Oregon, we aim to excel in our core areas of academic strength and this honor affirms that we're continuing to raise our national profile as a destination for entrepreneurs," said Jim Bean, UO senior vice president and provost. "The fantastic work by our faculty and staff, and the accomplishments of our current students and alumni are significant contributions to the business industry."

The results of the survey, along with the analysis, appear in the October issue of Entrepreneur, which hits newsstands on Sept. 23.