The University of Houston-Victoria has been commended once again for having an outstanding business school. For the seventh consecutive year, the Princeton Review has featured UHV’s School of Business Administration in its annual guidebook, “The Best 296 Business Schools.”

“The Princeton Review considers UHV one of the best institutions a student could attend to earn a Master of Business Administration,” said Robert Franek, senior vice president and publisher for The Princeton Review. “We selected the schools we profile in the 2013 edition of the book based on our high regard for their academic programs and our reviews of institutional data we collect from the schools.”

The Princeton Review is one of America’s leading admissions consulting companies.

Being ranked seven consecutive years in The Princeton Review is a great achievement for the business school, UHV President Phil Castille said.

“My heartiest congratulations to UHV’s School of Business Administration for once again being named to the Princeton Review’s list of top national business schools,” he said. “This prestigious ranking shows UHV’s deep commitment to access and quality in higher education at a very affordable price.”

Along with the educational data collected, Princeton Review also includes the opinions of students. The survey asked 19,000 students at the schools their opinions of their school’s academics, student body and campus life as well as about themselves and their career plans.

Surveyed students listed affordability, options of face-to-face and online classes, excellent accreditations, and flexibility as reasons why they choose to attend UHV. Students stated that the flexibility in course offerings and classroom locations is a huge draw. The UHV business school offers classes in Victoria, Greater Houston and online.

Student feedback is important because it allows UHV to adjust offerings to meet demand, said Farhang Niroomand, dean of the UHV School of Business Administration.

“We continue to modify and improve our programs and services to ensure that our MBA graduates are successful in their business careers,” he said. “The faculty and staff at UHV care about the students receiving a quality education. This is one reason why we have been consistently recognized by The Princeton Review.”

“The Best 296 Business Schools” has two-page profiles of the institutions – 280 of which are located in the U.S. and 16 internationally. Each profile includes write-ups on academics, career and placement, student life and environment, and admissions. The profiles also have ratings for academic experience, admissions selectivity and career services. These ratings are on a scale of 100.

In UHV’s profile, the Princeton Review editors described the various course delivery and enrollment options available to students. The editors said, “With so many options and so much flexibility, many can take advantage of the opportunity to earn a graduate business degree.”

The editors also said that “UHV students are proud of their school. They take classes seriously and expect a high degree of professionalism from not only their professors and administration but from their fellow students as well.”

Among the rating scores, The Princeton Review gives high marks to UHV’s faculty with a score of 81 for interesting professors and a 91 for professor accessibility. Surveyed students also described faculty members as helpful, professional, highly knowledgeable, and understanding of the fact that many students work full-time jobs while attending UHV’s graduate business programs.

“The professors are experts in their fields, and encourage real-world, practical applications of the concepts discussed in class,” according to one student.

The Princeton Review does not rank the schools in the book on a single hierarchical list from one to 296, or name one business school best overall. Instead, the book has 11 ranking lists of the top 10 business schools in various categories.

The School of Business Administration was listed No. 2 among the 10 institutions offering the greatest opportunities for minority students. The school’s underrepresented minority population is 75 percent, while 91 percent of the faculty members are underrepresented minorities.

“The diversity of the students, as well as the faculty, contributes to the global perspective with which our graduates emerge,” Niroomand said. “The variety of experiences enhances the classroom setting as each person is able to bring in a different real-world perspective.”