Situated in Houston, the fourth largest city in the country, the Rice University Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business focuses on providing small class sizes and field-project-oriented electives to give students real-world practice. The Jones School offers a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 to give students a more intimate business-learning experience and more access to professors. Students in the full-time M.B.A. program are immersed in the Action Learning Project after their first year of study, which allows teams of students to examine a company’s processes and give recommendations to improve practices. Companies that have participated in this project include J.P. Morgan Chase Healthcare, Continental Airlines, and Savage Design.

Along with a full-time program, the Jones School offers an executive M.B.A., professional M.B.A., and Ph.D. programs in accounting, finance, marketing, and strategic management. Joint degrees are offered in conjunction with the George R. Brown School of Engineering and the Wiess School of Natural Sciences. There are more than 25 M.B.A.-related student clubs and organizations available at Rice University, including the International Management Club and the Finance and Asset Management Club.

Some of the notable alumni of the Jones Graduate School of Business include Mitch Bainwol, chairman and CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA); James Turley, chairman and CEO of professional services firm Ernst & Young; and Douglas Foshee, chairman, president, and CEO of natural gas producer El Paso Corp.