By Bianca Sa

After assessing 210 universities and colleges and comparing over 329 education programs, Intelligent.com announced 50 Best Small Business Management Degree Programs for 2021. Lindenwood University was featured for the second time on the ranking as best for Fashion Business: Master of Science in Fashion Business and Entrepreneurship.

Intelligent.com is a well-respected site focused on helping students and prospective students to make “smarter choices to produce the greatest advantage, utility, and satisfaction.” Intelligent’s team is comprised of five professionals committed to transmitting unbiased, accurate, and factual information on a wide range of issues. When producing original content, Intelligent guarantees its content accuracy by interviewing several experts, scholars, and educators. The website advocates for providing curated information that will help individuals succeed in the classroom, and it promotes self-improvement.

The Top 50 Small Business Management Degree Programs was released on March 11^th 2021, and Intelligent follows its own scoring methodology – it doesn’t use any advertising or affiliate relationships with schools. Each program is scored from 0 to 100 and is evaluated according to flexibility, faculty, course strength, cost, and reputation. Programs classified as top picks are affordable, respected, and flexible.

Dr. Chajuana Trawick, Endowed Chair in Fashion Business and Design, is very excited about the program’s recognition on the 2021 ranking. With an Intelligent Score of 97.47, the Fashion Business and Entrepreneurship Master of Science degree is AACSB-accredited and is successful for many reasons; Dr. Trawick sheds light on some of them:

“Our program has a strong cross-curricular foundation with courses from the business school. Our classes are also taught by industry professionals who are not only professors, but also full-time practitioners in the fashion industry. Our students are prepared and ready for the real world through their real world experiences and exposure within the classrooms,” she says.

In addition to being offered in traditional, hybrid, and online formats, students can earn a Master of Science degree in Fashion Business and Entrepreneurship in just one year, through a fast track option that Lindenwood offers. This option contributes to making the program cost-effective while also improving the return on investment. Most students “begin working in the industry before graduating” and “develop a solid career path after they graduate,” Dr. Trawick continues.

Student engagement is another reason the program is so successful. “Our professors fully engage the students within our program with opportunities for individualized instruction, guidance, and feedback,” Dr. Trawick explains. Meaningful relationships between faculty and students show that students are “more than a number or name on the roster, they are… future fashion leaders and professionals,” she concludes. Knowing that the professors in the program care so much about their students’ success, it is no surprise our school made this list.

Congratulations, Lindenwood, for receiving such recognition in the School of Arts, Media, and Communications. May you continue to consistently deliver high quality education to students!