Carson College of Business: Rankings, Programs, and Alumni Success

Since 1926, the Carson College of Business at Washington State University (WSU) has been dedicated to equipping students with the skills and knowledge to excel in the business world. With a commitment to transformative learning experiences and a focus on practical application, the Carson College has established itself as a leading business school in the Pacific Northwest. This article explores the college's rankings, programs, and the achievements of its alumni.

Accreditation and Recognition

The Carson College of Business holds accreditation through the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). This accreditation was successfully extended for another six years following a review process. The AACSB also recognized the college for its efforts to promote business research in its 2024 State of Accreditation Report.

Rankings and Distinctions

WSU Global Campus continues to earn national recognition for quality and access. U.S. News & World Report has consistently ranked Carson College programs among the best.

U.S. News & World Report 2025 rankings for Carson College programs include:

No. 24 Best Undergraduate International Business Programs
No. 21 Best Online Bachelor’s Programs for Business
No. 26 Best Online MBA Programs for Veterans

CEO Magazine ranked the Carson College of Business online MBA and executive MBA programs as No. 27 out of 83 and No. 27 out of 60 in its 2025 rankings of global recognition. The online MBA moved up in the rankings. Washington State University (Carson) is ranked No. 33 out of 364 in Best Online MBA Programs.

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WSU Global Campus placed 11th nationally for its undergraduate degrees in Best Online Bachelor’s Programs. In the bachelor’s category its psychology program offered through the College of Arts and Sciences ranked 12th and the online undergraduate business program provided by the Carson College of Business earned 15th place. The school’s MBA programs placed 33rd in Best Online MBA Programs.

WSU’s online graduate engineering programs offered by the Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture ranked 38th in Best Online Master’s in Engineering Programs.

WSU programs were also recognized among the nation’s best for veterans. The university’s online bachelor’s degree programs placed 8th nationally in the Best Online Bachelor’s Programs for Veterans. WSU’s online graduate engineering programs ranked 24th in Best Online Engineering Graduate Programs for Veterans. The school’s online MBA ranked 25th in Best Online MBA Programs for Veterans.

Academic Excellence and Experiential Learning

The Carson College of Business emphasizes communication skills, collaboration, and business ethics. The quality of its programs and the success of its graduates establish Carson as the top choice in the Pacific Northwest for a business education.

Carson faculty bring their expertise as researchers to the classroom, developing critical thinking in their students and sharing meaningful insights from their research. Motivated students can collaborate on business research projects and develop skills that make them attractive candidates to employers worldwide.

Carson students learn through experience and are immersed in employer-focused business classes from the day they start. Nationally ranked programs help students develop marketable skills based on practical knowledge and experience in business. The Carson College's acclaimed international business programs provide transformational learning experiences in countries worldwide. Faculty-led study abroad programs offer the comfort of taking classes with a familiar instructor while immersing students in a new culture.

Programs and Initiatives

The Carson College offers a range of programs and initiatives designed to support student success and promote diversity.

Expanding Diverse Group Experiences (EDGE) Program

The Carson College of Business Expanding Diverse Group Experiences (EDGE) program held its annual National First-Gen Day Celebration in November. This event featured a panel of first-generation alums who shared their journey in higher education and in their careers, followed by a networking reception.

Serving 25 new students each year, the EDGE program addresses the specific needs and barriers of students from low socio-economic, first-generation backgrounds as they transition to WSU and pursue an undergraduate business degree. Upon successful completion of their first year, EDGE students are awarded a $3,000 scholarship annually, renewable for up to three years for a total of $9,000.

D.A. Davidson Systematic Investment Plan Competition

Carson College of Business students participating in the D.A. Davidson Systematic Investment Plan Competition earned the $2,000 Fred Dickson Memorial Award for the top-performing portfolio. The WSU portfolio generated the highest return of all competitors (+52.8 percent). WSU was also the top-performing school for the prior year, in which they generated a total return of +44.55 percent for their portfolio.

Students are judged on investment performance and qualitative factors including how well the program sticks to stated investment processes and the overall level of student engagement. Finance Professor Mario Reyes teaches and advises the team along with input from coadvisor Rusty Schatz, senior vice president and financial advisor at D.A. Davidson. WSU joined the Davidson SIP in 1993. Since its inception, the WSU program has earned a cumulative profit-sharing contribution of $102,371.

Beta Alpha Psi Gold Chapter Award

WSU’s Delta Epsilon chapter of Beta Alpha Psi, an international scholastic and professional organization for future financial information professionals, earned the Gold Chapter Award. Gold status recognizes a progression of achievements including the highest level of professional activities and production of a video for BAP’s annual meeting competition.

Global Campus Programs

WSU Global Campus offers 22 undergraduate and 13 graduate degrees across a wide range of disciplines, along with many minors and certificates.

MBA Program Overview

The application deadline for the online MBA programs at Washington State University (Carson) is rolling. Eighty-seven percent of students are already employed when they first enroll. For these programs, all of the online classes are recorded and archived. Students should also note that the online MBA programs at Washington State University (Carson) are accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, the gold standard of business school accreditation.

WSU offers a high-quality, affordable MBA for working professionals. Graduate certificates and electives (incl. Designing Your Life) add value. Entry/final courses align the degree with career goals. Optional live events include an Exec MBA conference, industry excursions, and study abroad. Career coaching, veteran support, and virtual access to faculty, advisers, and campus events ensure student success.

The program enables working professionals to directly apply business strategies, theories, and decision-making strategies to their current roles.

Support Services

From the day students start their studies until the day they graduate, the Carson Center is available to provide guidance and support. The center helps students assess career interests, explore occupations, proceed through the job search process, and prepare for the professional workplace.

Carson students enjoy a supportive learning environment. Faculty, staff, and academic advisors genuinely care and will go the extra mile to help students find success.

Alumni Success

The Carson College of Business boasts a network of successful alumni who have made significant contributions in various fields. Here are some recent achievements:

Gary Anderson (’88 Mktg.) was appointed to the board of directors at Regency Centers Corporation, a real estate investment trust in Jacksonville, Florida.
Tanner Bogardus (’13 Busi. Admin., Soc. Sci.) began a new position as enterprise account executive at Payscale, a compensation management company that focuses on sustainable and fair pay.
Bryan Brooks (’16 MBA) is vice president of student affairs, enrollment management, and strategic communications at Florida Polytechnic University.
David Delafield (’01 Busi. Admin., ’02 MBA) is chief financial officer of Perkins Coie, a global law firm headquartered in Seattle. Previously, Delafield was CFO at Davis Wright Tremaine LLP and Providence Health & Services.
Evan Hoerlein (’24 Hosp. Busi. Mgmt.) recently joined Merrill Gardens senior-living community as a front desk receptionist in Kirkland.
Madeleine Hotchkin (’20 Finance) started a new position as a senior financial analyst with JLL at Amazon GREF. JLL is a commercial real estate firm that provides services for Amazon GREF.
Gabrielle Isaak (2’24 Accounting, Mgmt. Info. Sys.) recently began a new position as a tax staff professional at Moss Adams in Spokane.
Nathan Kelso (’95 Busi. Admin.) is the chief technology officer at Silver Creek Capital Management.
Terry Kelly (’80 Accounting) was inducted to the Hooptown USA Hall of Fame. Kelly was a founding board member of Hoopfest, the largest outdoor basketball tournament in the world, with 425 courts spanning 45 city blocks in Spokane every year. Kelly led the state in scoring average for all classifications his senior year of high school in 1976. He started more than 80 straight games for WSU’s basketball team, culminating in a NCAA tournament appearance in 1980 under coach George Raveling.
Jamie Kern Lima (’00 Busi.) was recognized with the WSU Regents’ Distinguished Alumna Award in September during the Boeing Apple Cup football game. The award is the highest honor that WSU gives to alumni.
Taylor Lange (’17 Mktg.) began a new position as a business development leader-North American strategic partnerships at Amazon within the fashion and fitness space.
Tu Le (’24 Hosp. Busi.
Alexa Makhani (’09 Finance) accepted a position as the senior director of prospect development for the WSU Foundation. She is responsible for leading the WSU Foundation departments of prospect research and management. Her work includes developing the proposal section of the customer relationship management system and reviewing operations for potential areas of growth.
David Marek (’87 Busi. Admin.) is CEO of ReAlta Life Sciences, a Virginia biotech company focusing on acute inflammatory and rare diseases.
Oliver Meinzer (’99 H&RA, ’03 MBA) started a new position as vice president of global operations, rooms, and guest experience innovation and fulfillment at Marriott International. In his new role, he oversees the development and activation of innovative products and services to enhance hotel operations and guest experience. He utilizes cutting-edge digital solutions to drive brand loyalty and align program deployment across continents. Meinzer was previously vice president of global operations, digital, and mobile guest services and has held other leadership positions within the company.
Danny Navarro (’10 Mgmt. The Paddock team at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Paddock Canned Cocktails, a company cofounded by Blake (Loos) Preston (’14 Wine Busi. Mgmt.) and her husband Cory, won best in class and double gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, outscoring Absolut, Bacardi, Smirnoff, and other producers.
Connor North (’24 Accounting, Entrep.) started a new career as a patient support specialist at Solventum, a health care solutions company.
Assaf Onn (’97 H&RA) is CEO of Anaergia, a global renewable fuels company.
Dan Peterson (’89 H&RA) is senior vice president of operations at national hotel management company Avion Hospitality.
Patrick Schiess (MBA ’24) was recently hired as senior director of information technology at InSpectre Solutions.
Nicholas Sarpy (’07 Finance) is the chief financial officer for the city of Little Rock, Arkansas.

Faculty and Leadership

The Carson College of Business is led by dedicated faculty and administrators who are committed to providing students with a high-quality education.

Debbie Compeau is the dean of the Carson College of Business.
David Whidbee has agreed to extend his appointment as senior associate dean for faculty affairs and research.
Joseph Scott Gladstone delivered the keynote address at the Western Region WIOA/477 Technical Assistance and Training Event in early November.
Christina Chi recently received the University of Delaware Michael D. Jenny Kim, W.
Terry Umbreit Distinguished Professor and PhD program coordinator with the School of Hospitality Business Management, Kim was the keynote speaker at China’s Annual National Conference of the Industry-Education Integrative Community for the Modern Lodging Industry.
Nancy Swanger, director of the Granger Cobb Institute for Senior living, was a featured panelist discussing the significance of women in leadership at the Vision Centre: Leadership Development for Aging Services 2024 Symposium.
Paul Warner, executive director of the Center for Entrepreneurship in the Carson College of Business, recently judged an entrepreneurial competition at CamEd Business School, a private business school in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Commitment to Non-Discrimination

WSU does not discriminate and prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin, disability, age, religion, creed, genetic information, marital status, protected veteran/military status, or immigration or citizenship status in any education program or activity that it operates complaint with Title IX and other civil rights laws and regulations. Inquiries regarding Title IX, ADA, or other civil rights laws, as well as reports of discrimination can be directed to the Compliance and Civil Rights, WSU ADA Coordinator, or WSU Title IX Coordinator.

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