Rice University: Jones

Developing Principled, Innovative Thought Leaders in Global Communities

The Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business is committed to our mission of providing a superior business education to students through a focus on thought leadership, innovation, and ethics. Named in honor of the late Jesse Holman Jones, a prominent Houston business and civic leader, the school received its initial funding in 1974 through a major gift from the Houston Endowment Inc., a philanthropic foundation established by Jones and his wife, Mary Gibbs Jones.

As a school whose mission focuses on developing principled, innovative thought leaders in global communities, it is our priority to lend our business knowledge and resources to understand and improve business. At the turn of recent, but then impending financial crisis, our Jones School faculty immediately stepped up to the task to share their expertise and research with industry leaders through multiple forums, conferences, and media channels.

Upholding the prestigious academic traditions of Rice University, the Jones School offers the Full Time MBA, MBA for Executives, and MBA for Professionals degrees; a full schedule of non-degree, open enrollment Executive Education and customized courses for business and industry; and a Business Minor, open to any Rice undergraduate who meets enrollment requirements. An active network of 3800 Jones School alumni have made a global impact in all areas of business, including entrepreneurship, finance, and energy.

Rice’s MBA programs have been recognized in the U.S.A. and internationally for leadership and innovation by U.S. News and World Report, the Financial Times, the Economist, and Entrepreneur magazine. Most recent notables:

• Salaries were among the highest in the U.S.A. for both graduates and alumni;
• Finance continues to rank in the top 10 as a recognized specialty;
• Intellectual capital, based on faculty research, placed in the top 20 – worldwide.

Set in the heart of Houston, the Jones School on the Rice University campus provides our students with unique opportunities and resources not available anywhere else, such as the El Paso Corporation Finance Center, the Gilbert and Ruth Whitaker Business Information Center, and the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship.

The Rice MBA Program is accredited by AACSB International.