Albers School of Business and Economics

Why Albers?

Albers School of Business and Economics has a reputation as one of the premier business schools in the Northwest. Both our undergraduate and graduate programs are consistently ranked among the best in the country. The 2009 U.S. News & World Report ranking of undergraduate business programs puts Albers in the top 30% of AACSB accredited schools and one of the top 50 private business schools in the U.S. Albers’s part-time MBA program has been recognized as one of the top 30 in the nation, according to the latest issue of U.S. News & World Report’s “America's Best Graduate Schools 2009.” Our Executive Leadership Program was ranked by CRO Corporate Responsibility Officer magazine among the top 10 executive training programs in corporate responsibility. In addition, the Albers EDGE program (Education for Global Executives) was honored in 2008 as the only academic institution to receive the President’s "E" Award, which recognizes persons, firms, or organizations that contribute significantly in the effort to increase United States exports.

Close to the Business Community

Albers’s location offers quick and easy access to the business community in the Seattle area. In just a few minutes you can be in the center of the city, taking in culture and interacting with business and community leaders.

Some of the nation’s largest companies are headquartered in the Seattle area, including Paccar, Amazon, Expeditors International, Weyerhaeuser, REI, Starbucks, Costco Wholesale, Microsoft, McKinstry Co., and The Cobalt Group. In addition, there are a multitude of mid-sized and startup firms, making the Seattle job market a great place to gain experience and get started.

History

The first business degrees were granted by Seattle College in 1937 and in 1945 the School of Commerce and Finance was established. The undergraduate degree program was accredited by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) in 1965. The MBA program began in 1967 and, one year later, the name of the school was changed to the School of Business.

In 1976, the school was renamed the Albers School of Business, to honor Eva Albers, a generous donor to Seattle University, and her husband George, a local business pioneer. The naming was in recognition of their support for the university and their work in the community. Later, their daughter, Genevieve Albers, who took an accounting course in the School of Commerce and Finance, befriended the business school more specifically, with a gift of $8.4 million in 2002. 

In 1980, the MBA program was accredited by AACSB. The expansion to the Eastside campus in Bellevue was begun in 1989. In 1990, the school’s name was changed to the Albers School of Business and Economics.

On Campus

Albers is located in the Pigott Building on the East side of the Seattle University campus.