Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business

What Is the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business?

The term Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business refers to Rice University's graduate school of business. Founded in 1974 and located in Houston, the school offers graduate and doctorate programs, as well as various dual degree and executive education initiatives.

The school is well-known for its small class sizes and well-respected Master of Business Administration (MBA) program. It is consistently ranked among the 30 best MBAs in the United States by leading publications such as Businessweek, U.S. News, and the Financial Times.

Understanding the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business

The Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business was established in 1974 at Rice University in Houston, thanks in part to a major gift from businessman and philanthropist, Jesse Holman Jones. It is now commonly referred to as the Jones Graduate School of Business or Rice Business School.

The school's mission is to foster "principled, innovative thought leaders in global communities." According to the school, there are about 1,100 students registered for the 2020-2021 winter session in its MBA and Ph.D. programs, including the:

The school’s faculty — a total of 144 — has expertise in areas like finance, accounting, entrepreneurship, operations management, and the energy sector. Unlike many other business schools, which maintain distributed research centers in several different buildings, this school is housed in a single building located in the heart of Houston. This concentrated architecture helps maintain an intimate atmosphere — with an average class size of just 40 students, the school’s faculty and staff remain highly accessible to students.

The Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business’s full-time MBA program was rated as the 26th-best program in the United States by Forbes. U.S. News ranked it in the 25th spot — a tie with Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business.

The median GMAT score for the class of 2020 was 710.

Special Considerations

The school’s full-time MBA cohort for the class of 2020 included representation from 17 nationalities, of whom over 30% were female. According to the school's website, there were about 7,500 active alumni around the world, representing 54 different countries. About 6,800 of these individuals are located in the United States.

With an annual tuition of roughly $60,000, individuals who graduated with an MBA from the school saw an average starting salary of nearly $125,000 in 2019, of which over 92% received their offers within three months of graduation. These grads are generally employed in the financial services, energy, and technology sectors. Top employers included JP Morgan (JPM), ExxonMobil (XOM), and Sysco (SYY).