MSU’s Jake Jabs College of Business & Entrepreneurship (Jabs) has a mission of inspiring creativity, innovation, and growth. We aim to provide a collaborative and personalized environment, connecting students to opportunities in a dynamic community. Here is a quick look at what makes us unique and why our college is an engaging place to be.
An aerial view of Jabs Hall, home to MSU's Jake Jabs College of Business & Entrepreneurship.
Photo courtesy of Valley Glass & Window.
Key Facts
AACSB Accreditation
Jabs at MSU is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). Only 5% of all business programs worldwide have earned AACSB accreditation, including Stanford, Michigan, MIT, UCLA and all high reputation programs. It is the most rigorous accreditation a business college can earn.
Small Class Size, Learning from the Best
Average undergraduate class size is 30 students and offers an experiential skills-based curriculum. Every class is taught by a faculty member; not a single class is taught by a graduate student. All students have access to advisors to guide them through their college careers.
Our faculty serve as great mentors and advisors for students. They have earned Ph.D., Juris Doctor and MBA or masters degrees from the top programs in the country -- Stanford, Michigan, Oregon, MIT, Arizona State, University of Utah, and others. Students also learn from faculty who have held senior positions in such companies as FedEx, Saatchi & Saatchi, ESPN, NASDAQ, Booz Allen Hamilton, and several are current business owners.
The College:
Total enrollment (Fall 2021): 1,755 undergraduates, 58 graduate students
Faculty (Fall 2022): 66
Administration & Staff: 14
Communications Coaches: 6
Number of programs:13 academic offerings
2 graduate degree: Master of Professional Accountancy (MPAc) and Master of Science in Innovation and Management (MSIM)
1 undergraduate degree with 4 options: Accounting, Finance, Management, Marketing
5 minors: Accounting, Business Administration, Entrepreneurship & Small Business Management, Finance, International Business
2 certificates: Business, Entrepreneurship
Go Bobcats! Competing at a National and International Level
2023 AMA Chapter: MSU's student chapter of the American Marketing Association (AMA) once again earned a Top 10 designation out of more than 330 chapters worldwide at the annual AMA International Collegiate Conference, which took place in New Orleans. MSU students won the coveted Case Competition and placed first or second in five other categories. Two students also earned individual scholarships. For full details and recognition: https://www.montana.edu/news/22822/.
National Scholarships & Securing Jobs: Riley Nielsen, a 2023 graduate of the Master of Professional Accountancy (MPAc) program, was one of fewer than 100 students nationwide to be recognized this fall with a scholarship aimed at increasing the diversity of the accounting profession. Nielsen said she feels well prepared for her future. In fact, she had a job lined up with a tax firm in Seattle, the product of participating in the business college’s Meet the Accounting Recruiters Fair, which takes place annually each fall. For the full announcement and story: https://www.montana.edu/news/22544/.
Employment: Our graduates have taken jobs with a wide range of national, multi-national and Montana-based organizations. Just
in the past five years, our alumni have hired on with well-known businesses including
KPMG (accounting ’19), BlackRock (finance ’18), Amazon (management ’15), and R/GA Tokyo (marketing
’15). Based on the 2019 Career Destinations self-survey, over 91% of undergraduates and 100% of our MPAc graduates reported full or part-time employment or continuing education
following graduation.
Top-Notch Programs
Most affordable accounting masters program: Our program made the AccountingEdu.org list of the most affordable 2018-2019 master's degrees in accounting for the state of Montana. The rankings focused on value to the student, according to the organization’s website. To make its rankings, AccountingEdu.org compiled information on both public and private schools in each state that achieved a first-time pass rate better than the national average and had the best cost per credit hour in a semester hour system. From there, it examined other features and benefits to students such as paid internships, curriculum, job placement assistance, study abroad options and more. http://www.montana.edu/news/17988/
Venture Support: The MSU Blackstone LaunchPad (BLP), which is housed under our college, is an entrepreneurial resource for students, alumni and faculty across the university and community. They offer coaching, ideation assistance, and venture creation support. Since its inception in 2013, the LaunchPad and its staff has helped generate more than 90 ventures. With a physical presence in the Strand Union Building (SUB) next to the Union Market, the BLP has assisted hundreds of individuals and teams from across campus and multiple disciplines since its grand opening in 2013. http://www.montana.edu/news/17777/.
Jabs also hosts multiple competitions including the First-Year Student Venture Pitch Competition, the Big Idea Challenge, and the MSU $50K Venture Pitch Competition.
Your Resources
Office of Student Services (OSS): General help hub for students including class registration, academic advising, and policy clarification.
Centers: The Bracken Center
Clinics: Bracken Business Communication Clinic (BBCC)
Entrepreneurship: Blackstone LaunchPad, 406 Labs
Orser Executive Speakers Forum speakers and other recent distinguished guest have included:
- Gerald Grinstein, past CEO of Delta Airlines
- Tim Solso, former chairman of General Motors and CEO of Cummins
- Nicole Jones ’97, senior law enforcement and security counsel at Google
- Rich Barton, founder of Expedia, Inc., Zillow, and Glassdoor
- Scott Marlette, co-founder of GoodRx
- Jamie Siminoff, founder of Ring
Student Clubs & Organizations: 7
- American Indigenous Business Leaders (AIBL)
- American Marketing Association (AMA) at Montana State
- Beta Alpha Psi/Accounting Club)
- Finance Club
- Society of HR Management (SHRM) Club
College Recruiting Events: Meet the Business Recruiters, Meet the Accounting Recruiters
Career and Employment Info: http://www.montana.edu/business/prospective-students/career-employment-information.html
The Location: Jabs Hall
Square Feet: 50,830
Fireplaces: 2
Classrooms: 11, Computer Classrooms/Labs: 2, Classrooms without windows: 0
Team and Conference Rooms for students: 9
Student Social/Collaboration Spaces: 13
Regularly Occupied Spaces with Daylight Views: 90.6%
Recycling Stations: 4+
LEED Gold designation
The Jabs Network
Jabs/College of Business alumni (2019): 10,843
Some companies founded/co-founded or owned by Jabs alumni:
- Beartooth
- Farmented
- Fleck Jurenka, LLP
- Fly Free Jewelry
- Foundant Technologies
- H2A Partners
- Hardy Brands
- Jeremiah Johnson Brewing Co.
- Right Channel Radios
- RSVP Motel, The Farmer's Daughters
- Sellout
- Sly Dog Productions
- The Work Spot
- The Wrap Agency, PintPass
A great place to be ... Bozeman is a small town with big energy.
Perhaps best known for outdoor recreation, Bozeman also has the cultural amenities of a much larger city including a symphony, opera, and ballet companies, as well as many locally-owned shops, restaurants and galleries that make Downtown vibrant. Skiing, hiking, camping, biking, climbing, and fishing options are endless because Bozeman is surrounded by five mountain ranges including the Bridger, Tobacco Root, Big Belt, Gallatin and Madison ranges; and the Gallatin, Madison and Yellowstone Rivers are all within a half hour of campus. There is plenty of National Forest land to explore, and Yellowstone National Park is just 90 miles away.
Money magazine named Bozeman No. 10 on its 2017 Best Places to Live.
Click here to learn more about Bozeman, Montana.
Students Connect with Businesses While in School
Internships
Students who take advantage of internship opportunities during their college years reap many rewards. From real-world business experience and on-the-job training in professionalism and skill building to an enriched undergraduate educational experience, these rewards stay with them throughout their professional careers. To the right is an accounting students who completed an internship with Simms Fishing and was offered a position following his graduation.