TOP 25 RANKED BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS PROGRAMS WITH THE BEST RETURN ON INVESTMENT (ROI)

The Rady School of Management at the University of California San Diego is well regarded on a global scale and has produced numerous notable business persons over its history. Some of these include a co-founder of Ask Jeeves, a VP of Sun Microsystems, founder and CEO of Linden Lab, and CEO of Asia Pacific Global Research Group.

Yale is over 300 years old and is the third oldest body of higher education in the United States, founded in 1701. The Yale School of Management conducts some of the most advanced economics and business research in the world. Among the research conducted at Yale you will find the Center for Customer Insights, International Center for Finance, and the Cowles Foundation for Economic Research which is focused on advancing our understanding of econometrics, economic theory, and other major aspects of the field.

The University of Maryland is a public university. The Robert H. Smith School of Business is home to two primary research labs that are focused on advancing our understanding of business in an empirical manner. These labs are the Behavioral Laboratory and the Financial Markets Laboratory. The department of economics conducts research with a global focus through the Center for International Research.

The University of Texas at Austin is home to the Bureau of Business Research which is focused on applying various tools to better understand the Texas economy in order to help inform Texas businesspersons and policy makers. The school is also home to the Undergraduate Economics Journal, which is the premier economics journal for the publication of undergraduate research in economics.

The University of Washington's Economics Department is home to the Economic Policy Research Center which conducts research with the intent of providing useful empirical information to makers of economic policy. The EPRC conducts research in such areas as: Fiscal and Tax Policy, Health Policy, Trade and Economic Development Policy, and more. The Foster School of Business ranks 8th in Management Research Productivity. Research centers at Foster include the Arthur W. Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship, The Global Business Center, and the Consulting and Business Development Center.

One of the most respected public universities in both business and economics, the University of Michigan offers students a wide range of opportunities. Being a research university, research in either area is something in which students have a chance to take part. Business research institutes include the Frederick A. and Barbara M. Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise and the Center for Positive Organizations. Economics research at the University of Michigan tends to be interdisciplinary, so students will find themselves working with the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, the Institute for Social research, and the Office of Tax Policy Research, among other schools and centers where an economic point of view is beneficial.

UCLA was founded in 1919 and was one of the earliest state universities in California. The UCLA Anderson School of Management was founded sixteen years later in 1935, in the midst of the Great Depression and began offering an MBA four years later, in 1939. The UCLA School of Management features research organizations that conduct cutting edge business research. These include the Behavioral Lab; Center for Global Management; Managing Enterprises in Media, Entertainment, and Sports; and the Laurence and Lori Fink Center for Finance and Investment, among others. The economics department is home to the UCLA Center for Economic History and the Robert Ettinger Family Program in Macroeconomic Research.

The University of Minnesota Twin Cities is one of the mid-west's premier public universities. The Carlson School of Management offers both undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to engage in advanced business research through the school's numerous research centers which include the Carlson Global Institute, Center for Human Resource and Labor Studies, Center for Integrative Leadership, Institute for Research in Marketing, and more. The Huller-Hurwicz Economics Institute also offers students the chance to engage in groundbreaking research intended to address many global challenges.

NYU Stern is one of the world's most renowned business schools. The research taking place at its various research centers is designed to revolutionize the modern understanding of business. Among the many research centers at Stern, a few stand out. These are the Center for Business and Human Rights, Urbanization Project, and the Berkley Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. NYU also engages in impressive economics research in areas like Game Theory, Mathematical Economics, Monetary History, Experimental Economics, Econometrics, and many more.

The Department of Economics, housed in the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, is home to numerous cutting edge research centers. Some of the economics research centers at Arizona State are the Center for Competitiveness and Prosperity Research, the JP Morgan Chase Economic Outlook Center, Center for Advanced Study in Economic Efficiency, and many more. Academic studies are complemented by the learning and networking opportunities presented by these state of the art research centers. ASU also appears on our list of the Top 20 Ranked Up and Coming Universities With the Best Return on Investment (ROI) and Top 10 Cheap Online Entrepreneurship Degree Programs (Bachelor's) 2014.

The University of Chicago may not have the highest 30 year average net return on investment on this list, but its economics program is legendary. The Chicago School of Economics is one of the foremost economic programs in the world and it continues to be refined and developed. Prominent scholars of the Chicago School are Frank Knight, George Stilger, Milton Friedman, and Richard Posner. The University of Chicago has seen ten alumni win nobel prizes in economics, more than any other single university in the world.

Northwestern University has a strong economics program. Nobel Prize winning George Stigler of the Chicago School of economics was a graduate. Northwestern is one of the best rated schools in the United States in general, and its economics program ranks 10th according to the Academic Ranking of World Universities. The school offers copious opportunities for research at its economics research centers which include: Center for the Study of Industrial Organization, Center for International Macroeconomics, and the Center for the Study of Development Economics, among others.

Michigan State University is a highly regarded mid-western public university. The International Business Center at Michigan State was designated as a national resource center for business education and research. The International Business Center is home to a variety of business related research, and allocates grant funding to those seeking to pursue research with potential impact on the realm of international business.

Ohio State University is home to the Journal of Money, Credit, and Banking, a journal for the publication of academic research into these subjects with an economic focus. The business research focus of Ohio State is on interdisciplinary research, focusing on bringing together minds with a wide variety of experience for collaboration.

A key strength of business programs at Indiana University is the networking and educational opportunities that exist because of the large number of departments, institutes and centers that help to support and enhance the curricula. For example, the Indiana Business Research Center, located at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business, is home to the Indiana Business Review and numerous research initiatives including Driving Change: Greening the Automotive Workforce, Indiana Workforce Intelligence System, and Innovation in American Regions, which applies a regional focus to business innovation.