Atkinson marked its golden anniversary with a string of superlatives: It is Bloomberg Businessweek’s top-ranked management school in Oregon. Inc. Magazine recognizes two of its entrepreneurship courses as among the best. Out of more than 1,100 accredited programs in the U.S., Poets & Quants ranks Atkinson No. 76.

Perhaps most notably, Atkinson remains the only MBA program accredited by both NASPAA (for public policy education) and AACSB (for business education). 

Atkinson serves MBA students at all career stages. It offers joint degree programs, too, including a BA/MBA, JD/MBA (in partnership with Willamette Law), and MBA/master’s in data science (with the School of Computing & Information Sciences). Among its newest offerings is a STEM MBA. 

“Many perceive MBA programs as teaching people how to line their own pockets—and we’re not about that,” says Dean and Associate Professor of Accounting Romana Autry. “We’re about how to run organizations effectively, whether in the for-profit, not-for-profit, or government sectors, and how to use management to help organizations accomplish their missions.”

Atkinson has also made a Salem-campus move: from the Mudd Building to Kaneko Commons.  This brings all faculty and classes into the same space, creates additional square footage for growing programs, and provides students with more modern facilities. Plus, with the opening of Willamette’s Graduate & Professional Center in Portland, Atkinson has expanded its presence in that city, too. 

For more on this story visit news.willamette.edu/library/2025/03/atkinson-50.html