In the magazine's annual ranking of the top specialty programs offered by business schools, Ball State's undergraduate program in entrepreneurship is ninth. The program was ranked seventh last year.

"We are delighted to be in the top 10 and be recognized for the quality of our programs," said Lynne Richardson, dean of Ball State's College of Business. "We are in good company."

U.S. News asked deans and senior faculty at the undergraduate business programs accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business to rate the quality of specialty programs they were familiar with on a scale of 1 to 5 from marginal to excellent. About 46 percent of those surveyed responded.

Ball State's ninth place ranking in entrepreneurship is best among Indiana's schools with Indiana University Bloomington at 11th place.

The newstand book, America's Best Colleges, which contains all U.S. News college rankings, goes on sale Sept. 16. Many of the rankings and some of the articles from the book will be in next week's issue of U.S. News and World Report.