The Best Degrees have unveiled their 2010 rankings for the top ten accredited online business degree programs. The list consists of six undergraduate programs and four graduate programs (MBA). While we don’t thinking rankings are the be all, end all of choosing a school, we do think they are important, especially when choosing an online school because there are so many sub-par programs out there. If you’re going to go the online route, it’s very important to choose a regionally accredited business degree program – not just a nationally accredited program. While “national” might sound better than “regional” it turns out that regional accreditation is much more difficult to attain and says a lot more about the quality of education that you will receive.

Here are the top 10 online accredited business degree programs according to TBD:

• Bachelor of Science in Accounting (Southern New Hampshire University)
• Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (University of Nebraska at Kearney)
• Bachelor of Business Administration – Management (UMassOnline)
• Bachelor of Science in Marketing (Grand Canyon University)
• Bachelor of Science in Business – Human Resource Management (University of Phoenix)
• Bachelor of Business Administration – Organizational Management (Tiffin University)
• MBA (The University of Scranton)
• MBA (Sacred Heart University)
• MBA (Quinnipiac University)
• MBA (Arizona State University)

US News & World Report has unveiled their 2010 MBA & Business Graduate Degree rankings. We think the US News & World Report rankings are to be taken seriously as they are one of the most well researched and respected ranking systems out there.

If you are considering a graduate degree in business such as an MBA, it would be worth your time to check out the rankings here.

Below we’ve listed the top 10 Executive MBA programs according to US News & World Report:

1. University of Pennsylvania (Wharton) Philadelphia, PA
2. Northwestern University (Kellogg) Evanston, IL
3. University of Chicago (Booth) Chicago, IL
4. Duke University (Fuqua) Durham, NC
5. Columbia University New York, NY
6. New York University (Stern) New York, NY
7. University of California–Berkeley (Haas) Berkeley, CA
8. University of Michigan–Ann Arbor (Ross) Ann Arbor, MI
9. University of California–Los Angeles (Anderson) Los Angeles, CA
10. University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill (Kenan-Flagler) Chapel Hill, NC

This is a guest post by Dee Barizo. He operates The Best Degrees, an online degree site.

We’ve heard the dire predictions and alarming statistics for people starting their own businesses. Most operations fail within a few years and leave the entrepreneur deeply in debt. Sadly, this leaves the business major with a difficult decision in this uncertain economy. Do you play it safe by specializing in accounting or marketing, or do you study the broader field of entrepreneurship and eventually start your own company? With a business degree focused on the wide-ranging areas that form an entrepreneurship program, you may be able to beat the odds and grow your business well into the future.

Pros and Cons

First, let’s examine some pitfalls of entrepreneurship. Many people enter the world of startups with a great idea and no clue how to get it to market and turn a profit. They may be brilliant in their field but lacking in necessary business skills such as planning cash flow, developing merchandise, maintaining staff, and marketing products. Some owners may have the luxury of learning on the job, but even the best idea can collapse if there is no business foundation to support it. Those are some of the strictly business risks; your personal life may be in similar peril if you spend every waking moment dealing with your business.

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Have  you heard of The Hub? Chances are if  you live outside of Europe you haven’t – until now. Thanks to a group of forward thinking business visionaries, including a group of UC Berkeley MBA candidates, on September 1st the first Hub space in the United States opened in San Francisco. This unique model provides work and event space ‘for social innovators to work, meet, connect and inspire’.

What is The Hub? 

Hubs are member-based work and event spaces where social entrepreneurs, freelance professionals, artists, funders, students, mentors, and community leaders can work and interact. Working together, it’s hoped these groups will access market opportunities and capital, build community, and scale ideas.

Hubs are a type of co-working space in which members receive a set of tools and services from a community of professional hosts, mentors and local enterprises who are passionate about supporting innovative ideas. Depending on the location, Hub centers may offer donated legal services, mentor office hours, and unlimited coffee. Aside from the shared services, the real benefit to Hub members is the business incubator environment.

History of The Hub

The Hub began four years ago in London and quickly spread to 18 cities and across four continents. Today, there are nearly 4,000 Members of The Hub, interconnected by a place-based and online network. The Hub Bay Area is the first Hub location in the United States and was started in partnership with Hub Global by a San Francisco-based team who founded Good Capital and The Social Capital Markets Conference (SoCap).

“We are thrilled to be working with the people from Good Capital and SoCap, and the stellar team they’ve put together,” said Jonathan Robinson, co-founder of The Hub Global. “We have known them for years and are impressed at what they have accomplished at the forefront of a new kind of investing, and at the way they have been able to convene and build strong community.”

MBA Students Integral to United State’s First Hub

Hub Bay Area was designed by a team of architects, Hub Members, IDEO and MBA students at UC Berkeley’s Haas Business School. The space at the David Brower Center features collaborative workspaces, meeting rooms, private phones booths, kitchen and cafe, and lounge areas that reflect the dynamic working needs of its members.

Money, Mobs and Media

Being part of The Hub community includes access to their Innovation Series that will regularly produce interactive events focused on inspiration, aspiration and operation of social change. This summer, before the doors even opened, The Hub presented Money, Mobs, and Media, a panel featuring the founders of Kiva, Virgance, and Change.org. They discussed ways to create and scale community-driven non-profit and for-profit social enterprises.

“We are providing a home, inspiring community and support structure for those who are building solutions for people and planet. By connecting change-makers, sharing resources, and cultivating new ideas, we can massively increase the scale the impact of our collective work,” says Alex Michel, Managing Director of Hub Bay Area. 

The Future of Hub Bay Area

Plans are in place to extend Hub Bay Area to the Mission District in San Francisco in early 2010, and into the South Bay in 2011.

“Bringing the Hub concept to the Bay Area and beyond is a natural extension of what we are already doing,” says Kevin Jones, a founder of both Good Capital and SoCap. “We convene many of the people who are making the social capital market happen in an annual conference, but The Hub is where the rubber meets the road every day of the year.”

Prospective members should e-mail bayareahosts@the-hub.net for more information.

It’s the time of year when prospective students, especially high school juniors and seniors, are taking a serious look at colleges. While a wealth of educational resources is a good thing for students, the choices can be overwhelming. Fortunately there are several tools available to help students and their parents find the right college or university.

US News and World Report 2010 Best Colleges

US News and World Report recently updated its annual Best Colleges ranking and research tool The 2010 Best Colleges interactive search tool allows students to search a database to find the best colleges based on the following criteria:

• public/private
• campus setting
• enrollment
• tuition and fees
• basis for financial aid awards
• test scores
• acceptance rates
• student to faculty ratios by major
• student population stats by gender and ethnicity
• student activities

Click here to access the US News and World Report 2010 Best Colleges ranking.

Forbes America’s Best Colleges

Like the US News and World Reports list, Forbes America’s Best Colleges resource provides an overall best colleges ranking based on many of the same factors. The August 2009 list of best colleges provides an at-a-glance listing of some of the best higher learning in the country.

Click here to access the Forbes America’s Best Colleges ranking.

Top Community Colleges

University’s have their place, but community colleges are also a valuable resource for many students. Washington Monthly’s Top Community Colleges ranking looks beyond the typical mainstream college guide to help students shop for a community college just as they would a larger school. Community colleges represent a significant portion of overall higher, with 43 percent of college freshmen beginning their education at two-year institutions.

Click here to access the Washington Monthly’s Top Community Colleges ranking.

Princton Review’s Best Value Colleges 2009

Few things most of us purchase will be as costly as our college educations. The Princeton Review Best Value Collegesranking helps students find the best school at the best price. The Princeton Review selects schools based on 30 factors in three areas: academics, costs and financial aid. Tuition, room and board, and required fees, as well as book costs and other factors, are included in the financial measurement.

Click here to access the Princeton Review Best Value Colleges ranking.

Best Engineering Colleges

Because so many business students come from the engineering department, it seemed appropriate to include PayScale.com’s Best Engineering Colleges ranking here. Their focus on how much you’ll make after graduation sealed the decision. Their list of best engineering schools is ranked by post-graduate salary potential.

Click here to access the PayScale.com Best Engineering Colleges ranking.

Top Online Colleges

Online colleges are prevalent now and for good reason. Best Online Colleges ranks the Top Online Collegesto help you decipher all the choices. Completing a degree online is possibly the most convenient and expeditious way to further your education while maintaining full time employment. Online degree programs offer flexibility and are quickly being adopted by more and more students who want a learning environment that fits their needs.  

Click here to access the Best Online Colleges ranking.

Hottest Student Bodies

College is very serious business, but it’s supposed to be fun as well. That’s what you’ll find with PopCrunch’s 2009 Hottest Student Bodies ranking. Check out this list if your choice of institution is in part or in whole informed by the quality of girls on campus. (I looked for a similar list of hot guys and couldn’t find it. If you know of one, please speak up!)

Click here to access PopCrunch’s 2009 Hottest Student Bodies ranking.