The thousands of wait-listed would-be MBAs who may not get the chance to go to their dream B-school might want to draw inspiration from the following group of CEOs. Not only did they not get graduate degrees, they didn't get undergraduate degrees -- and some never even attended college. Of course, not having a degree didn't stop them from being a big name on campus. You'll find Alfred Taubman's name at Brown, Harvard, the University of Michigan, and Lawrence Technological University; at least one building on each campus bears his name, although the retail magnate and philanthropist never finished college. Read on to learn who else made it into corporate top spots without the benefit of a bachelor's degree.
1. Dennis Albaugh
Chairman, AlbaughType of Business: PesticidesEducation: Associate's degree from Des Moines Area Community CollegeFun fact: He has a collection of more than 100 classic Chevrolets
2. Paul Allen
Founder and chairman, VulcanType of Business: Media, telecommunicationsEducation: Dropped out of Washington State College after two yearsFun fact: He persuaded Bill Gates to drop out of Harvard. They later founded Microsoft (MSFT) together.
3. Richard Branson
CEO, Virgin GroupType of Business: Travel, radio, TV, music, venture capitalEducation: No college degreeFun fact: He became an entrepreneur at age 16 with the creation of Student magazine.
4. Maverick Carter
CEO, LRMR Innovative Marketing & BrandingType of Business: MarketingEducation: 3.5 years of college at Western Michigan University and University of Akron combinedQuote: "Don't be afraid if you see an opportunity to go and give it shot. You can finish school later; it's always there."
5. John Paul DeJoria
CEO, John Paul Mitchell SystemsType of Business: Hair-care productsEducation: No collegeFun fact: He started out selling greeting cards at age 9.
6. Michael Dell
Founder, chairman, and CEO Dell (DELL)Type of Business: ComputersEducation: Attended University of Texas, Austin; did not finish.Quote: "When I started our company, it was very much an idea outside of the conventional wisdom, and if there were people telling me that it wasn't going to work, I wasn't really listening to them."
7. Felix Dennis
Founder and chairman, Alpha Media Group, formerly Dennis PublishingType of Business: Publishing (Maxim, The Week)Education: No college degreeFun fact: He wrote a biography and published a magazine about Bruce Lee; sales surged when the martial arts star died suddenly in 1973.
8. Barry Diller
Chairman and CEO of IAC/InterActiveCorp (IACI)Type of Business: MediaEducation: Dropped out of UCLA after three weeksFun fact: He started his career working in the mail room of the William Morris Agency.
9. Bill Gates
Co-chair and Trustee, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Chairman, Microsoft (MSFT)Type of Business: Philanthropy. Software.Education: Dropped out of HarvardFun fact: As a schoolboy, he created a program that allowed people to play tic-tac-toe on the computer.
10. Mukesh "Micky" Jagtiani
Chairman, Landmark International (Dubai)Type of Business: RetailingEducation: No college degreeFun fact: The billionaire mall developer flunked out of a London accounting school as a teenager and worked as a taxi driver before becoming an entrepreneur.
11. Dean Kamen
Founder and chairman, SegwayType of Business: Motor vehiclesEducation: Dropped out of Worcester Polytechnic InstituteFun fact: Kamen founded FIRST, a robotics competition for high school students.
12. David Oreck
Founder, OreckType of Business: Vacuum cleanersEducation: No college. At 17, enlisted in the army, and flew B-29 bombers during World War IIQuote: "Things are never as bad as they seem to the pessimist and never as good as they seem to the optimist."
13. Amancio Ortega Gaona
President, Inditex GroupType of Business: Fashion retailing (Zara, Kiddy Class, others). (A Coruna, Spain)Education: No collegeFun fact: Often cited as the richest man in Spain, he reportedly has never given any media interviews
14. Phillip Ruffin
Owner, Treasure IslandType of Business: CasinosEducation: Attended Washburn University for three years and Wichita State University but never got his degree.Quote: "You get the most experience from the business of life."
15. Alfred Taubman
Founder, Taubman Centers (TCO). PhilanthropistType of Business: Shopping mallsEducation: Attended the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor for three years but left to start a family and his careerQuote: "Become an expert in one fundamental area of your market or business. No one starts out as a generalist."
16. Ty Warner
Founder, Ty, Inc.Type of Business: Toys (stuffed animals)Education: Dropped out of college to pursue a career in acting. Later founded Ty Inc.Fun fact: The plush animals his company manufactured retailed for only $5 in the 1990s, but Beanie Baby-mania drove prices up to $30 or more for the hard-to-get characters.
President, Inditex GroupType of Business: Fashion retailing (Zara, Kiddy Class, others). (A Coruna, Spain)Education: No collegeFun fact: Often cited as the richest man in Spain, he reportedly has never given any media interviews
14. Phillip Ruffin
Owner, Treasure IslandType of Business: CasinosEducation: Attended Washburn University for three years and Wichita State University but never got his degree.Quote: "You get the most experience from the business of life."
15. Alfred Taubman
Founder, Taubman Centers (TCO). PhilanthropistType of Business: Shopping mallsEducation: Attended the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor for three years but left to start a family and his careerQuote: "Become an expert in one fundamental area of your market or business. No one starts out as a generalist."
16. Ty Warner
Founder, Ty, Inc.Type of Business: Toys (stuffed animals)Education: Dropped out of college to pursue a career in acting. Later founded Ty Inc.Fun fact: The plush animals his company manufactured retailed for only $5 in the 1990s, but Beanie Baby-mania drove prices up to $30 or more for the hard-to-get characters.
/by Rebecca Reisner
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