The Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University is located in Houston, Texas, the fourth-largest city in the U.S. and home to more Fortune 500 companies than any other city besides New York. Students are immersed in the Action Learning Project after their first year of study, which allows teams of students to examine a company’s processes and give recommendations to improve practices. The Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship promotes the creation of more Houston-based businesses. A partnership between the schools of business, engineering and natural sciences, the alliance has launched over 250 startups since 2000. The school also hosts a massive business plan competition, which offers prizes totaling $1.3 million. One of the top hiring firms for Jones grads is Ernst & Young, whose former CEO James Turley is a Rice alum.