Wisconsin School of Business


The Wisconsin School of Business is the business school of University of Wisconsin–Madison, located in Grainger Hall. Founded in 1900, it has more than 35,000 alumni. The undergraduate program prepares students for business careers, while its Master of Business Administration program is based on focused career specializations, and its PhD program prepares students for careers in academia. The school offers student services, such as Undergraduate Advising Services, The Business Career Center, and International Programs. In the 2019 U.S. News & World Report rankings, the Wisconsin School of Business's undergraduate program was ranked 18th overall among business schools.

School name

In 2005 the Wisconsin School of Business Dean Michael Knetter began approaching alumni with the idea for the naming grant. He asked them to donate $5 million each in the interest of maintaining the school's name as the Wisconsin School of Business for the next 20 years. On October 27, 2007 the Wisconsin School of Business announced the receipt of an $85 million naming gift. A group of 13 alumni known as the "Wisconsin Naming Partnership" donated a minimum of $5 million each. Usually a school changes its name after receiving a large donation from a single donor or a small group. The agreement made with the Wisconsin Naming Partnership was that the business school would keep its name for the next 20 years, after which the school could change its name if it received another sufficient donation.

Rankings

In the 2011 U.S. News & World Report rankings, the Wisconsin School of Business's undergraduate program was ranked 13th overall among business schools, 7th among public institutions, and third among Big Ten business schools. Both the real estate and risk management programs retained their previous rankings as second and fourth in the nation, respectively. The school's marketing program was ranked ninth, with quantitative analysis, finance, accounting, and management programs all ranking in the top 20 nationally. The school's MBA program was ranked 29th. The Financial Times ranked Wisconsin's Executive Education programs 14th in the U.S. and 28th in the world. Business Week ranked the Wisconsin MBA 4th fastest in the U.S. for the return on investment. In 2009, Business Week ranked the Wisconsin MBA finance specializations 26th in the nation. "Aspen Institute" created a list of the top 100 business schools for environmental, social, and ethical management education called the Beyond Grey Pinstripes list, in which The Wisconsin MBA was ranked 17th worldwide and 15th in the U.S.
The University of Wisconsin–Madison as a whole was ranked 35th in the U.S., seventh among public universities, and third among Big Ten schools. The rankings are based solely on the judgments of deans and senior faculty who responded to an invitation to nominate peer institutions on a scale of 1 to 5. A total of 38 percent of those surveyed responded. Specialty areas were ranked based on the number of nominations received from respondents.

Admissions

The Wisconsin School of Business accepts most of its students through either direct admission from high school or the pre-business route, where students apply the spring of their freshman year. The BBA program has approximately 2,500 students. The Spring 2015 semester had admission rates of 57% for students applying under the pre-business standards.
The MBA application process does not involve GMAT test scores, which only need to be submitted for formality after a student is offered admission. The full-time Wisconsin MBA is designed around career specializations, instead of general academic majors, and many of the specializations are linked to a Center of Expertise. Applicants to the program apply for admission to these specializations in order to be admitted to the Wisconsin School of Business.

Student life

The Wisconsin Undergraduate Business Council represents the interests of students through a Student Senate and student outreach events throughout the year. There are over 45 student organizations, business fraternities, and five student committees. There are student organizations for each of the 10 majors, as well as organizations for other student interests, such as investment banking and socially responsible business. Diverse interests are represented through the Multicultural Business Student Organization, Women in Business, Asian Business and Economic Student Association, and the National Association of Black Accountants.
Students can participate in over 30 study abroad opportunities, as well as student-run workshops by the Accenture Leadership Center.

Degree programs

The Wisconsin School of Business offers over several majors for students interested in business, including: Accounting, Actuarial Science, Finance, Investment, and Banking, Information Systems, International Business, Management and Human Resources, Marketing, Operations and Technology Management, Real Estate, and Risk Management and Insurance.

Non-degree programs

The UW-Madison Executive Education program offers over 70 open enrollment courses in a variety of business and financial topics. In 2009, Executive Education introduced the Professional Development Certificate and the Master Practitioner designation.

Notable alumni