Wisconsin School Of Business

Key Takeaways

• Wisconsin School of Business emphasizes applied learning in real business situations.
• Its MBA is often ranked among the top 40 in the U.S.
• Tuition costs $21,166 for in-state residents and $42,704 for non-residents.
• Nearly 90% of graduates have job offers within three months of graduation.
• The school ranks highly for MBA program return on investment.
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What Is Wisconsin School of Business?

Wisconsin School of Business is the business school of the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Founded in 1900, the school offers both undergraduate and graduate programs. It's known for its emphasis on applied learning, with coursework often incorporating problems drawn directly from real business situations. Its Master of Business Administration (MBA) is regularly ranked among the top 40 in the United States.

Financial benefits of attending the school include such its strong return on investment for MBA students, and those students are particularly grateful. A group of Wisconsin School of Business alumni donated $85 million to their alma mater in 2007 in exchange for a promise that the school would not be renamed for 20 years. Many business schools are renamed after their wealthy donors.

The Unique Approach of Wisconsin School of Business

Unlike schools that rely on naming gifts from wealthy donors, the Wisconsin School of Business has taken a different path. In 2007, a group of 13 alumni donated $85 million to their alma mater in exchange for a promise that the school could not be renamed for 20 years. As such, the school remains the Wisconsin School of Business, whereas many other business schools are named after their wealthy donors.

In the Fall of 2020, the Wisconsin School of Business enrolled 3,300 undergrads. Top majors included finance and investment banking; marketing; real estate and urban land economics; and management and human resources. There were 96 students enrolled in the full-time MBA 2022 graduating class. Eighty percent of MBA candidates scored between 610 and 700 on the GMAT.

In 2019, U.S. News & World Report ranked the school's undergraduate business program as No. 7 among public schools and No. 15 overall. The school also is a top producer of chief executive officers at Fortune 500 companies.

The Wisconsin School of Business offers a number of MBA and postgraduate programs. The full-time MBA program (which includes a summer internship) takes 21 months to complete. The school offers virtual and weekend classes for working professionals, for an MBA that can be completed in two to five years. Its Executive MBA program is held on weekends every fortnight and includes a 10-day trip abroad.

Success Stories from Wisconsin School of Business Graduates

For 2019, Forbes ranked the full-time MBA program at the Wisconsin School of Business as No. 35 in the U.S. U.S. News & World Report and Businessweek ranked it No. 37, while The Economist gave it similar marks.

Tuition, fees and expenses cost $21,166 per year for in-state residents and $42,704 annually for non-residents. The relatively lower tuition costs helped earn the school the No. 1 spot for MBA programs in terms of return on investment as ranked by U.S. News & World Report in 2018.

Recent graduates reported a starting salary of nearly $108,000 per year, while the average signing bonus was $24,700. Almost 90% of students had secured job offers within three months of graduation. Graduates have taken jobs in real estate, risk management and insurance, supply chain management, brand and product management, among other fields.