Applied Learning

Our students learn by doing and interact with real-world leaders.

The Wisconsin School of Business is known for the hands-on experience obtained by our undergraduate and MBA students. Applied projects undertaken on behalf of a wide range of companies, case competitions, site visits and on-campus presentations by business leaders are only a few of the ways our students benefit from applied learning.

International Site Visits

MBA students in marketing research traveled to Beijing and Shanghai to explore how international companies conduct marketing research activities in China. They met with executives from Gillette/Procter & Gamble, McDonald’s, JD Power & Associates, Best Buy and the 2008 Beijing Olympics Committee. Many other international trips over the past year also exposed our students to current international business issues.

In January, the Global Business Program of the Wisconsin MBA offered a 10-day study tour to Dubai, UAE. Students (pictured above) met with senior business executives, governmental leaders, nonprofit directors and educators. A second study trip, also held over winter break, traveled to Chile.

Applied Projects

Over the past year, Wisconsin students participated in scores of applied learning projects with leading corporations. A sampling:

MBA students in our Applied Corporate Finance program complete four to five real-world applied projects for firms by the time they graduate. Recent projects included working with:
- 3M to analyze best practices in Corporate Real Estate (CRE) management.
- Renovar, Inc. to perform a business evaluation.
- Antares International to examine the cost of equity.
MBA students in Entrepreneurial Management developed business plans for their own start-ups, consulted with local growth companies and helped determine commercial opportunities for university-developed research. For Echometrix, a firm launched by UW-Madison biomedical engineering faculty, students helped evaluate market opportunities for a new ultrasound diagnostic tool.

Executives in the Classroom

Wisconsin students benefit from scores of nationally recognized business leaders who regularly come to campus to share their expertise with students.

The Center for Brand and Product Management offers an Applied Learning Curriculum that brings top marketing leaders to campus to help expose its MBA students to important issues in brand and product management. Over the past year, students learned from more than a dozen marketing experts from leading companies, including Kraft Foods, Procter & Gamble, Target, General Mills and Intuit.
The Hawk Center for Applied Security Analysis brings in investment professionals to speak to students on an almost weekly basis. In the spring 2007 semester alone, more than 60 professionals from leading firms, including Bear Stearns, Citigroup, Credit Suisse, Fidelity and Morningstar shared their insights.

Executives Share Their Experience

Dozens of executives from leading firms shared their expertise with students this past year, by speaking in classes, working with student organizations, judging case competitions, providing site visits of their firms and many other interactions.

The M. Keith Weikel Executive Leadership Speaker Series provides the opportunity for Wisconsin MBA students to interact with and learn from successful business leaders in a variety of fields.

2006-2007 Speakers

Steve Bennett, CEO, Intuit
Ted Kellner, Chairman and CEO, Fiduciary Management
Joe Laymon, Group Vice President, Ford Motor Company
Bo Ryan, Wisconsin Badgers Basketball Coach
Paul Shain, CEO, Berbee Information Networks Corp.
M. Keith Weikel, Senior Executive Vice President and COO,
Manor Care (retired)