Undergraduate Program
We aim to prepare our students to be leaders and lifelong learners.
Student demand for business education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison continues to be very strong. In 2006-2007, the Wisconsin School of Business accepted approximately one-half of its applicants to the undergraduate program. Admitted students continue to have exceptional academic achievements.
The job market is extremely robust for graduates of our program. The average salary for a student graduating this past academic year was more than $48,000. Last year, we had more than 500 organizations recruiting our students.
National media continue to rank our undergraduate program in business as one of the premier programs in the country. This past year, U.S. News and World Report ranked the program 12th in the nation, BusinessWeek’s ranking was 28th, ninth best among public schools.
Major initiatives during the past year:
• In April, undergraduate students overwhelmingly supported, and the UW Board of Regents approved, differential tuition for undergraduate business students at UW-Madison. Beginning in fall 2007, undergraduate business majors pay an additional $500 per semester and Certificate in Business students pay $150 more per semester. A significant portion of the new revenues, 25%, will go toward need-based financial aid, to help keep the program affordable. The remaining funding will be used to maintain the program’s high quality, allowing the business school to attract and retain quality faculty members and hire additional staff to support student recruiting, academic advising and career preparation missions. The resources will also allow us to grow our popular Certificate in Business program for non-business majors.
• The Accenture Leadership Center was launched in fall 2006 to offer a unique laboratory atmosphere in which undergraduate business students can practice leadership principles through hands-on learning activities and team projects. More than 250 students participated in the center’s inaugural year.
• The Undergraduate Program spent much of the past year ironing out details of a transition to sophomore admissions beginning fall 2009. (Currently, students are admitted as juniors.) Admissions criteria and changes to curriculum are being developed. Earlier admission will allow for better career preparation and more opportunities for an international experience. The change to sophomore admissions was moved from fall 2008 to fall 2009 to ensure the process is as seamless as possible for students and planning for the transition is ongoing.
Undergraduate Profile (Juniors and Seniors) |
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| 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | |
| Enrollment | 1,282 | 1,271 | 1,298 | 1,362 |
| Women | 42% | 38.8% | 38.3% | 39.9% |
| Minority | 3% | 2.6% | 3.7% | 4.4% |
| International | 7.4% | 6.6% | 6.5% | 6.1% |
| Program Rankings |
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| 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2003 | |
| U.S. News & World Report | 14 | 12 | 13 | 12 |
| *BusinessWeek | 27 | 28 | ||
*BusinessWeek began ranking undergraduate programs in 2006. |
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Employment Report for Undergraduate Students
A recovering national economy was reflected in enhanced job prospects for new graduates. At graduation, the Business Career Center (BCC) of the School of Business reported that the average BBA starting salary was up almost 4.5% over the previous year, signing bonuses also increased and the percentage of students receiving signing bonuses rose from 39% to 47%.
| 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | |
| Base Salary for Full-time Positions |
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| Average | $41,159 | $44,255 | $45,769 | $48,252 |
| Signing Bonus | ||||
| % who received | 34% | 39% | 47% | 51% |
| Average | $3,279 | $3,888 | $4,077 | $4,444 |
Tuition (Per year as of fall 2006) |
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| Resident | $6,730 |
| Non-Resident | $20,730 |
Job Acceptance |
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| Figures are as of Oct. 1, 2006 for undergraduate students who graduated in August/December 2005 and May/August 2006. | |||||||||
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