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Curriculum

Our MBA program is designed around career specializations— as opposed to more general academic majors—because it gives our graduates greater expertise and more value to the firms that ultimately employ them.

Focus and ExperienceProgram OverviewCurriculum

The Wisconsin MBA Experience
 Participate in a seven-day orientation to get off to the right start.
 
YEAR ONE CURRICULUM
First Semester Second Semester
  • Accounting
  • Financial Management
  • Marketing Management
  • Data Analysis and
    Decision Making
  • Communications
  • Career Specialization
  • Operations Management
  • Managing Behavior in
    Organizations
  • Business Ethics
  • Economics for Managers
  • Career Specialization
  • Career Specialization
SUMMER INTERNSHIP
 Apply your skills in a real-world setting.
 
YEAR TWO CURRICULUM
First Semester Second Semester
  • Strategy
  • Career Specialization
  • Career Specialization
  • Career Specialization
  • Career Specialization
  • Career Specialization
  • Career Specialization
  • Career Specialization
  • Career Specialization
 

THE WISCONSIN MBA EXPERIENCE

The seven-day Wisconsin MBA Experience can’t be missed (and we mean that literally). As an entering student, you will find the Wisconsin MBA Experience provides an opportunity to get acclimated to the program through a series of interactive sessions. Another goal of the Wisconsin MBA Experience is to sharpen your skills in several important areas, such as business communication, strategy and teamwork. Optional sessions on mathematics will better position you for a successful start to your program.

The Wisconsin MBA Experience will also provide you the time and opportunity to meet your classmates through in-class activities, social events, and team-building exercises. Your classmates will be a wonderful part of your two years at UW-Madison. Important professional networks will form these two years, as will many strong and life-long friendships. The Wisconsin MBA Experience is where it all begins.

General Business Core

In the first semester, our general business core delivers a coordinated, integrated perspective on key functional areas of business. The second semester addresses fundamental management principles, stressing application of these principles to functional areas. A course in strategy provides important breadth to business decision making and is positioned in the second year of the program because of its integrative and capstone nature. The result is a solid business foundation that will be critical for success in your specialization and in your career.

Career Specialization

Your reason for coming to Wisconsin is to focus on your chosen career specialization. Specialized preparation begins the first year of the program and is the primary focus the second year. Together with others who have chosen your specialization, you will be immersed in the study of your field and develop an in-depth expertise. Your curriculum is designed specifically for your area, builds in a coherent fashion over the two years, and offers many applied projects.