The Wisconsin School of Business full-time MBA program has been ranked 17th worldwide and 15th in the U.S. in the 2009-2010 Beyond Grey Pinstripes list of top 100 business schools for environmental, social and ethical management education. The Wisconsin MBA ranks 5th among U.S. public business programs and second in the Big Ten.

The survey is conducted bi-annually by the Aspen Institute’s Center for Business Education, and is the only global ranking that evaluates MBA programs for their efforts to prepare students for the new business realities demanding social and environmental stewardship. In 2007, the Wisconsin MBA ranked 33rd in the world, and 24th in the U.S.

 To view the complete “Global 100” list of business school rankings, visit:

“We take seriously our charge of preparing students with the fundamentals to be high-achieving and responsible future leaders,” said Mike Knetter, Albert O. Nicholas Dean of the Wisconsin School of Business. “If we are to be successful in this endeavor, we believe that students must understand how environmental and values-based leadership is integral to the long-term success of any business.”  

The Aspen Institute goes worldwide in its search for the top performing business schools and goes beyond the standard criteria for ranking business schools by including how well schools prepare their business students for the environmental, social and ethical complexities of modern-day business. This year, 149 business schools from 24 countries participated in the survey and 100 programs were ranked.

Wisconsin was recognized for its dedication to integrating the concept of sustainability into existing courses, and developing new courses and programs that specifically address this issue.

One of the most important recent additions to the Wisconsin School of Business is a graduate Certificate in Business, Environment and Social Responsibility in conjunction with UW-Madison’s Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies. The certificate is designed to provide knowledge and skills to strategically apply business principles to environmental and social challenges, and to prepare students to systematically integrate sustainability issues into day-to-day management decision making.

Inside the classroom, students find social and environmental responsibility woven throughout the Wisconsin MBA curriculum. Students are required to take an ethics course in their first year. Other sustainability-focused courses include Business and the Social Side of Sustainability, Triple Bottom Line Accounting and Environmental Strategy and Sustainability. Each of the 10 MBA career specializations has a rarified curriculum and a unique way of addressing corporate social responsibility. For example, Real Estate MBA students benefit from classes and conferences in green and sustainable development. Students in the Risk Management and Insurance specialization conduct various sustainability risk management projects with outside firms to identify key risks that organizations face, including reputational risks.

Outside the classroom, students participate in the annual G. Steven Burrill Business Plan Competition, which now includes a $1,000 Nelson Institute Green Entrepreneurial Venture Recognition award for the best green venture.

The school has also taken into consideration its surrounding environment. The $40.5 million, four-story addition to Grainger Hall  that opened in 2008—home to the Wisconsin MBA—was built to meet or exceed LEED standards for green building.

Entrepreneurship programs at the Wisconsin School of Business rank among the best in the nation, according to a recently published survey conducted by the Princeton Review and Entrepreneur Magazine.

The Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship at Wisconsin ranks 11th on a list of “Top 25 Entrepreneurial Graduate Programs in the U.S.”, up from 13th last year. Wisconsin’s undergraduate entrepreneurship program ranks 16th in the magazine’s ranking of “Top 25 Entrepreneurial Undergraduate Programs in the U.S.” This is the first year that both graduate and undergraduate programs at the Wisconsin School of Business made the Top 25. To view a full version of the ranking, click here.   

“Wisconsin is committed to being a vital partner in the success of individuals and companies across the state and the world, and is dedicated to making our research discoveries relevant to the commercial world,” said Michael Knetter, Albert O. Nicholas Dean of the Wisconsin School of Business. “Our business school is focused on bringing undergraduate and graduate students from across campus in close contact with local companies and start-ups, and helping to create opportunities for new ideas and technology to drive the future.”

Now in its seventh year, the Princeton Review/Entrepreneur Magazine rankings are based on a survey of entrepreneurship programs at more than 2,300 undergraduate and graduate schools for the period from December 2008 through June 2009. 

As part of the survey, schools were asked to answer questions relating to three basic areas: Academics & Requirements, Students & Faculty and Outside the Classroom. The questions were refined and the results validated with the help of an advisory board comprised of professionals in the area of entrepreneurship education.

The Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship was established in 1986 and provides a variety of programs and services relating to entrepreneurial management and development. At the graduate level, if offers a career specialization in Entrepreneurial Management in the school’s full-time Wisconsin MBA  program. In January 2009, the Weinert Center was recognized as the “National Model MBA Entrepreneurship Program” by the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE).

“We combine classroom learning with a hands-on applied component,” Dan Olszewski, director of the Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship, told Entrepreneur magazine. “We understand the importance of entrepreneurship in helping us to continue to grow as a country and region.”

The Weinert Center and the Initiative for Studies in Transformational Entrepreneurship (INSITE) together work to bring students and researchers from across UW-Madison together to explore potential commercialization of technological opportunities. Every year, students from all disciplines on campus are exposed to the field of entrepreneurship through varies programs in new venture creation, financing new ventures, strategic management of technology, legal and regulatory influences on innovation and venture creation and related policy issues. UW-Madison is a recipient of a prestigious $5 million Kauffman Foundation grant to further expand entrepreneurship on campus.

The latest U.S. News and World Report ranking of U.S. undergraduate business programs places the Wisconsin School of Business 13th overall among business schools, the same as last year. Wisconsin ranks 7th among public institutions and second among Big Ten business schools.

Two programs within the Wisconsin School of Business retain their rankings within the magazine’s top-five list of specialties. The Real Estate program again ranks second in the nation and the Risk Management and Insurance program ranks third. In the same issue, the Marketing program ranks 7th, the Accounting program again ranks 16th, and the Finance program ranks 21st.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison as a whole ranks 39th in the U.S., ninth among public universities, and tied for 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. A total of 42 percent of those surveyed responded. Specialty areas are ranked based on the number of nominations received from respondents.

“Based on internal measurements, the school continues to make strides on key fundamentals,” says Michael Knetter, Albert O. Nicholas Dean of the Wisconsin School of Business.  “Some exciting new changes to our program are currently underway. This academic year, we welcome our first sophomores into the program. This move will allow our students more time and better opportunities to study abroad and find internships. Enhancements to our curriculum will help students develop enhanced communication and critical thinking skills.”

Wisconsin’s undergraduate program has been ranked among top programs in the U.S. by U.S. News & World Report ever since the magazine began ranking undergraduate business programs in 1996.

The Financial Times has released its annual rankings of the world’s top executive education providers. The Wisconsin School of Business for the fifth consecutive year made the list of top providers, ranking 14th in the U.S. and 27th in the world in the publication’s combined ranking. Last year, the school ranked 13th in the U.S. and 23rd in the world.

For custom executive education programs, Wisconsin ranks 8th among U.S. schools for the second consecutive year (tied with Chicago Booth) and 19th in the world. Last year, it was ranked 15th in the world. In custom programs, Wisconsin ranks first in facilities and level of follow-up once participants return to the workplace. Wisconsin ranks sixth in overall value, program design and quality of faculty.

For open enrollment programs, Wisconsin Executive Education ranks 15th among the top providers in the U.S. and 29th in the world. Last year, it ranked 14th among the top providers in the U.S. and 30th in the world. Open enrollment programs rank 8th in quality of food and accommodation.

See complete results here:

The Financial Times rankings are based on feedback from course participants and a survey of business schools. The methodology includes data provided by the schools and a survey of more than 5,000 senior and general management course participants. This year, 55 schools participated in the open-enrollment category and 65 in the customized category. The ranking is based on 16 categories that include course design, faculty, teaching materials, facilities, program follow-up and quality of participants, among others.

The full-time MBA program of the Wisconsin School of Business is ranked 28th among all business schools in the United States in the latest U.S. News and World Report ranking, the program’s highest-ever ranking in the publication. Last year, the program ranked 29th. Both this year and last year, the Wisconsin MBA ranked 11th among public universities. 

The magazine also releases rankings of program specialties, based solely on ratings by peer business schools. The marketing department of the Wisconsin School of Business, which offers three marketing related specializations, brand and product management, marketing research and supply chain management – was ranked 22nd. Additionally, U.S. News has a ranking specifically for supply chain management programs. Wisconsin’s supply chain management program, which is run by the Grainger Center for Supply Chain Management, is ranked   15th this year, up from 18th last year. 

The latest U.S. News ranking programs surveyed the class of students entering in 2006 and graduating in 2008. The graduating class of 2008 was the third class of students to graduate from new career-specialization model Wisconsin MBA. 

U.S. News bases its rankings on data furnished by schools, recruiters, deans and MBA program directors across a broad range of indicators. 

·      Placement success for the class graduating in spring 2008, a composite of starting salary, employment rates at graduation and three months later. 

·      Student selectivity for the class entering in fall 2008, a composite of mean score on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), mean GPA and proportion of applicants accepted by the school. 

·      Survey of corporate recruiters.

 ·      Survey of business school deans and MBA program directors.

 The Wisconsin School of Business continues to see progress in many indicators of fundamental quality based on internal measurements: 

·      Average GMAT score is 666 for the fall 2008 entering class, compared to 656 for students who enrolled in 2007. 

·      Average work experience rose from 46 months among the 2007 entering class, to 52 months among the 2008 entering class. 

·      In an internal survey, overall satisfaction with the quality of program  among May 2008 graduates of the Wisconsin MBA was 96 percent, compared to 85 percent satisfaction among May 2007 graduates.

 ·      Career placement for May 2008 graduates was 94 percent within three months of graduation, with a median salary of $90,000 plus a $15,000 sign-on bonus. 

·      The class of 2007 had 96 percent placement, with a median salary of $85,000, plus a $15,000 sign-on bonus.

To view the entire U.S. News report, visit 

U.S. News & World Report for the second consecutive year has ranked the full-time MBA program of the Wisconsin School of Business 29th among all business schools in the United States, maintaining its highest ranking in that publication on record. [Read more]

The University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business is ranked 53rd among all business schools in the United States in the newly released Financial Times rankings for full-time MBA programs. The school was ranked 57th in 2007. The Financial Times ranking also included “Top Ten” rankings of individual programs. The marketing program of the Wisconsin School of Business was ranked seventh in the category of “Top 10 Best in Marketing.” [Read more]

The University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business is ranked among the world’s top schools for leadership in integrating social and environmental issues into its MBA offerings, according to the Aspen Institute’s 2007-2008 edition of Beyond Grey Pinstripes, a biennial survey and alternative ranking of business schools. The school was ranked 33rd in the world, and 24th in the U.S. In 2005, Wisconsin ranked 28th in world and 16th in the U.S. The School of Business maintains its ranking of second among Big Ten schools. [Read more]

The University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business is ranked 48th among all business schools in the world by the Economist Intelligence Unit’s annual MBA ranking. The school advances 12 places from a ranking of 60th in 2006. The School of Business is ranked 26th among schools in the United States and fifth among Big Ten schools. [Read more]

The Wisconsin MBA program of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business was ranked 32nd in the regional category in this year’s Wall Street Journal/Harris Interactive ranking of MBA programs. The program dropped slightly from 25th place in 2006, it ranked 33rd in 2004 and 34th in 2005. [Read more]

The latest U.S. News & World Report ranking of undergraduate business programs places the University of Wisconsin-Madison 12th overall among business schools in the U.S., up one spot from 13th place last year and 7th among public doctoral-granting institutions. [Read more]