UPDATE | On Campus
Wisconsin MBA Makes Major Strides
MBA students Nick Rauer, Joanne Jacobson, Nadia Lazaro and Saqib Mustafa.
One year after the introduction of the new Wisconsin MBA program, built around highly focused career specializations, the results are extremely positive.
- Students entering the program this fall have average GMAT scores 27 points higher than in 2002.
- A new assistant dean of MBA programs brings more than 30 years of experience as a Fortune 500 executive to the position.
- The new Wisconsin MBA approach is gaining national attention.
BusinessWeek explored the trend toward specialized MBA degrees in its Sept. 5, 2005 issue and prominently featured the Wisconsin MBA. The BusinessWeek article was the latest in a series of national articles showing Wisconsin leading a national trend toward specialized MBA programs.
The first class of the new Wisconsin MBA will graduate in May 2006, and Dean Michael Knetter anticipates a positive impact on the fundamental indicators of program quality. “We believe our focus on the fundamentals of student quality, faculty quality, program quality and placement outcomes are bearing fruit and will ultimately improve perceptions by recruiters and by the media.”
There already has been good news for the most recent MBA graduates of the School of Business in terms of placement; more than 92 percent of 2005 MBA graduates had jobs within three months after graduation, compared to 82 percent the previous year. Average MBA starting salaries increased to $74,607, compared to $72,740 for the class of 2004.