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The School of Business attracts talented, energetic, creative students who are known for their strong work ethic and technical capabilities. Undergraduate students in the Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) Program experience innovative coursework directed by leading scholars in business. They have opportunities to connect with outstanding alumni for applied learning, mentoring, and general life-experience lessons. Students also enjoy access to an unlimited array of activities, clubs, and life-changing opportunities.
In 1900, UW–Madison established one of the first six commerce programs in the country, beginning as a department in the College of Letters & Science, and receiving separate school status by a 1944 act of the Wisconsin Legislature. The School of Business was a founding member of Beta Gamma Sigma, a national professional business honor society and the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the standard-setting organization for collegiate business education. The School’s undergraduate and graduate programs were reaccredited by the AACSB in 2017.
EXPERIENCE A HIGH-CALIBER UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS EDUCATION
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a world-class university, nationally and internationally recognized for academic excellence, incredible students, and inspiring faculty. As a student in the undergraduate business program, you will have access to the academic and co-curricular resources of the entire university, combined with the personalized experience of being a Business Badger. It’s like having the best of both worlds.
The curriculum for the Wisconsin BBA Program incorporates a foundation in the liberal arts with a business education, including focused coursework in eleven majors. The liberal arts foundation—including courses taken outside of the School of Business—develops your skills in thinking critically, analyzing problems, generating creative solutions, communicating effectively, and working in diverse teams. These are all skills top employers seek when filling positions with strong potential for advancement.
Eleven undergraduate business majors are offered, giving you the specialized knowledge you need to begin a great career. You will graduate with skills gained from top-notch faculty and real-world learning experiences. It all adds up to an educational experience that prepares you for career success. The School of Business also offers a certificate in business, a summer certificate in business fundamentals, a certificate in entrepreneurship, and a capstone certificate in actuarial science. There are also opportunities for further education through our graduate, master’s, and doctoral programs.
THE BUSINESS BADGER EXPERIENCE
The Wisconsin Business Badger Experience is about creating strong foundations and exploring student passions. Business Badgers take part in core experiences and amazing opportunities on their path toward graduation. All our Business Badgers gain academic preparation that applies learning in and out of the classroom building both technical knowledge rooted in business school courses and a broad-based liberal arts education. Our career preparation builds skills that don’t just get students a first job, but build a life-long growth mindset. We staff our own Student Life office which supports over 40 student organizations that are integrated into our leadership framework and corporate partners. Our students develop a leadership style that is grounded in personal integrity, inclusive engagement, and community. Nearly all of our students participate in at least one internship and 40% of our students study abroad. These experiences help students develop intercultural competence that prepare them to be global business leaders. Our network of Wisconsin School of Business Alumni is 40,000 strong—and growing—and fiercely loyal to our students. As students build their Business Badger Experience they are challenged and supported by a team of outstanding faculty and staff. Those faculty and staff teach skills to our students to live the Wisconsin Experience, becoming empathetic, relentlessly curious, intellectual, confident, purposeful business leaders.
THE ACCENTURE LEADERSHIP CENTER
The Accenture Leadership Center (ALC) was one of the first in-house leadership centers at a US business school. Today, it continues to be student-driven and alumni-supported. The center offers a variety of activities, classes, workshops, service opportunities and leadership training events. Wisconsin BBA students graduate with the confidence, self-awareness, and professional skills to lead and inspire others.
SCHOOL OF BUSINESS CLUBS
There are more than 40 student-run clubs associated with the School of Business. These clubs enable students to connect with peers interested in similar majors or career fields. Clubs also have access to funding to help them go to career and industry-related conferences.
PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL FOUNDATIONS IN BUSINESS (GENERAL BUSINESS 110)
Every student admitted to the School of Business takes GEN BUS 110 Personal and Professional Foundations in Business. This 1-credit course helps students explore their leadership style, who they are as individuals, and how they function in team-orientated tasks. The course also provides career foundations such as resume building and introduction of networking at career fairs.
BUSINESS BADGER BADGES: LEADERSHIP PATHWAYS TO SUCCESS
The Business Badger Badge program has been created to identify pathways that combine workshops, experiences, and reflection opportunities designed to provide a deeper level of understanding and practice with certain skills/competencies. By completing specific criteria for each track, students can earn digital badges, which serve as credentials that can be showcased via personal profile, social media, and shared with potential employers as a way to help articulate skills gained from completing specific badge criteria. Our initial badges available are Personal Leadership Style and Group Dynamics. Each Badge has specific learning outcomes criteria. Additionally, we’ve collaborated with the campus leadership office to make sure our program is integrated into the campus leadership certificate as well!
Majors
Accounting
Actuarial Science
Finance, Investment, and Banking
Information Systems
International Business
Management and Human Resources
Marketing
Operations and Technology Management
Real Estate
Risk Management and Insurance
Supply Chain Management
Unlike other universities, you can double major at Wisconsin and still graduate in four years. You can even earn a major in the College of Letters in Science to complement your business degree. Our team of academic advisors will help you pursue your passions and map out your course plan.
During the 2019-2020 academic year, University of Wisconsin – Madison handed out 1502 bachelor’s degrees in business, management and marketing. Due to this, the school was ranked #49 in popularity out of all colleges and universities that offer this degree. This is an increase of 12% over the previous year when 1,340 degrees were handed out.
In 2020, 299 students received their master’s degree in business, management and marketing from UW – Madison. This makes it the #179 most popular school for business, management and marketing master’s degree candidates in the country.
In addition, 9 students received their doctoral degrees in business, management and marketing in 2020, making the school the #103 most popular school in the United States for this category of students.
Business, Management and Marketing students may decide to major in one of the following focus areas. Individual majors may not be available for all degree levels.
For the most recent academic year available, 53% of business, management and marketing bachelor’s degrees went to men and 47% went to women.
The majority of bachelor’s degree recipients in this major at UW – Madison are white. In the most recent graduating class for which data is available, 80% of students fell into this category.
The following table and chart show the ethnic background for students who recently graduated from University of Wisconsin – Madison with a bachelor’s in business, management and marketing.
| Ethnic Background | Number of Students |
|---|---|
| Asian | 72 |
| Black or African American | 14 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 44 |
| White | 1,197 |
| Non-Resident Aliens | 115 |
| Other Races | 60 |
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