UNDERGRADUATE Profiles Publish Date 2/26/09

University of Wisconsin-Madison

School of Business

Getting In

PROGRAM BASICS

Wisconsin School of Business at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

975 University Avenue
3290 Grainger Hall
Madison , Wisconsin 53706

Public Institution

Web site

http://www.bus.wisc.edu/undergraduate/

Program e-mail address:

undergraduate@bus.wisc.edu

Program telephone number:

(608) 265-3771

AACSB accredited:

Yes

Year in which the undergraduate business program was founded:

1944

Length of entire institution:

Four Year

Business program length:

Two Year

Degrees offered:

Degree/Program Name:
BBA/Bachelor of Business Administration

PROGRAM COSTS

Annual Tuition (Resident):

$ 7,678

Annual Tuition (Non-Resident)

$ 21,928

Cost per academic credit (resident)

$ 256

Cost per academic credit (non-resident)

$ 731

Required fees

$ 890

Books:

$ 990

Room and board:

$ 7,700

ENROLLMENT

Full-time undergraduate business student enrollment:

1,252

Part-time undergraduate business student enrollment:

155

Total College enrollment for 2008-09:

42,030

ADMISSIONS

Minimum SAT score for entire college on 1600 scale:

N/A

Minimum ACT score for entire college:

N/A

Minimum high school GPA for entire college:

N/A

Interviews for entire college:

Not offered

Additional application requirements for entire college:

Applicants must submit official secondary and post-secondary transcripts for all institutions attended. International transcripts must be in the original language accompanied by an official English translation.

Upcoming application deadlines for entire college:

Semester: Fall 2009
Deadline: 02-01-2009
Semester: Spring 2010
Deadline: 10-1-2009
Semester: Summer 2010
Deadline: 02-1-2010

Freshmen admitted into business program:

Percentage of business students admitted as freshmen:

0 %

Are the freshman admits to the business program required to complete pre-business courses before beginning upper-lever courses in the junior year?

Internal transfers handled by:

Separate application

Minimum requirements for business program:

Minimum SAT score: N/A
Minimum ACT score: N/A
Minimum high school GPA : N/A

Entrance exam requirement other than SAT/ACT for business program:

Interview to enter business program:

Not offered

Additional application requirements for freshman admits:

N/A

Minimum college GPA for internal business program transfers:

N/A

Additional requirements for internal transfers:

Students must complete collection of pre-business courses; Essay required with application

Total number of full-time applications for entire college:

25,478

International applicants, entire college, 2008-09:

11 %

Female applicants, entire college, 2008-09:

52 %

Selectivity--applicants admitted to undergraduate business program, 2008-09:

53 %

Yield -- applicants enrolled in undergraduate business program, 2008-09:

43 %

Relative Importance of Application Elements:

Secondary School Record:

Very Important

Class Rank:

Very Important

Talent/Ability:

Important

Interview:

Not Considered

Extracurricular Activities:

Important

Volunteer Work:

Important

Character/Personal Abilities:

Important

Application Essay:

Very Important

Work Experience:

Important

SAT/ACT Scores:

Very Important

Recommendations:

Important

High School GPA:

Very Important

Admissions program managed by:

The business program office

Total undergraduate business program applicants, 2008-09:

1,274

Applicants enrolled in undergrad business program 2008-2009:

95 %

Applicants admitted to undergraduate business program, 2008-09:

47 %

CLASS PROFILE

Class Profile:

Female: 39 %
International : 12 %

Entering students by age:

Mean: 20
Median: 20

Citizenship of Entering Students

U.S.: 88 %
Other countries: 12 %

Percentage of US citizens in entering class who are:

African American: 1 %
Asian American: 6 %
Hispanic or Latino American: 3 %
Native American: 1 %
White (Non-Hispanic): 87 %
Chose not to report: 2 %

Entering students from the following region:

Northeast: 4 %
Mid-Atlantic: 2 %
South: 0 %
Southwest: 0 %
Midwest : 92 %
West: 2 %
Possessions and territories: 0 %

SAT Scores for full-time entering business students on 1600 scale:

Mean: 1293
Median: 1290

SAT middle 50% range on 1600 scale:

From: 1,190
To: 1,340

ACT Scores for full-time entering business students:

Mean: 28
Median: 28

ACT middle 50% range:

From: 26
To: 30

Percent of Students Who Were In:

Top 10% of high school class

66 %

Top 25% of high school class:

94 %

FINANCIAL AID

Financial aid handled by:

Central financial aid office at the university

Institutional scholarship money distributed to undergraduate business students in previous academic year:

$ 450,000

Institutional scholarship money to be distributed to undergraduate business students in current academic year:

$ 450,000

Scholarships awarded to students in the business program based on:

A combination of need and merit

Scholarship consideration process:

Unique scholarship application

Other scholarship considerations:

N/A

Students receiving institutional scholarships for 2008-09 academic year:

25 %

Undergraduate business students with full-tuition scholarships 2008-09:

5 %

Percentage of institutional scholarship money distributed to business students based on merit, 2008-09 year:

20 %

Percentage of institutional scholarship money distributed to business students based on need, 2008-09:

80 %

School offers guaranteed loans:

Financial aid web site

http://www.finaid.wisc.edu

Academics & Lifestyle

PROGRAM BASICS

Business students who graduate within four years:

67 %

Business students who graduate within 6 years:

99 %

Freshman retention rate:

94 %

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

Credit hours required for graduation:

Degree: BBA
Hours: 120

Other degree requirements:

N/A

ACADEMICS

Average class size in required business courses:

Average class size in business electives:

Average class size in non-business electives required for admission to business program:

185

Class size:

Classes with fewer than 20 students: 13 %
Classes with 21 to 50 students: 66 %
Classes with more than 50 students: 21 %

Required business courses that reached maximum enrollment by the first day of class, previous academic year:

73 %

CURRICULUM

Number of elective courses available in business program:

146

Electives added current year:

General Business 601 - Systems Thinking & Sustainable Business
Marketing 440 - Emerging Issues in New Product Development
Real Estate 520 - Community Economic Analysis

Year of the last major change to the business program's core curriculum:

2009

Leading areas of study:

Accounting

Actuarial Science

Finance

Marketing

Real Estate

Special programs for business students:

1) G. Steven Burrill Competition - This competition promotes innovative, technological entrepreneurial activities and gives students the opportunity to develop and present their business plans. Several teams have leveraged the knowledge, experience and exposure gained from the competition to form successful new business ventures. The competition is named for G. Steven Burrill, CEO of Burrill & Company in San Francisco, CA, because of his ongoing support of student entrepreneurship. (2) Student Business Incubator - This new facility opened in January 2009 in the new University Tower development in the heart of campus. The Incubator supports student ventures in the early developmental stages. By providing office space, shared facilities, business consulting, networking, and resources, the entrepreneurs within the Incubator are learning to develop and grow their business in order to be competitive in a market economy. (3) Entrepreneurial Residential Learning Community - Students living in this learning community build on their intellectual curiosity and passion for entrepreneurship. Students take entrepreneurship courses, meet with prominent faculty and business leaders and tour incubators and companies. (4) Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) - Wisconsin CIBER makes international business education meaningful by providing undergraduates access to faculty engaged in international research, foreign language training, traditional year-round and semester study abroad programs, focused short-term study tours and programming featuring international experts from around the globe. (5) Accenture Leadership Center (ALC) - The ALC was founded by five Accenture partners to provide undergraduates a unique laboratory atmosphere that allows students to practice leadership principles through hands-on learning activities, projects and courses. (6) Case Competitions - The Wisconsin School of Business hosts the Big Ten Case Competition and students have also traveled to the following competitions: Chevrolet College Marketing Challenge; Fisher Biz Quiz (1st & 2nd place finishes in 2008); International Collegiate Business Strategy Competition (3rd place); Marshall International Case Competition; NASA Means Business (Grand Prize Winner); Nascent 500 Business Plan Challenge; Spirit of Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development (SEED); SAP Marketing Idol (1st Place); Eller Ethics Competition; CIBER Case Challenge

Business program offers work study or co-op opportunities:

Yes

Several departments with the Wisconsin School of Business offer work-study opportunities for students and some companies/employers such as IBM and Kimberly-Clark work with the Business Career Center to offer semester-long co-op opportunities.

Business program offers study abroad opportunities:

Yes

Study abroad program description:

The Wisconsin School of Business offers 24 study abroad programs in 20 countries in Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America and North America through the International Programs office. Partnerships are with highly rated business schools around the world. These programs are designed especially for business majors with courses counting toward business core, breadth and major requirements. Approximately 30% of UW-Madison undergraduate business majors study abroad. Summer, semester and year-long programs are available. Semester courses are offered with embedded short trips to emerging markets. Past participants cite the opportunities to live in another culture, travel and discover new interests, learn more about oneself and improve foreign language skills, as compelling reasons to study abroad.

Volunteer work and community service opportunities:

Yes

Volunteer opportunities description:

(1) Grainger Goes Pink - This annual undergraduate student initiative brings awareness to breast cancer. Students organize guest speakers, schedule a day where all business faculty, staff and students wear pink and hold fundraisers to earn hundreds to thousands of dollars each year for this cause. (2) Courses including Organizational Behavior, Management Consulting and Leadership Development provide students an opportunity to participate in hands-on group consulting projects with community, university and non-profit organizations. (2) Nearly all 35 business student organizations actively provide community service and volunteer opportunities for their members.

Business clubs and extracurricular activities:

Investment Banking Club Korean Business Student Association Mu Kappa Tau Multicultural Business Student Association National Organization of Business & Engineering Phi Beta Lambda Real Estate Club Risk Management and Insurance Sigma Iota Epsilon
Delta Sigma Pi Entrepreneurship Assocation Finance & Investment Society Institute of Management Accountants International Business Student Association/UW Rotaract International Development Club International Finance Club Fantasy Sports in Finance
Society of Human Resource Management Society of Personal Investment Sports Business Club Student Faculty Board Students in Free Enterprise UBLC Underclassmen Outreach Committee Wisconsin Management Consulting Club Women in Busines
Actuarial Science Club AIESEC Alpha Kappa Psi Association for Operations Management Association of Information Systems Professionals B-Line Beta Alpha Psi Business Action for Sustainable Enterprise Christians in Business DECA
Accenture Leadership Center's Leadership Boot Camp (LeaderShape) & Workshop Series

FACULTY

Faculty:

Full-time faculty : 51
Adjuncts and visiting faculty: 31
Permanent/tenured professors: 20
Percentage of permanent/tenured professors who are women: 14
Percentage of permanent/tenured professors who are underrepresented minorities: 2
Percentage of permanent/tenured professors who are also members of company boards of directors or of advisors: 34
Percentage of permanent/tenured professors who are business owners: N/A

Prominent faculty:

Toni Whited
Jan Heide
Hollis Skaife

STUDENT LIFE

Largest on-campus organizations for business students:

Phi Beta Lambda
Alpha Kappa Psi
Finance & Investment Society
Mu Kappa Tau
Society of Human Resource Management

Freshmen are required to live on campus:

Business students are grouped in learning communities:

Yes

TECHNOLOGY

Wireless network available:

Yes

Technological improvements made in the last three years:

(1) $40.5 million addition to business school's Grainger Hall. Addition is 131,416 sq. ft. and includes new technology, 29 modern classrooms and flexible meeting/breakout rooms, the centralization of undergraduate programs, and a new environmentally conscience Capital Cafe. (2) Pilot program to distribute course material to students through Sony Readers that are issued to students for the semester (3) New undergraduate computer lab with 3 group workstations setup and longer access hours during the week and weekends (4) 4 Business Library breakout rooms with group workstation setup (5) 2 Business Library practice presentation rooms (6) Student and faculty access to reserves electronically (7) 10 42" monitors for group projects (8) New course management website with better communication ability and faculty (9) New large capacity classrooms (10) All old classrooms now have audio/visual capability built in (11) Online access to course website from central University of Wisconsin-Madison portal

Trading laboratory available:

COMMENTS

Starting in Fall 2009 the Wisconsin School of Business undergraduate program will be transitioning from junior to sophomore admissions which will provide students with additional exposure to business faculty as well as business-related special programs, extra-curricular activities and international opportunities.

Alumni Affairs & Careers

ALUMNI

Total number of undergraduate business program graduates since inception:

31,554

Total living alumni:

27,362

Percent of alumni who gave, 2007-08 academic year:

16 %

Mean alumni gift 2007-08:

$ 3,926

Median alumni gift, 2007-08:

$ 100

Single donation in excess of $10 million in 2007-08?

Prominent alumni:

Name: Tom Falk
Title: CEO, Kimberly-Clark Corporation
Name: John Morgridge
Title: Chairman Emeritus, Cisco Systems Inc.
Name: Steve Bennett
Title: Former CEO, Intuit

CAREER SERVICES

Percent of 2008 graduates who provided employment information:

100 %

Seeking full-time employment in business: 76 %
Not Seeking full-time employment in business: 24 %

Number of companies recruiting undergraduate students on campus in previous academic year:

470

Companies that posted full-time job offers/positions on school job boards, previous academic year:

767

Other activities and services provided for business majors:

Business Basics Seminar Series (15-20 workshops each semester); Mocks by Majors Program (over 400 individual mock interviews conducted by employers annually); one-on-one advising appointments, express advising, career fairs, resume and cover letter 24-hour drop-off review service, Symplicity recruiting system, salary and placement information, weekly e-newsletter for students, Symplicity resume builder, Optimal Resume, CareerSpots, Vault Reports, WetFeet Guides, Myers Briggs Type Indicator, CareerLeader College, Typefocus Careers, Wisconsin Business Alumni Directory, Uniworld, web resume book, streaming video and DVD collection of past workshops and presentations, technology services (videoconferencing, international calling, computer kiosks, faxing service), free business card printing for students.

Job offer results, 2008 graduates:

Received first job offer by graduation: 74 %
Received first job offer in three months following graduation: 1 %
Received first job offer more than 3 months after graduation: 7 %
Did not report having received a job offer: 18 %
Accepted first job offer by graduation: 70 %
Accepted first job offer in three months following graduation: 2 %
Accepted first job offer more than 3 months after graduation: 10 %
Did not report having accepted a job offer: 18 %

Top hiring firms:

Target Corp.
Deloitte Touche Tomatsu
Ernst & Young
General Mills
General Electric
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Lehman Bros.
Kimberly-Clark
JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Goldman Sachs Group
Best Buy
Credit Suisse Group
KPMG LLP
International Bus. Machines
Nestle

Kohl's Department Stores
Epic Systems Corporation
Northwestern Mutual Financial Network
CUNA Mutual Group
Accenture
Duff & Phelps
UnitedHealth Group
TTI/Milwaukee Tool
BMO Capital Markets
Intuit
Towers Perrin

Graduate compensation:

Mean base salary: $ 49,551
Median base salary: $ 50,000
Mean signing bonus: $ 4,846
Median signing bonus: $ 4,000
Mean other guaranteed compensation: $ 8,435
Median other guaranteed compensation: $ 3,300

Grads accepted jobs in following functional areas:

Consulting: 4 %
Finance/Accounting: 40 %
General Management: 5 %
Human Resources: 3 %
Management Information Systems: 2 %
Marketing/Sales: 20 %
Operations/Production: 1 %
Logistics/Transportation: 2 %
Other: 23 %

Grads accepted jobs in following industries:

Accounting: 11 %
Consumer Products/Retail: 13 %
Consulting Services: 6 %
Financial Services: 23 %
Government/Education: 1 %
Pharma/Biotech/Health: 1 %
Manufacturing: 14 %
Media/Entertainment: 2 %
Real Estate: 10 %
Technology/Science: 3 %
Non-Profit: 1 %
Transportation: 1 %
Other: 14 %

Percentage of job acceptances, US and Canada:

US: 100 %
Canada: 0 %

Grads accepted jobs in the following US regions:

Northeast: 9 %
Mid-Atlantic: 2 %
Midwest: 79 %
South: 3 %
Southwest: 2 %
West: 5 %
US Possessions/Territories: 0 %

Number of companies recruiting interns on-campus, 2007-08 academic year:

232

Internship postings on job boards, previous academic year:

279

Top internship recruiters, 2007-08:

Target Corp.
Best Buy
General Mills
Ernst & Young
Credit Suisse Group
PricewaterhouseCoopers
UBS
General Electric
International Bus. Machines
Kimberly-Clark
Deutsche Bank AG
Goldman Sachs Group
Deloitte Touche Tomatsu
Walgreens

Kohl's Department Stores
CUNA Mutual Group
Northwestern Mutual Financial Network
Ameriprise Financial
Robert W. Baird
SC Johnson & Son, Inc.
UnitedHealth Group
Watson Wyatt Worldwide
Allstate Insurance
Milliman, Inc.
Kohler Co.

Percentage of internships that were paid, previous academic year

99 %

Mean internship compensation per week:

$ 561

Median internship compensation per week:

$ 580

Average internship, in weeks:

N/A

Graduate Comments

Students say they enjoy the laid-back feel of the school, quality professors and strong career services office. I believe that our business school stresses a work hard, play hard environment. Our professors know the topics they teach, have had exceptional real world experience in what they teach, and truly care about their students. They make any reason to help in school, job search, etc. In a nutshell, they are excited, energetic, and have passion. More important, they have a want to further pass that passion on to their students.

The business program has a very laid-back feel, but it truly is work hard/play hard for most of the students. We develop some great leaders and talented professionals in this school. I think overall, the caliber of the students accepted can/should be raised, but when you look at the top 10 or 20 percent, our graduates are highly competitive.

The entire University of Wisconsin--not just the business school--is a place where entrepreneurship is stressed to the Nth degree. With well-known things, like the discovery of stem-cells, to lesser known student-run start-ups, it is a great place for entrepreneurship. Just this year, a program was founded that freshmen can join which is an entrepreneurial living community. It will allow them to be immersed in entrepreneurship from the day they step on campus.

It is a very practical school, many things are set up to help you succeed but with the size it means that you have to put effort into seeking out those opportunities. I think it is best this way, they don't spoon feed you; it's more real world and it shows that you can do many things as long as you put effort towards it.

Diversity among the student body, in relation to career goals. The strong focus on teamwork in almost all of the business classes made it very unique. The entrepreneurship program is outstanding and led by a team of professors that focus on individuality in the classroom.

The career center is fabulous. They offer many courses and opportunities to learn valuable skills about resume writing, interviewing, networking, succeeding at on-sight interviews, and taking exams such as the CPA exam or the GMAT. Employers are frequently on campus and at events so there are numerous opportunities to network, ask questions, and learn about available positions and careers. The staff within the business career center is always available to meet one-on-one with students to help them plan their careers and land internship opportunities. All of the professors within the school of business are truly committed to teaching their students how to succeed in the real world and many professions. They are always available to offer help or guidance in any way.

I think this business school is unique because it doesn't hand you a BBA, you have to go and work for it. The quality of the business school education is what you make of it. This school gives you access to resources (informational and monetary), a large alumni network, and diverse opportunities. I had the opportunity to study abroad in both Singapore and Hong Kong for one year to learn about Asia's financial markets, study Mandarin, and meet some of Asia's most successful entrepreneurs. I've helped change the undergrad business school; meeting with and voicing my opinions to business school's administration and faculty. I am confident that I have acquired the network (access to capital and business mentors) I need to successfully launch a business when I graduate from Wisconsin School of Business. I believe that a common misconception people have about the Wisconsin Business School is that it is too big. But I think you can interpret that as Wisconsin Business School's greatest asset. People who are motivated and don't need someone to hold their hand can take advantage of all the school has to offer.

Our career services center is absolutely incredible. Even with the significant economic downturn, I have not seen any business students who are truly recruiting hard be unable to find full-time employment for after graduation. Additionally, the social network of our School of Business is outstanding and our campus is incredibly fun.

I feel that I have been less and less challenged as I take more advanced classes - perhaps if I had chosen a major that was more number orientated, it would be harder, but I somehow can't help but feel that I am not getting as much out of my last year than I should or could.

Some of the subjects that are forced upon us via the undergraduate business program seem relatively useless. Depending on major, I believe you should only have to take a certain few general business programs, particularly those that are most applicable to your major.

Many teachers are more interested in their personal research than teaching their students. The university places too much emphasis on the importance of diversity, and ends up segregating students from traditional backgrounds.