MBA Program makes Business Week top 25

Employers and graduates ranked UW–Madison’s master of business administration program among the nation’s best in a Business Week survey. The School of Business MBA program is rated ninth among public schools and 23rd overall in the issue dated Oct. 19.

The business school recently redesigned its MBA program to help graduates better meet the challenges of the 21st century. A new four-semester curriculum combines traditional semester-long courses with seven-week modules. The modules are easily adapted to address current and developing business topics.

“We are pleased to be listed in the top 25 because it recognizes the work we have done in creating a new MBA program,” said Andrew J. Policano, UW–Madison Business School dean. “It is especially gratifying that students who were here during the transition phase responded positively to our efforts.”

The school’s undergraduate program has long been recognized as one of the nation’s top 10 public programs. But this is the first time UW–Madison’s business school was included in the magazine’s list of top business schools. In 1996, the School of Business was in a list of schools ranked from 26 to 50. Only one public business school, at the University of Michigan, was ranked among the top 10. The magazine’s biennial ranking of business schools is used widely by prospective students and employers.

The magazine based its ranking on extensive surveying of May 1998 MBA graduates to determine their satisfaction with many aspects of their MBA programs. Employers are also surveyed on their satisfaction with the quality and performance of the graduates. Surveyed employers ranked Wisconsin’s MBA program 17th, fifth among public business schools. In terms of satisfaction, graduates of the program ranked the school eighth among public programs.