UW-Madison Ranked Among Top ‘Techno MBA’ Programs

The School of Business has one of the nation’s top 25 “Techno MBA programs” according to an assessment of graduate business school Information Systems programs in Computerworld.

The ranking of graduate business school information systems programs — which placed MIT on top followed by the University of Texas-Austin, Carnegie Mellon and the University of Minnesota — compared placement rates, student-teacher ratios and starting salaries. UW–Madison’s program, which was 22nd, has made the top 25 list in both of the magazine’s biennial rankings.

Computerworld reported that “Techno-MBAs,” the term used for students majoring in information systems, tended to have higher-than-average Graduate Management Admissions Test scores upon entering graduate business programs and had received more job offers and higher starting salaries than many of their peers. UW–Madison’s business school reported that all 18 students who graduated from the program in 1996 were employed in their chosen field after graduation, with an average starting salary of $44,291.

Business School Dean Andrew J. Policano said, “We recognize that technology-rich programs in areas such as information systems have become critical areas for business schools. We have experienced increasing demand for these programs from students and employers recruiting in this area.”

Professor Rafael Lazimy, director of the Information Systems program, said, “The Computerworld ranking is significant because it is the only existing ranking of information systems programs in the U.S.”

The ranking was based on a survey of more than 3,000 corporate recruiters and 323 deans at U.S. business schools.