UW–Madison launches new online degrees in business and marketplace studies through UW–Madison Online
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is adding four more degrees to UW–Madison Online — its portfolio of online undergraduate degrees — in an ongoing effort to increase access for nontraditional students and meet demands of employers across the state and beyond.
Applications are now open for these fully online degree programs:
- NEW – Management, Bachelor of Business Administration
- NEW – Human Resources, Bachelor of Business Administration
- NEW – Marketing, Bachelor of Business Administration
- NEW – Consumer Behavior & Marketplace Studies, Bachelor of Science
- Personal Finance, Bachelor of Science (launched 2020)
“At a time when online education has been more important than ever, we’re leveraging technology and our top-tier faculty and programs to open up the university to more people who are seeking a degree that they can use to build a better future for themselves,” says UW–Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank.
Blank emphasizes the importance of strengthening educational outcomes and increasing access to underrepresented populations, adding that the university must meet the needs of a growing audience of nontraditional students in Wisconsin who can’t attend in person and want to balance work, family or other obligations.
UW–Madison Provost John Karl Scholz says the addition of online degrees not only removes barriers to a college education for more Wisconsin students, but the degrees carry the university’s excellence in teaching and learning.
“I am excited to see UW–Madison extend its reach to new audiences who welcome the challenges and opportunities provided by a world-class, online Badger education in these vital business and human ecology programs,” Scholz says.
Three online business degrees will be offered through the Wisconsin School of Business (WSB), ranked 7th in public undergraduate business programs across the nation. The BBA in Management is a flexible option that prepares people for leadership roles in a variety of growing industries. Students graduating with the BBA in Human Resources will be equipped to a play a crucial role in motivating, developing and retaining an organization’s employees. A BBA in Marketing will allow graduates to meet an employer’s need to successfully market products and services.
“These new online business degrees respond to the dynamic forces of today’s digital economy,” says WSB Dean Vallabh “Samba” Sambamurthy. “As the needs of industry continually evolve, the Wisconsin School of Business is committed to creating agile learning opportunities and extending access to business education. These degrees will position students to launch meaningful careers with a solid foundation in business fundamentals.”
The degree in Consumer Behavior & Marketplace Studies, preparing people to innovate and lead a rapidly evolving industry, will be offered through the highly regarded School of Human Ecology (SoHE). SoHE pioneered and continues to offer UW–Madison Online’s first degree, the BS in Personal Finance.
“At the School of Human Ecology, we work collaboratively to understand the complex relationships among people and their everyday environments, such as the marketplace,” says SoHE Dean Soyeon Shim. “With our second fully online degree through UW–Madison Online, our expert instructors will continue to prepare students to address complex problems in an evolving world.”
UW–Madison Online degrees are designed for people who have earned an associate degree or have some college credit. Eligible students can ask questions and apply at online.wisc.edu. Students can start the program in fall 2021, spring 2022, summer 2022 and beyond. UW–Madison Online degrees are designed to be flexible, so students can choose their course load and keep career and family commitments.
UW–Madison is not new to the online arena. For more than 20 years, the university has offered online master’s degrees and certificates. The Professional Degrees and Certificates program currently has more than 80 certificates, master’s and doctoral degrees available as flexible options for working adults—many of them online. Online enrollments for these programs have grown more than 77 percent over the past five years. UW–Madison Online hopes to enroll several thousand nontraditional undergraduate students in the next decade.
“During a challenging year, our university continues to move forward in building strong online bachelor’s degree programs that will serve Wisconsin students, families and the business community so we can grow a brighter future together,” Blank says.
