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Certificate in Business

Learn business. Grow your skills. Expand your education.

Program Overview

Prepare for a future strategic role, diversify your skill set, and gain foundational business tools to use throughout your career.

18 Credits, 6 Courses

4 required courses + 2 business electives

Required courses: accounting, finance, marketing, and management and human resources

Popular Majors to Pair With the Certificate

Journalism, psychology, engineering, community & nonprofit leadership, consumer science, life sciences communication, and international studies

Once you complete all of the certificate requirements, “Awarded Certificate in Business” will be notated on your official transcripts.

View the Undergraduate Guide for more info

Admissions

Applications are accepted from the first Friday of classes through the fourth Friday of classes of the fall semester.

You are eligible to apply to the Certificate in Business program if you:

  • Are a currently enrolled undergraduate student at UW–Madison
  • Are pursuing a nonbusiness degree
  • Have completed a minimum of 24 degree credits at the time of application (sophomore standing)
  • Have a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA. (This GPA does not guarantee admission to the certificate.)
  • Have completed a minimum of 12 GPA credits. (Transfer students must complete a minimum of 12 credits at UW–Madison.)

Essay Requirement

With your application, you will submit two essays (250 word maximum each) that addresses these prompts:

Question 1
Please provide a detailed description of how the Certificate in Business will help you achieve your professional goals.

Question 2
How will the Certificate in Business coursework provide you with a foundation to pursue these goals?

Applicants are encouraged to use specific examples from their academic, work, volunteer, and other experiences within their essays/self-reflections.

The Certificate in Business is a competitive application program. Successful applicants have both strong academics and an essay that thoroughly and reflectively answers all prompts. Admission decisions are based primarily on your cumulative UW–Madison GPA and fit for the program based on your essay. All admission decisions are final and there is no appeal process for denied students.

Students are not able to earn both the Certificate in Business and the Summer Certificate in Business Fundamentals.

Apply for Certificate in Business

More Information

Advising

If you have questions about undergraduate certificates, email the School of Business undergraduate advising center at wibbaadvising@wsb.wisc.edu or call 608-262-0471.

Summer Certificate

The School of Business also offers the open-enrollment, 12-credit Summer Certificate in Business Fundamentals, designed to be completed over multiple summer terms.

Admitted students will be charged a $150 tuition differential per semester until graduation. The tuition differential provides access to all Wisconsin School of Business resources, including career and academic advisors.