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Certificate in Business

Learn business. Grow your skills. Expand your education.

Gain business knowledge + skills

  • Develop a foundational understanding of business and its various fields
  • Diversify your skill set
  • Dive deeper into a focus area through electives
  • Pair with any major and complement your degree

Unlock new career paths

  • Gain foundational business tools to use throughout your career
  • Boost your résumé
  • Explore business careers you might not have otherwise considered
  • Find job opportunities in business fields

Program Overview

Who is the certificate for?

Open to undergraduate students earning any nonbusiness degree at UW–Madison

Enhance your certificate experience

Participate in noncredit business competitions and student organizations

Certificate completion

“Awarded Certificate in Business” will be notated on your official transcripts

18 total credits

  • 2 required courses:
    • Choose one: Accounting 300, Accounting 100, or General Business 310
    • Choose one: MHR 300 or General Business 311
  • 1 additional course: Finance 300, Marketing 300, Real Estate 306, RMI 300 or OTM 300
  • 9 credits of electives from any business courses except General Business 110, 310, 311, 360, 400
See the Undergraduate Guide for details

Admissions

Undergraduate students earning a nonbusiness degree can declare the Certificate in Business. Students must meet the following requirements:

24 credits in residence (12 credits for transfer students)

Minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA

Must have declared nonbusiness major

Declaration information

Eligible students can declare the Certificate in Business between September 1 and October 1.

You will be notified via email if you are ineligible to declare the certificate.

A $150 tuition differential will be charged per semester until graduation. This begins the spring semester after your declaration. The tuition differential provides access to Wisconsin School of Business resources.

Certificate declaration opens September 1. A form will be posted then.

Advising

Students earning the Certificate in Business have access to the pre-business advising team and are assigned a Wisconsin School of Business career coach.

If you have questions about undergraduate certificates, email WSB’s pre-business advising team at prebusadvising@wsb.wisc.edu or call 608-262-0471.