The Wisconsin School of Business is celebrating its 125th anniversary in 2025. While business education has changed quite a bit since the school’s founding, some fundamentals continue to withstand the test of time.
Looking back to the year 1900, here’s what business students enrolled at the School of Commerce—WSB’s original name—would find on their course schedule:
- Industrial History of England
- The History of Commerce
- Banking and the Mechanism of Exchange
- Business Organization and Management
Fast forward to 2025, and WSB students are still mastering foundational business concepts like finance and management, but they’re also exploring emerging fields—like sustainability and artificial intelligence—that are shaping the future of business:
- Financial Markets, Institutions and Economic Activity
- Machine Learning for Business Analytics
- Intercultural Communication in Business
- Challenges & Solutions in Business Sustainability
The 125th anniversary celebration officially kicks off this fall. Watch for ways to get involved across all WSB channels!