University of Wisconsin-Madison Courses & FeesMadison, USA

Today's businesses and industries in the agricultural and food sectors of the economy are growing rapidly. Agribusiness industries, such as those that supply farm inputs or process and market agricultural products, need staff who are educated in both business and agriculture. Students in agricultural business management also find employment in companies specializing in biological systems engineering, landscape architecture, biotechnology, food technology, food science, food marketing, and large-scale farm enterprises.

The Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Business Management degree program (ABM) enables students to obtain a strong foundation in economics to learn how businesses make decisions and minimize risk and how to use applied mathematics and statistics to analyze prices and markets. Agricultural and Applied Economics (AAE) courses constitute a substantial segment of the curriculum for the B.S. in Agricultural Business Management degree. In addition to general college requirements, a major in ABM includes courses in economics, math, and statistics. ABM students will also take credits from the School of Business.

Built on a solid foundation of a business and information technology (IT) curriculum, the major in Information Systems delivers a unique blend of business acumen, industry standards, and practical computing instruction. Students enjoy successful placement and satisfying careers because they possess both the in-depth knowledge of business processes and the ability to readily translate business requirements into value-added IT solutions. The curriculum is designed to prepare effective leaders in the design, development, and management of information systems—the lifeblood of a successful business model. Courses emphasize both individual and team projects based on actual applications of the subject matter.

The international business major helps students develop an understanding of the global macroeconomic environment and the complexities of cross-border transactions. International business is an interdisciplinary field and courses focus on knowledge acquisition as well as application of concepts. A selected regional emphasis provides a platform to gain language and area studies knowledge that often underpins successful adaptation for regional and local markets. The embedded study abroad requirement helps students develop cross-cultural awareness and skills.

International business careers span industries and economic sectors, and business functions and geographies, and often include domestic positions with global scope. Positions in international business involve strategy, leadership, research, government relations, creativity, technical expertise, and cultural fluency.

Students in the Management and Human Resources major can choose from various options. Students in human resources study how organizations attract, motivate, develop, and retain employees, and how they interact with organizations representing employees. Management studies focus on the activities of leadership, power, decision-making, organizational structure and change, strategy and policy, and the integration of organizational functions. Studies in entrepreneurship are designed for students who are interested in bringing new ideas to the marketplace.

Marketing facilitates exchanges between organizations and customers and is a critical, dynamic, and multi-faceted area of business. The marketing function is found throughout organizations and businesses from global enterprises to start-ups; for services such as healthcare and banking; for nonprofits and municipalities. Students may pursue a variety of careers in marketing including: Advertising/PR/Communication, Digital Marketing, General Marketing, Marketing Research/Analyst, Merchandising/Buyer/Planner, Product/Brand Management, Business-to-Business (B2B), Sales/Business Development, Sports Marketing & Communication and Supply Chain Management.

In the marketing major, students learn the foundations of marketing—product, place, price, promotion—and how these concepts impact business strategy and execution in different industries and contexts, as well as the importance of relationships with customers and channel partners. Marketing professionals possess and develop a variety of skills including qualitative and quantitative analysis, critical thinking, creativity, communications, and problem solving. The marketing major provides a robust foundation in the marketing discipline, coupled with the flexibility to pursue several areas of interest in the discipline.

The Operations and Technology Management (OTM) major focuses on the design, production, and delivery of products and services to satisfy customer needs. It equips students with the essential tools and strategies to use resources efficiently, make desirable trade-offs, and strategically redesign or restructure operations. OTM majors distinguish themselves by strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities together with the ability to provide high-level managerial insights into value-based service and production management.

OTM majors have many career opportunities due to their process orientation and analytical training. They are especially well-equipped for positions in supply chain management and logistics, business analytics, management consulting, service operations management, and manufacturing management.

The major in risk management and insurance prepares students to identify, analyze, and manage risks that are inherent in the operation of profit and not-for-profit institutions. Besides professional careers in risk management, the major cultivates skills required for challenging opportunities in organizations that accept these risks—private and governmental insurers, as well as brokerage/agency and consulting organizations.

Computer engineers design, develop, analyze, research, and manufacture hardware, software, and systems that process, store, and convey digital information. These systems include personal computers, workstations, mainframe computers, and embedded digital systems. Embedded systems consist of one to many computers within other products such as aircraft, automobiles, communication switching systems, networking components, biomedical instrumentation, and industrial automation systems. These systems are characterized by the use of digital electronic hardware and software in performing useful tasks. Computer software in combination with digital integrated circuits provides the foundation for the current revolution in computers and communications. This focus on software and digital hardware distinguishes the computer engineer from the electrical engineer.

Biological systems engineering (BSE) is the application of engineering principles to biological and agricultural systems which greatly impact our food, fiber, and renewable energy resources. Since biological systems engineering programs focus heavily on the protection and conservation of natural resources, it is not uncommon for them to be described as sustainable engineering programs.

Within the BSE program a student must enroll in either the General Program area or in one of the following three specialization areas: Machinery Systems Engineering, Natural Resources and Environmental Engineering, or Food and Bioprocess Engineering. The specialization in Food and Bioprocess Engineering is split into a Food Engineering track and a Bioprocess Engineering track.

Biomedical engineering (BME) is the application of engineering tools for solving problems in biology and medicine. It is an engineering discipline that is practiced by professionals trained primarily as engineers, but with a specialized focus on the medical and biological applications of classical engineering principles. BMEs apply their multidisciplinary expertise to problems such as designing new medical instruments and devices, understanding and repairing the human body, and applying resourceful and cross-disciplinary approaches to age-old problems in the fields of medicine, biology, and beyond. A biomedical engineer can expect to work in a wide variety of multidisciplinary teams with professionals such as physicians, biologists, researchers, nurses, therapists, mathematicians, administrators, and many others while working in industry, as entrepreneurs, and in the medical profession and academia.

Chemical engineers exploit advances in chemistry and biology to create new products, design chemical processes, develop energy resources, and protect the environment. Students receive a thorough grounding in chemistry, biology, mathematics and physics. With this broad scientific training, chemical engineers work effectively on a diverse set of problems involving chemical, physical, and biological phenomena. For example, chemical engineers develop environmentally benign and safe processes to make the chemical products that people depend on. They work in research and development laboratories, creating polymeric materials with improved performance and durability. They work in manufacturing, making vaccines and antibiotics. They invent new ways to keep our food and water supplies safe. Opportunities for chemical engineers span numerous industries: pharmaceuticals, polymers, energy, food, consumer products, biotechnology, and electronic and optical materials. Graduates understand the needs of society, and use their training in science and technology to meet those needs.

The chemical engineering program develops the student's capability for invention and analysis of chemical processes and products. Students in the program take several classes in chemistry, along with courses in physics, mathematics, and biology. The curriculum provides a rigorous education in the fundamental chemical engineering sciences of thermodynamics, transport phenomena, and kinetics, as well as more applied areas such as materials science, biochemical engineering, or chemical process design. Because engineers must be skilled communicators, the curriculum places considerable emphasis on technical report writing, team projects, and formal and informal oral presentation. In addition, students broaden their understanding of people and society by taking several courses in the humanities and social sciences.

The B.S. program in chemical engineering leads to a wide variety of careers. Graduates are prepared for professional lives in industry, government, engineering design, or consulting companies. Graduates with a more practical, hands-on approach are employed in manufacturing support, process development, product development, design, construction, or technical sales. They rapidly advance to responsible technical supervisory and management positions. Graduates with a research interest work to improve understanding of scientific engineering principles, and to apply these principles to solve emerging problems. Entrepreneurial graduates work in smaller enterprises, or create their own businesses, developing the major industries of tomorrow. An undergraduate degree in chemical engineering provides a strong basis for advanced study in graduate school, or for further training in medicine, law, or policy.

Civil and environmental engineers are responsible for the sustainable design of facilities that protect the health and welfare of communities and the environment, while also ensuring society’s financial health. More specifically, they are responsible for the conception, design, and construction of public works such as:

the highways, streets, and bridges that we walk, bike, and drive on

the water systems and earthworks that treat the water we drink, manage the water we swim in and boat on, and protect us and our property from floodwaters

the homes, schools, factories, theaters, and stadiums in which we live, learn, work, and play

the airports, railways, waterways, and harbors that provide additional mobility for people and the materials they produce and consume

the treatment and emission systems that ensure the safety of the air we breathe

the recycling, reuse, and disposal systems used to minimize the production of and also provide for the containment of the solid and hazardous wastes we produce

the production and transmission facilities for the electricity we use, including generation facilities for both conventional and renewable energy sources

Electrical engineers design, develop, analyze, research, and manufacture systems such as those for power generation distribution, communication, control, and instrumentation. Electrical engineers are also concerned with the devices that make up these systems, such as transistors, integrated circuits, rotating machines, antennas, and fusion plasma confinement devices. Low-power, reliable integrated circuits allow dramatic improvements that have driven the revolution in communications and computation. High-power transistors in combination with electronic controls are serving as the foundation for new ways of efficiently utilizing electrical power.

Engineering mechanics is the scholarly term for the study of forces and the resulting deformations, accelerations, motions, vibrations and other action that they cause.  As such, engineering mechanics forms the foundation of a degree in aerospace, mechanical or civil engineering, and it is fundamental to important parts of biomedical engineering, chemical engineering, materials science, and other engineering disciplines. Hence, a degree in engineering mechanics provides a broad scientific background which enables its graduates to tackle challenging problems in most fields of engineering. The curriculum emphasizes the basic sciences—mathematics, computer science, physics and the engineering sciences—fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, mechanics, materials science, and electrical engineering. Although the degree program is entitled engineering mechanics at UW–Madison, the program is most comparable to aerospace engineering and mechanical engineering programs at various universities across the United States. However, internationally, this field is more commonly known as “mechanics” rather than “mechanical engineering” or “aerospace engineering.”  A few select universities in the United States offer programs that are similar to UW–Madison’s engineering mechanics program under titles such as “engineering science” or “theoretical and applied mechanics.” 

The objective of the program is to provide the student with a broad background in the fundamental physical sciences and applied mathematics, coordinated with both theoretical and applied engineering methods and experimental techniques. This type of educational background will give the student the degree of versatility necessary for dealing with the variety and complexity of modern technological problems as well as the ability to adapt to the rapidly changing needs and interests of industry, government, and society.

An education in engineering mechanics provides many advantages. First, the foundation offered by a degree in mechanics allows our graduates to more easily interact with co-workers on interdisciplinary teams including chemists, physicists, and mathematicians. Second, many industrial organizations prefer engineers that have a broad, fundamental scientific background rather than a narrow view of just one discipline. Third, and probably most important, great changes have taken place in science and engineering during recent years. Among the most important of these have been the rapid diffusion of scientific knowledge and disciplines into engineering, the increasing use of analytical and computer methods for the solution of practical problems, the need for a better understanding of the properties and behavior of materials, and the increasing need for engineers who can adapt known methods to new situations and develop new experimental and analytical methods. By focusing on core competency in physics and applied mathematics, the engineering mechanics degree prepares students for these challenges.

The first bachelor of science in industrial engineering at the University of Wisconsin–Madison was awarded in 1972. Since that time the demand for industrial engineers has grown dramatically for one chief reason: the need for organizations to raise their level of productivity through thoughtful, systematic applications.

Becoming an industrial engineer (IE) places one in an exciting field of engineering that focuses on productivity improvement worldwide. It is a field that deals as much with human aspects of work as with today's sophisticated tools of work.

What sets industrial engineering apart from other engineering disciplines is its broader scope. An IE deals with people as well as things. The industrial engineer applies problem-solving techniques in almost every kind of industry, business, or institution. There are IEs in banks, hospitals, government at all levels, transportation, construction, processing, social services, electronics, facilities design, manufacturing, and warehousing.

An IE looks at the "big picture" of what makes society perform best—the right combination of human resources, natural resources, and human-made structures and equipment. An IE bridges the gap between management and operations, dealing with and motivating people as well as determining what tools should be used and how they should be used. Industrial engineering is concerned with performance measures and standards, research of new products and product applications, ways to improve use of scarce resources, and many other problem-solving adventures.

Because industrial engineering serves a broad cross-section of business, industry and institutions, the IE's work environment varies from office to plant to field. Choices can be made even after the IE begins his or her career. Few other vocations offer a graduating student such a wide selection of places to work or kind of work to perform. Need for industrial engineers makes this profession particularly attractive from the financial standpoint. Beginning salaries rank in the top group of high-paying engineering disciplines, and fast advancement is not unusual.

In the industrial and systems engineering department at UW–Madison, the course curriculum is set up to provide a diversified background and at the same time allow choices according to individual interests. Specialized coursework might be categorized in four main areas:

Engineering Analytics and Operations Research

Healthcare Systems Engineering

Human Factors and Ergonomics

Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management

Although there is no sub major within IE, it is possible to achieve a degree of specialization through choice of a focus area. Courses focusing on teams and design projects prepare students to succeed in the workplace.

The Department of Materials Science and Engineering offers B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in Materials Science and Engineering and an M.S. degree in Nanomaterials and Nanoengineering. The Nanomaterials and Nanoengineering degree is offered as a one-year named option (within the Materials Science and Engineering M.S. degree program).

Advances in technology are closely linked to the materials that people can design, manipulate, and produce. How we live is connected to our abilities to process materials and manufacture products; to develop and design nontraditional as well as traditional materials for an increasingly broad range of industries; and to research and develop high-performance materials for practical applications in coming decades. The materials that change the way we live may be the next generation of superalloys for applications in extreme conditions such as high-temperature or highly corrosive environments; new materials for application in energy generation, storage, and transmission; organic and inorganic materials for use and integration in applications ranging from electronics to medicine; or new materials systems yet to be developed for the ever-increasing needs of our society. Materials experts find employment in a broad range of industries and may practice experimental, computational, or theoretical materials science and engineering, or all of these in combination. The undergraduate curriculum leads to the Bachelor of Science Degree in Materials Science and Engineering. The curriculum is designed to prepare students with the foundation needed to thrive in broad and rapidly changing industries that are based on materials. It also provides substantial flexibility, through electives and with the assistance of a materials science and engineering faculty advisor, for tailoring to students’ specific interests within the materials field. Science, engineering, teamwork, broad thinking, and communication skills all are integral parts of the curriculum. Graduates are well prepared for careers in industry or for graduate studies.

Mechanical engineers are problem-solvers who make things work better, more efficiently, and more economically. They are innovators, coming up with original ideas to apply scientific knowledge in new ways. Mechanical engineers are builders, designing and developing machines and systems that make life easier. Mechanical engineers have strong science, mathematics, and technology backgrounds.

Manufacturing processes, design of mechanical equipment and systems, and energy generation and utilization are traditional mechanical engineering fields. Students receive basic preparation in all of these areas. Through choice of elective courses they may further specialize in areas such as automatic control systems, renewable energy systems, robotics, product design, biomedical engineering, computational mechanics, manufacturing systems engineering, etc. Mechanical engineering prepares students for entrance into industry, for independent business (e.g., consulting, contracting, or manufacturing), or for work in government agencies. A degree in mechanical engineering may be used as a background for medicine, law, or business, as well as for graduate work in engineering.

Work in these areas requires a solid background in mathematics, statistics, mechanics, physics, machine design, thermal sciences, materials, the use of computers, and manufacturing processes. Mechanical engineers must also possess good communication skills and be able to work in teams. Mechanical engineers should be aware of social and environmental consequences of their work.

With these skills, broad training, and an emphasis on systems design, mechanical engineers are in demand in practically every type of manufacturing, consulting, sales, and research organization. Mechanical engineers may work in automotive, materials processing, heavy equipment, paper, plastics, power, aerospace, chemical, electronics, or many other large and small industries. Their work may involve research and development of new products, design of equipment or systems, supervision of production, plant engineering, administration, sales engineering, or testing of individual components or complete assemblies.

Although many special areas exist in the profession, mechanical engineering can be subdivided into energy systems and mechanical systems.

The energy systems field has taken on special significance with the current awareness of the limited energy sources and the effects of energy use on the environment. In this field, mechanical engineers carry out work on the behavior of liquids, gases, and solids as they are used in all types of energy-conversion systems. Automotive engines, gas turbines, steam power plants, refrigeration systems, air pollution control, cryogenics and energy utilization require this type of background. To be proficient in this the engineer must have a knowledge of thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, heat transfer, and related subjects.

The mechanical systems field covers the design and manufacturing of products and equipment. Mechanical engineers who focus on design conceive of new devices and machines and also refine and improve existing designs. The design engineer must be proficient in kinematics, machine elements, mechanics, strength and properties of materials, dynamics, vibrations, etc. Mechanical engineers who focus on manufacturing are involved with planning and selecting manufacturing methods, with designing and developing manufacturing equipment, and with increasing the efficiency and productivity of current manufacturing technologies for polymer, metal, and ceramic products. The manufacturing engineer uses chemistry, materials science, mechanics of materials, materials processing principles and practices, principles of computer control, engineering statistics, and other physical and thermal sciences to improve manufacturing operations and systems, and the products they produce. Increasingly, the systems that mechanical engineers work with incorporate biological and information technology components.

Nuclear engineering is defined as the application of nuclear and radiation processes in technology. An important application is the generation of electricity using nuclear reactors. Another important application is in medicine, where radiation and radioisotopes are used to diagnose and treat illness. Nuclear engineering offers students an important opportunity to help meet the energy needs of our society and to contribute to the improvement of health through medical applications. Further, because the nuclear engineering curriculum is very rich in engineering physics, graduates are prepared to work in a number of technical activities outside the nuclear engineering field.

Nuclear energy, both from fission and fusion, offers a promising approach to meeting the nation's energy needs—an approach that may preserve jobs, raise the standard of living of Americans, and alleviate the depletion of natural resources including natural gas, petroleum, and coal. Even more important, nuclear energy offers the only practical, environmentally benign approach to generating electricity on a large scale because it releases no harmful SO2, NOX, CO2, or particulate matter into the atmosphere. Nuclear energy has played, and continues to play, an important role in space exploration. Nuclear engineering has enabled the use of isotopic power supplies in deep space probes like the Cassini mission, and may eventually be used to design fission or fusion-based systems for more demanding missions

Since the discovery of fission many years ago, electricity is being produced commercially in a several hundred billion-dollar industry. Applications of radioactive tracers have been made in medicine, science, and industry. Radiation from particle accelerators and materials made radioactive in nuclear reactors are used worldwide to treat cancer and other diseases, to provide power for satellite instrumentation, to preserve food, to sterilize medical supplies, to search for faults in welds and piping, and to polymerize chemicals. Low energy plasmas are used in the manufacture of microelectronics components and to improve the surface characteristics of materials. High energy plasmas offer the possibility of a new energy source using thermonuclear fusion.

Because the breadth and rate of change in this field requires that the nuclear engineer have a broad educational background, the curriculum consists of physics, math, materials science, electronics, thermodynamics, heat transfer, computers, courses in the humanities and social science areas, and numerous elective courses. Courses of a specific nuclear engineering content come primarily in the third and fourth years.

The curriculum prepares students for careers in the nuclear industry and government—with electric utility companies, in regulatory positions with the federal or state governments, or for major contractors on the design and testing of improved reactors for central station power generation or for propulsion of naval vessels.

The curriculum also prepares the graduate for work in many areas where a broad technical background is more important than specialization in a specific field. Thus, the graduate is also prepared to work in any area where a broad engineering background is helpful, such as management, technical sales, or law. The curriculum gives students excellent preparation for graduate study in the fission and fusion areas, medical and health physics, applied superconductivity, particle accelerator technology, and other areas of engineering science in addition to study in areas such as materials science, physics, mathematics, and medicine.

Animal Sciences students focus on the biology of domesticated animals, including cattle, swine, sheep, horses, poultry, and goats, as well as discoveries in animal biologics and meat derived from the traditional meat animal species. Some attention is directed toward the companion animal species, including dogs and cats. The major emphasizes integration of biological principles from the gene to the organ to the herd or flock. Core courses in the major include animal breeding, veterinary genetics, animal physiology, reproductive physiology, comparative animal nutrition, animal health, and meat science. Additional courses include career orientation, animal handling, assessing animal welfare, biology of companion animals, composition of meat animals, human/animal symbiosis, ruminant nutrition, monogastric nutrition, beef cattle production, swine production, animal growth and development, and livestock production in agricultural development.

The major offers a science track which includes biochemistry, math, physics, and organic chemistry for students with interests in postgraduate work in veterinary medicine, animal science, medicine, or other graduate programs. The major also offers a business emphasis which includes economics, accounting, marketing, farm management, commodity markets, agricultural finance, and other courses from the School of Business.

This four-year degree program in the interdisciplinary physical sciences offers a strong theoretical foundation in related areas of engineering sciences, mathematics, and physics for professional work in the field of industrial research and technology. It also provides a foundation for graduate degree work in applied mathematics, engineering sciences, and physics.

The AMEP program is an excellent choice for the student with broad interests in mathematics, physics, and engineering. AMEP emphasizes an integrated mathematics and physics curriculum and strives to achieve an optimum balance of breadth and depth in the physical sciences within the confines of a four-year degree.