The Consulting Certificate from the School of Business helps students develop a consultative process and mindset that integrates critical skills in the areas of project management, business communication, advanced analytics and/or strategy and technology.
The Consulting Certificate will prepare students to seek answers to questions in order to define the problem, gather necessary data and information, convert the information into decisions, and successfully communicate that answer in a form appropriate to the audience. Upon completion of the certificate, students will understand how businesses operate, how to communicate successfully with others in business, and will be familiar with the concept of business goals and objectives. This perspective is central to the design and differentiation of our certificate.
The goal of this certificate program is to be an add-on to any undergraduate major at UW–Madison so students can apply their major to the field of consulting.
How to Get in
The consulting certificate is open to UW-Madison undergraduate students. To declare the consulting certificate, complete the declaration form linked within the contact information box.
To be eligible to declare, students must meet the following requirements:
- 24 degree credits completed in residence at time of declaration (12 in residence for transfer students)
- 3.00 minimum cumulative GPA at UW-Madison
- Currently enrolled student at UW-Madison
- Undergraduate, degree seeking student
Students may not earn this certificate in conjunction with the exclusively online BBAs in Business Administration-Human Resources, Business Administration-Management, and Business Administration-Marketing.
Requirements
The consulting certificate consists of 13 credits (two core courses, one foundation, one analytical thinking, and one elective course). Students are responsible for any pre-requisite courses needed for selected coursework.
Students must take all 13 credits in residence at UW-Madison. Study abroad courses taken through UW-Madison sponsored programs will count towards the credits in residence.
Required Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core | ||
| GEN BUS 370 | Case Interview Analysis | 1 |
| OTM 452 | Project Management | 3 |
| Consulting Foundation | 3 | |
| Complete one course from the following: | ||
| Management Consulting | ||
| Strategic Management | ||
| Business Process Improvement | ||
| Analytical Thinking | 3 | |
| Complete one course from the list below. | ||
| Additional Coursework | 3 | |
| Complete another Consulting Foundation, Analytical Thinking or Elective Course (listed below). | ||
| Total Credits | 13 | |
Analytical Thinking Course Options
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ACCT I S 640 | Foundation in Accounting Analytics | 3 |
| ACT SCI 655 | Health Analytics | 3 |
| CNSR SCI 301 | Consumer Analytics | 3 |
| I SY E 412 | Fundamentals of Industrial Data Analytics | 3 |
| I SY E 516 | Introduction to Decision Analysis | 3 |
| I SY E 620 | Simulation Modeling and Analysis | 3 |
| INFO SYS 423 | Digital Platform Analytics | 3 |
| INFO SYS 352 | Digital Strategy | 3 |
| L I S 464 | Applied Database Design | 3 |
| M H R 614 | People Analytics | 3 |
| OTM 453 | Operations Analytics | 3 |
| R M I 660 | Risk Analytics and Behavioral Science | 3 |
Elective Course Options
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| INFO SYS 322 | Introduction to Databases | 3 |
| I SY E 313 | Engineering Economic Analysis | 3 |
| I SY E 515 | Engineering Management of Continuous Process Improvement | 3 |
| I SY E 520 | Quality Assurance Systems | 3 |
| I SY E 604 | Special Topics in Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management | 3 |
| M H R 322 | Introduction to Entrepreneurship | 3 |
| or M H R 422 | Advanced Entrepreneurship | |
| M H R 401 | Leading Teams | 3 |
| M H R 420 | Leading Change in Organizations | 3 |
| M H R 628 | Negotiations | 3 |
| OTM 351 | Business Process Improvement | 3 |
| OTM/MARKETNG 421 | Fundamentals of Supply Chain Management | 3 |
| OTM/MARKETNG 427 | Information Technology in Supply Chains | 3 |
| OTM 451 | Service Operations Management | 3 |
| R M I 650 | Sustainability, Environmental and Social Risk Management | 3 |
| R M I 655 | Risk Financing Techniques | 3 |
| R M I 670 | Data Privacy and Cyber Risk | 3 |
To successfully complete the Consulting Certificate, students must earn a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher across all courses applied to the certificate.
While students must pass each required course, there is no minimum GPA requirement for individual courses. The cumulative GPA is calculated based on all courses that count toward the certificate.
*Please note enrollment in required courses is subject to availability. As a result, completion of the certificate within an individual student’s intended graduation timeline cannot always be guaranteed.
Certificate Completion Requirement
This undergraduate certificate must be completed concurrently with the student’s undergraduate degree. Students cannot delay degree completion to complete the certificate.
Learning Outcomes
- Apply critical thinking skills to complex real-world problems to develop strategies and make actionable recommendations to solve business issues based on a variety of important analytical tools and techniques.
- Develop case analysis skills in diagnosing business issues and managerial problems, propose workable solutions, and explain and defend solutions.
- Apply and evaluate project management techniques, and have a basic understanding of the formal and informal tools available to manage time, resources, and stakeholders in executing a project.
- Develop and practice aspects of successful communication: writing, presenting, and listening. A theoretical foundation provides a method of deep audience analysis; apply that analysis when producing a variety of written genres and when preparing content for formal presentation.
Advising and Careers
Academic Advising
Current BBA students who have declared the certificate can receive academic advising from their primary academic advisor. Certificate students not admitted to the School of Business will be assigned to the Business Certificate Advising Committee.
Drop-in advising and scheduled appointments are available to students who are declared in the certificate. Students can schedule their appointments via Starfish.
For more information on accessing academic advising, please see the Academic Advising page.
Please note enrollment in required courses is subject to availability. As a result, completion of the certificate within an individual student's intended graduation timeline cannot always be guaranteed.
Career Advising
All students declared in the certificate will be assigned a career coach in the School of Business. Students are encouraged to use their home school/college career services.
For more information about accessing career coaching, please see our Career Coaching page.