The University of Washington Foster School of Business offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs across a range of business disciplines. At the undergraduate level, Foster offers a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration (BABA) degree with areas of study including accounting, finance, marketing, information systems, operations and supply chain management, human resources, and entrepreneurship. Students complete a common core curriculum before specializing in a chosen area. Graduate programs include multiple Master of Business Administration (MBA) formats, including full-time, evening, executive, and hybrid options designed for working professionals. The school also offers specialized master's degrees in fields such as business analytics, information systems, supply chain management, finance, taxation, and entrepreneurship. Foster also offers a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) program in business disciplines, focused on academic research and training for careers in higher education. The school comprises five academic departments: accounting, finance and business economics, information systems and operations management, management and organization, and marketing and international business.
Admissions Admission into the Foster School of Business is highly competitive. At the undergraduate level, the majority of students are admitted through Standard Admission. Through Standard Admission, students first matriculate to the University of Washington as pre-major students, then apply to Foster after completing certain prerequisite courses, prior to their sophomore or junior year. A small number of students are admitted through the Freshman Direct program, directly out of high school. These students are selected from the pool of students admitted into the University of Washington, and exhibit "exceptionally competitive" academic records. In 2018, admitted Freshman Direct students had an average high school unweighted GPA of 3.91 (on a 4.0 scale). The MBA program is one of the top 20 most competitive in the nation, with an average undergraduate gpa of 3.3 and a GMAT of 710.
Rankings The Foster School of Business MBA program is ranked 23rd in the nation by
Bloomberg, 27th by
US News and 16th by
Financial Times. The Financial Times Global rankings lists the Foster School of Business at #30 in the world. An objective ranking of Faculty Scholarly Productivity Index by Academic Analytics ranks University of Washington #1 in research productivity in Business Administration and #8 in marketing.
U.S. News & World Report ranked Foster's Evening MBA program 5th among public universities in 2024.
Centers The following centers and specialty programs are part of the UW Foster School of Business: •
Arthur W. Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship. The University of Washington supports Seattle and the Pacific Northwest, one of the primary
venture capital and
entrepreneur communities in the West Coast,
United States. The Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship connects students, faculty and business community members together and serves as resource for start-ups and companies. •
Center for Leadership and Strategic Thinking. The Center for Leadership and Strategic Thinking (CSLT) examines methods and effectiveness of leadership in various industries including health care, defense, and aviation. Center research employs simulations and game theory as new approaches to teaching business management •
Center for Sales and Marketing Strategy. The Center for Sales and Marketing Strategy aligns important sales and marketing problems with academic research and analysis techniques to develop strategies that improve business performance, and facilitate business-academic collaboration to create and disseminate sales and marketing knowledge. •
Consulting and Business Development Center. The Consulting and Business Development Center provides students with consulting experience, pairing student teams with growing businesses in economically distressed and under-represented minority communities. •
Global Business Center. The UW Global Business Center works in partnership with the
United States Department of Education to contribute to the international competitiveness of American business by developing and supporting international business programs for students, faculty, and the business community. •
Certificate in International Studies in Business. Created in 1992 with support from the Center for International Business, Education and Research, the Certificate of International Studies in Business at the University of Washington enables undergraduate business students to gain knowledge of international issues and global business practices. •
The Product Management Center. The Product Management Center •
USTC-UW Institute for Global Business and Finance Innovation. The University of Science and Technology of China-UW Institute for Global Business and Finance Innovation fosters collaborative research, promotes student exchange, and supports international education and training through a partnership between the School of Management at the University of Science and Technology of China and the University of Washington Michael G. Foster School of Business. •
Foster Customer Analytics Center. The Foster Customer Analytics Center develops and fosters relationships between businesses, researchers, and students in the fields of machine learning and marketing analytics. •
Creative Destruction Lab.
Student life UW students can join over 1,000 registered student organizations. Some registered student organizations include: • Out in Business, a student organization that positions Foster MBA students to be "leaders of LGBTQ+ inclusion" in business. • Global Business Association, a student organization that enhances Foster MBA candidates’ understanding of cross-border and cross-cultural business issues that permeate the modern business environment. • Business Ethics Association, a student organization that spotlights the importance of ethical business practices. • Business Impact Group UW, a student organization that works with the UW's Consulting & Business Development Center to develop tactical strategies for small business. • Asian Business Student Association. • Diversity in Business, a student organization in the Foster MBA program. • Alpha Kappa Psi Business Fraternity, a student organization for those who have an interest in business to be provided with opportunities to learn and grow through professional development, philanthropy, and social events. • Association of Black Business Students, a student organization that recruits, assists, and organizes to promote the interest and success of students from underrepresented communities majoring in or interested in business.
Achievements Some achievements of the
University of Washington Business School: • UW Foster School of Business has the 2nd most productive management research faculty in North America, according to a joint study out of Texas A&M University and the University of Florida. • UW Team won the Leeds 2011 Net Impact Case Competition, the nation's premier case competition built around businesses facing sustainability challenges. • University of Washington Foster School of Business PhD Program in Accounting ranks among the top five in the world in a study conducted by Brigham Young University and Utah State University.
Publication •
Foster Business. Business magazine reports on the news from the UW business school. •
Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis. It highlights theoretical and empirical research in financial economics. ==Notable alumni==