Business students at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh recently proved their mettle when they scored in the top 5 percent in the 2006 Masters in Business Education field exam.

"As with anything, positive news is always great for a program," said UW-Oshkosh MBA Coordinator Donald Gudmundson. "I think it will help the public to see that they have an excellent program here that's as good as anything in the country."

The exam, which is meant to test a student's knowledge and skill after graduation, is generally taken voluntarily, said Bill Wynne, solutions implementations specialist for the Educational Testing Service. According to Wynne, the multiple-choice exams lasted two to three hours and contained material that varied by major.

"The major field tests were designed to test knowledge and also to test some skill areas in the basic majors … in a four-year college," Wynne said.

Gudmundson said he was very proud of the designation and added the recognition helped promote the university.

Despite the reputations of UW-Madison and the University of Minnesota as nationally renowned business universities, Alan Hartman, dean of the UW-Oshkosh College of Business Administration, said he believes his institution's business school is the best in the region.

"We're the best place in the Midwest to get a business degree," Hartman said. "We teach in small classes so students really get an opportunity for personal attention."

The students had a lot to do with their ranking, Gudmundson said, and he complimented the Business School's ability to educate its students on what will come after graduation.

"The main idea is that we have an excellent program," he added. "And that's the key; students who go here get a great education for the real world."