For the second year in a row, the University of Wisconsin's undergraduate business program ranked in the top 30 nationwide in BusinessWeek's annual survey.

BusinessWeek's current issue placed UW's program at 28th in the nation, one spot lower than last year. UW placed fourth in the Big Ten, though — up one rank from last year as they leapfrogged Minnesota's Carlson School of Business, which dropped from 26th to 42nd.

The University of Pennsylvania took home the top spot for the second year in a row.

Mark Browne, associate dean of undergraduate programs, attributed the continued success to the members who make up the school.

"I think we have excellent students and excellent faculty and staff," Browne said. "I think we have a long tradition of excellent programs overall at the University of Wisconsin."

BusinessWeek conducted the survey at 123 schools and narrowed the field to the top 93 by analyzing test scores, enrollment and starting salaries for graduates. They also conducted a survey of graduating seniors and recruiters.

Browne said students leave the program with a broad understanding of the subjects, largely because of extracurricular activities.

"I think we have courses that are appropriate, that provide the education that they need to succeed," Browne said. "I think they have a lot of out-of-class experience with speakers and business clubs."

The magazine surveyed UW business students, who said, "real estate, accounting and actuarial science programs all rate high," but also mentioned that "advising needs work."

However, Browne said undergraduates have plenty of opportunities to receive direction and valuable experience before entering the professional business world.

"I think a lot our students have internships, and those are very helpful — we work with the students both inside and outside to succeed following education," Browne said. "[Students receive] both good academic advice from academic advisors and career advice with placement advisors at Grainger."

With an estimated cost of $13,500 for two years of tuition and median starting graduate salary of $45,000, the magazine also ranked UW's undergraduate program sixth in the nation for its return on investment.

Although the UW System Board of Regents ultimately decides the tuition cost, Browne said the business school could always use more funding from the state and alumni.

"We feel the same pressures the rest of the campus feels, perhaps more acutely," Browne said. "The demand for business is very strong, the cost for providing business education has been going up quite a bit."

Browne added he has experienced the struggle to recruit and retain top faculty in a world with a "strong demand" to maintain quality programs for students.

UW freshman Alex Blunk, who is looking to enter the business school, said he considered the national rankings of the undergraduate school and said UW shows progress when stacked up against premier programs in the nation.

"I feel that our business school has a lot of promise but is not considered one of the best yet," Blunk said. "I don't think it is the most affordable but definitely when compared to Ivy League, it's a good feeling to be compared to such prestigious schools."

Browne said rankings are only one piece of information students should consider when looking at choosing a business school.