Foster School of Business

The University of Washington Foster School of Business (also known as UW Foster) is the business school of the University of Washington in Seattle. Founded in 1917 as the University of Washington School of Business Administration, the school was the second business school in the Western United States.

Accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, the school offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees, as well as a undergraduate minor and certificate programs. Enrollment each year is about 2,500 students in its undergraduate and graduate programs and more than 1,000 working professionals in its executive education seminars and lifelong learning programs.

Founded in 1917, the University of Washington School of Business Administration was established as the second business school in the Western United States.

In 1981, American businesswoman and University of Washington alumna Nancy Jacob became the ninth dean of the School of Business Administration, making her the first woman to lead a major American business school.

On September 7, 2007, the University of Washington announced that the Business School would be renamed for Michael G. Foster, a businessman who has pledged a total of $50 million in gifts. Michael G. Foster founded Foster & Marshall, which was the first locally owned brokerage in Seattle with a seat on the New York Stock Exchange.

At the undergraduate level, Foster offers a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration (BABA) degree, with 7 formal options of study: accounting, entrepreneurship, finance, human resources management, information systems, marketing, and operations & supply chain management. Students pursue a common curriculum in the lower division and upper division core courses, then specialize in their area of focus. Foster undergraduates can also earn a Certificate of International Studies in Business (CISB) or participate in the Foster Honors Program. Meanwhile, entrepreneurship and business minors are available for non-business UW students. Non-business UW Students may also earn a Sales Certificate or participate in the Lavin Entrepreneurship Program.

At the graduate level, the University of Washington Foster School offers a full-time Master of Business Administration (MBA) program, Global Executive MBA program, Evening MBA, Executive MBA, Hybrid MBA (online program), Technology Management MBA, and a doctoral program. The school also offers one-year master's programs in entrepreneurship, accounting, information systems, and supply chain management. For the 2015-2016 academic year, there are total of 102 full-time faculty with 44 endowed chairs, professorships, and research fellowships. The Financial Times ranked the Foster School 24th in the world for research in 2014 and 2015.

Foster School of Business also has a PhD Program in Business Administration, a full-time and year-round research-based program.