Dec 11, 2024  
2023-2024 Undergraduate Bulletin 
    
2023-2024 Undergraduate Bulletin [ARCHIVED]

The University



UW-Stout

UW-Stout is one of 13 publicly supported universities in the University of Wisconsin System. It was founded as a private institution in 1891 by James Huff Stout. A Menomonie industrialist and a man of great vision, he saw that students in America’s developing industrial society needed a different kind of education, an education broader than that offered by the traditional curriculum. Since its founding, UW-Stout has gained a position of national leadership in its specialized areas. Although UW-Stout is a career-oriented university, the humanities, social and natural sciences are key parts of the total educational program.

UW-Stout’s Special Mission

UW-Stout, as a special mission institution, serves a unique role in the UW System. UW-Stout is characterized by a distinctive array of programs leading to professional careers focused on the needs of society. The university offers undergraduate and graduate programs leading to professional careers in industry, commerce, education and human services through the study of technology, applied mathematics and science, art, business, industrial management, human behavior, family and consumer sciences, and manufacturing-related engineering and technologies. These programs are presented through an approach to learning which involves integration of theory, practice and experimentation. Extending UW-Stout’s mission into the future requires that instruction, research and public service programs be adapted and modified as the needs of society change.

Learn more about UW-Stout’s Mission, Vision and Values.

Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University

University of Wisconsin-Stout is a comprehensive, career-focused polytechnic university where students, faculty and staff use applied learning, scientific theory and research to solve real-world problems, grow the state economy and serve society. Our tenets:

Career Focus: A polytechnic university offers a comprehensive curriculum that prepares graduates for professional careers.

Applied Learning: A polytechnic university blends theory with practice to produce innovative solutions to real world problems.

Collaboration: A polytechnic university works closely with business, industry and other educational institutions to benefit students and grow the economy.

Recognized Quality

In 2001, UW-Stout became the first university in the nation to receive the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, America’s highest honor for performance excellence and quality achievement.

The university’s mission driven, market smart focus promotes collaborative leadership and an inclusive strategic planning process. Baldrige Award criteria are used by organizations worldwide. Winning organizations become quality advocates, informing thousands about the criteria benefits, including better employee relations, higher productivity and greater customer satisfaction.

The Faculty and Academic Staff 

Because UW-Stout has specialized in certain areas, we have developed a staff of individuals nationally recognized in their fields. All classes are taught by the faculty and academic staff except for a small number of laboratory courses which are taught by highly qualified graduate assistants. With a staff of 489, the student-teacher ratio is about 17:1. The faculty’s commitment to provide extra help to students is, one of UW-Stout’s proudest traditions.

Students

In terms of enrollment, UW-Stout is not a local or state school. Its 9,535 students come from 44 states and 42 nations. Students have a major voice in the affairs of the university and sit on important university committees. Besides regular and informal meetings with students, the university’s chancellor has an “open door policy.” Students participate in more than 165 clubs and organizations on campus, including national fraternities and sororities.

Facilities

Modern and well-equipped facilities mark UW-Stout’s 125-acre campus. We are proud of our laboratory-intensive programs. More than 240 laboratories are available for study and research in the areas of electronics, power, industrial management, industrial design, industrial graphics, packaging, plastics, graphic communications and telecommunications.

Located in the center of the city of Menomonie, adjacent to the downtown business district and Lake Menomin, UW-Stout offers an attractive, convenient and accessible campus setting.

The Community

Located in scenic western Wisconsin, Menomonie has a population of approximately 16,000. The area’s natural beauty, with lakes, rivers and hills, provides many year-round recreational and sports opportunities. Major entertainment and cultural activities are available on campus, in the community and in the nearby Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area, about an hour away.