Browse all Consumer Science courses →
Red: department · Gray: UW–Madison
GPA and percentages are weighted by recorded letter grades. UW comparisons use the same terms. Cross-listed courses count once within this department and once across UW; department totals should not be added together. Grade counts are not unique students. Offering counts reflect captured records, not a complete historical schedule.
Grades have not been recorded for this term. Historical results remain in the overview above.
No released grades for this term.
37 courses
Financial Life Skills covers applied personal finance in college and after graduation, including debt, credit, housing, transportation, retirement planning, investing, and spending/saving plans.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Introduction to consumer finance covering budgeting, credit, investing, insurance, taxes, retirement, estate planning, mortgages, and behavioral finance.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2024–Spring 2026Consumer Insights provides basic training in quantitative data analysis, focusing on descriptive and inferential statistics applied to consumer research.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026A symposium examining careers in the consumer marketplace industry featuring guest speakers and panels with high-level industry experts from leading companies.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Financial Services Leadership Symposium provides a detailed examination of careers in the financial services industry with participation from high-level industry experts.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Consumer Financial Services Innovation explores the financial services market from a family perspective, focusing on designing and evaluating solutions for unmet needs.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026Introduction to Retail covers foundational knowledge of the retail industry, including the retail process, industry evolution, key drivers, trends, and concepts supporting retail study.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Introduction to Personal Financial Planning covers consumer finance topics including cash flow, asset/liability management, life cycle planning, investments, taxes, retirement, and estates.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Melody Harvey
Quizzes were open note and not too difficult, but the course relied on posted slides and older videos rather than live instruction.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Directed study projects for freshmen and sophomores as arranged with a faculty member.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
No recorded grade history
Consumer Analytics teaches students to leverage data analysis to drive consumer business decisions through compelling, evidence-based storytelling.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Yiwei Zhang
Exams were reported as challenging but educational, and the course involved three group projects with iterative feedback. Some students noted early morning start times.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Explores financial coaching using positive psychology and behavioral economics to build financial capability, preparing students for financial, social work, and asset building services.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Amanda Kozlowski
The workload was described as manageable, with lectures and lessons made meaningful by connecting them to personal lives. Outside work was considered helpful rather than burdensome.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Consumer Behavior analyzes consumer actions from social and psychological perspectives, covering motivation, perception, learning, attitude formation, and the effects of social class, family structure, culture, and reference groups.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
No recorded grade history
Explores sustainable and socially just consumption, examining how consumer purchases influence sustainability and social justice, and how policy and globalization shape those choices.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Lydia Zepeda
The course was described as significantly more work than higher-level classes, with tough grading that required exact wording for tests.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2023–Spring 2026The Consumer and the Market analyzes the consumer's market, behavior, and government policies affecting consumers in the American economy.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Lydia Ashton
Exams were described as very long and impossible to finish within the class period, with one student noting the course felt harder than introductory economics classes.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026A special topics course covering specialized subject matter of current interest.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Fenaba Addo
Assignments and case studies had vague scopes, making requirements unclear. The material was stats-heavy, and students noted that the instructor did not provide effective direction for this specific content.
No recorded grade history
Consumer Strategy Consulting Practicum applies design thinking and strategic planning to consumer challenges with an outside client, developing and evaluating evidence-based solutions.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Ron Katanick
One student said the class could be very difficult but doable, especially if they got a bad group.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Consumer Engagement Strategies explores consumer behavior insights to develop engagement strategies, covering experiential marketing, CX implementation, and cultural innovation.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026The Global Consumer examines key issues in international retailing with consideration of the global consumer.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Retail Financial Analysis covers planning and analyzing retail performance via financial statements, pricing, merchandise planning, and inventory control.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Merchandise product development planning through market trend analysis, assortment planning sourcing production.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Ron Katanick
The first half project was initially confusing, but the instructor was available to answer questions and clarify expectations to help students complete work on time.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Consumer Policy Analysis examines consumer policies at federal, state, and municipal levels, applying economic analysis to laws and regulations while studying legislative processes and their impact on consumer well-being.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Melody Harvey
Past students reported that assignments were graded harshly with minimal instructions, and some included topics that were never covered in lectures.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026 · limited sampleAdvanced Consumer Finance studies financial markets and instruments from the perspective of individual consumers and their portfolio decisions over their lifetime.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Cliff Robb
The investment project was particularly tough, with questions on untaught topics that took hours to solve, requiring hard study.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Estate Planning for Financial Planners analyzes estate accumulation, conservation, and distribution to accomplish personal tax and non-tax objectives.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Lisa Andrews
The course prioritized understanding material over over-the-top exams.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026Introduction to retirement planning concepts and analysis for financial planners, focusing on designing strategies to meet client income needs and household dynamics.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
No recorded grade history
Advanced analysis of household financial risk, covering family structure impacts, private/social insurance, and financial planning software use.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Family Financial Counseling uses a systems approach to teach interpersonal techniques for helping individuals and families manage finances responsibly.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026Independent Study involves directed study projects arranged with a faculty member.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
No recorded grade history
Household Finance and Well-Being covers major theories in household finance, financial literacy, and capability, evaluating strategies to improve consumer well-being through behavior change, asset building, and market regulation.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2026–Spring 2026 · limited sampleResearch course applying modern econometric techniques to empirical consumer research with an emphasis on causal inference.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2025–Spring 2026 · limited sampleExamines how local communities inform family economic well-being by exploring the intersection of people and organizations using quantitative and qualitative techniques.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
No recorded grade history