Current instructor

Mark Laplante

/5Adjusted rating
/5RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 3.78/5 from 179 quality ratings. The adjusted rating blends this with the UW review average (3.66/5), weighted as 20 additional ratings. Smaller samples stay closer to that average. Each captured review is counted once in the prior; this does not correct who chooses to leave a review.

RMP profile ↗ · All captured review dates; profile matched by name.

What students say

Original student reviews · all captured dates

FIN300 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 5/5
This was definitely the hardest class I have ever taken, but also the most rewarding. I learned so much throughout the semester, and the work was completely worth it. If you're even slightly interested in finance, take his class. He will never waste your time, and if he taught more courses, I'd sign up instantly.
Rate My Professors ↗
FIN300 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 4/5
Best professor I've had. He cares so much for his students and doesn't sugarcoat how important finance knowledge is to our success. His lectures consist of definitions, examples, and practice problems to help us learn the material. He assigns a lot of readings that do take up a lot of time, but at the end of the day they ensure material mastery.
Rate My Professors ↗
GB310 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 4/5
One of the best professors I've ever had. Cares a lot about his students.
Rate My Professors ↗
BUS310 · course not matched
Quality 1/5Difficulty 5/5
Online class, but managing the structure and substance of this course is the most dreadful experience ever. 4 tests make up the entirety of your grade and those are pretty hard. You def have to study a lot, and even then it's unclear how much of a chance you have to get a decent score. The professor doesn't seem very involved with this class.
Rate My Professors ↗
Quality 4/5Difficulty 5/5
Cannot stress enough how essential Laplante's Finance 300 course is for finance majors. Gained the basic fundamentals that are needed in every facet of business. Tough course, lots of reading (he wrote the textbook), hard exams, but I do feel thoroughly educated in my knowledge of finance. If as you are willing to work hard, you will find success.
Rate My Professors ↗
FIN300 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 5/5
FIN300 is the hardest class I've ever taken. That being said, Laplante is the best prof/teacher I've ever had. Whether or not you decide to take his class should be dependent on how much you value learning finance. If you are interested in finance, he is the best prof. at UW - take it! If uninterested in finance, stay as FAR away as possible.
Rate My Professors ↗

Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.

Classes with Mark Laplante

Introduction to corporate finance and investment concepts including valuation, capital budgeting, and financial markets.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Mark Laplante is praised for his passion, clear explanations, and inspirational teaching. Reviewers highlight his straightforwardness and wit, noting he cares deeply about student success.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2026

GENBUS 310 introduces non-business majors to basic accounting, finance, and business law concepts within the market enterprise system.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Mark Laplante is an intelligent but demanding instructor. Reviewers note that course materials are well-organized and provide a solid business overview. While some found exams straightforward with preparation, others reported unclear lectures requiring outside study resources.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2026

Recorded teaching history

Explore courses taught by this instructor →
Browse recorded courses
TermCourseTitle
Fall 2026ECON/FINANCE 300Introduction to Finance
Fall 2026GENBUS 310Fundamentals of Accounting and Finance for Non-business Majors

Teaching history may be incomplete. Course pages contain course-specific feedback and citations.

Instructor identity & provenance
{
  "instructor_uid": "instructor_ec68c58d6b791a03718cf9ee",
  "source": "enrollment",
  "source_instructor_id": "mlaplante",
  "identity_basis": "netid",
  "identity_status": "source_identified",
  "name": "Mark Laplante",
  "email": "MARK.LAPLANTE@WISC.EDU",
  "first_observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00",
  "last_observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00",
  "ratings": {
    "review_count": 179,
    "quality": 3.78,
    "difficulty": 4.23,
    "quality_count": 179,
    "difficulty_count": 179,
    "profile_id": "rmp:1852566",
    "source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1852566",
    "match_basis": "exact_name",
    "observed_at": "2026-09-07 16:20:36.014761+00:00",
    "courses": {
      "course_bff484b003bf5318358b70ba": {
        "review_count": 13,
        "quality": 4.31,
        "difficulty": 4.08,
        "quality_count": 13,
        "difficulty_count": 13
      },
      "course_da7d566104c10e964ae121ce": {
        "review_count": 24,
        "quality": 2.5,
        "difficulty": 4.33,
        "quality_count": 24,
        "difficulty_count": 24
      },
      "course_f3450711de0fb6e08ca2925e": {
        "review_count": 1,
        "quality": 1,
        "difficulty": 3,
        "quality_count": 1,
        "difficulty_count": 1
      }
    },
    "bayesian_quality": 3.767908118949407,
    "prior_mean": 3.6596857835465957,
    "prior_weight": 20
  },
  "current": true,
  "courses": [
    {
      "course_uid": "course_bff484b003bf5318358b70ba",
      "course_id": "ECON/FINANCE 300",
      "title": "INTRODUCTION TO FINANCE",
      "credits_min": 3,
      "credits_max": 3,
      "gpa": 3.011
    },
    {
      "course_uid": "course_da7d566104c10e964ae121ce",
      "course_id": "GENBUS 310",
      "title": "FUNDAMENTALS OF ACCOUNTING AND FINANCE FOR NON-BUSINESS MAJORS",
      "credits_min": 3,
      "credits_max": 3,
      "gpa": 3.141
    }
  ],
  "revision": "e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349",
  "instructor_url": "/instructors/MARK_LAPLANTE"
}