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 ↗
Historical instructor
Mark Laplante
What students say
Original student reviews · all captured dates
Quality 5/5Difficulty 5/5
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 ↗
Quality 5/5Difficulty 4/5
One of the best professors I've ever had. Cares a lot about his students.Rate My Professors ↗
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 ↗
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
No teaching recorded in Fall 2026.
No courses match this selection. Try the full catalog or another term.
Recorded teaching history
Explore courses taught by this instructor →Browse recorded courses
| Term | Course | Title |
|---|
Teaching history may be incomplete. Course pages contain course-specific feedback and citations.
Instructor identity & provenance
{
"instructor_uid": "instructor_bc07a45a198164479d8cf172",
"source": "legacy",
"source_instructor_id": null,
"identity_basis": "name_only",
"identity_status": "unresolved",
"name": "Mark Laplante",
"email": "MARK.LAPLANTE@WISC.EDU",
"first_observed_at": "2025-07-13 04:59:22.367394+00:00",
"last_observed_at": "2025-11-16 05:32:31.273726+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": false,
"courses": [],
"revision": "e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349",
"instructor_url": "/instructors/MARK_LAPLANTE--instructor_bc07a45a198164479d8cf172"
}