Packaging is a dynamic, multibillion-dollar industry in need of well-educated people. The projected demand for packaging professionals significantly exceeds the number of future graduates. Our specialized staff has developed a curriculum to prepare graduates to work with both traditional and emerging materials, manufacturing processes and technologies.
100% of Graduates Are Employed or Continuing Education Within 6 Months
UW-Stout is one of only a few schools in the U.S. (and the only school among the Universities of Wisconsin) that offers a B.S. in Packaging. The program combines general education with technical and professional studies. You will have an opportunity to apply theory to real problems. Through laboratory and co-op work experiences, you will apply the principles of science, mathematics and communications skills.
Career-Defining Curriculum
UW-Stout's Bachelor of Science degree in Packaging leads to interesting, challenging and rewarding careers opportunities ranging from research, development and sales to packaging design, printing and manufacturing. Stout graduates are among the industry's most sought after talent pools in the nation.
Program Overview
Program Areas of Emphasis
- Package Graphics Design
- Manufacturing/Quality
- Foods/Packaging
- Business/Sales
- Package Printing
- Package Design, Research & Development
- Packaging Machinery
- Plastics
- Sustainability
"The opportunities are endless here at UW-Stout. If you are consistent, work hard, and keep your priorities, you can achieve anything you want and have a blast at the same time."
Garrett Peterson
B.S. Packaging
Program Highlights
Our packaging program has been developed to meet the needs of business and industry, and focuses on applying technical knowledge to solve practical problems. We offer:
- Excellent Employment Rate & High Starting Salaries
- Dedicated Scholarships & Design Competitions
- Cutting-Edge Labs & Equipment
- Required Co-op/Internship Experiences
- Active Industry Advisory Board & Industry-Sponsored Projects
STEM OPT Extension Advantage for International Students
Use the Request Information form to receive a program summary and learn more about the Bachelor of Science degree in Packaging.
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Industry-Experienced Faculty Instruction
Forget TA-taught classes and 200-person lectures. At UW-Stout, building close relationships with our industry-experienced and academically accomplished packaging engineering faculty will play a key role in your polytechnic education. Learn more about your future instructors!
Do More in Our Industry-Standard Labs
Professional Internship Placements in Packaging
Take your education into industry and earn while you learn through UW-Stout’s award-winning Cooperative Education & Internship Program (CEIP) and other placements. Unlike traditional internships, our professional paid and pro bono credit-earning experiences connect you with leaders in your field, including Fortune 500 employers, to ensure you’re set up for success long before you graduate. More than a third of Stout students accept positions after graduation with their internship employer.
Recent Internship Employers
- Boston Scientific
- DDL, Inc.
- Ecolab
- Great Northern Corporation
- Harley-Davidson Motor Company
- Hill's Pet Nutrition
- Mars, Inc.
- Milwaukee Tool
- Molson Coors
Select Internship Position Titles
- Design Intern
- Engineering Intern
- Global Packaging & Design Intern
- Lab Technician
- Packaging Design Intern
- Packaging Engineer Intern
- Research & Development Intern
- Structural Design Intern
Discover More Degrees in Engineering
Industry's packaging problems are not only technical in nature. They are also social and economic. Packaging professionals must, therefore, have a broad education.
The first two years of the program includes English composition, speech communications, and other general education offerings as well as calculus, chemistry, physics, computer applications and foundation packaging courses.
As You Progress
The trend in the packaging industry is to hire employees who can function in more than one area at career entry. UW-Stout's Packaging program recognizes this trend by offering the student the opportunity to select an "emphasis" which includes course and lab work beyond the technical core of the program. Students can select from several emphasis areas; package graphic design, package printing, manufacturing/quality, business/sales, foods/packaging, or package design, research and development.
An off-campus co-op experience in the packaging industry of at least six months is strongly encouraged. Today's employers show a preference for the graduate who has completed at least one co-op.
Student professional organizations offer another opportunity to learn outside the classroom setting. The UW-Stout student chapter of the Institute of Packaging Professionals (IoPP) helps packaging program students begin "networking" with their professional colleagues.
Entry Positions
The packaging industry seeks qualified professionals with a broad-based career entry education. A B.S. degree in Packaging can lead to positions with local, national or international firms. Entry level is determined by several variables, including the emphasis selected, work experience, personal contacts, grade point average and economic cycles.
Typical Job Titles
- Senior Packaging Engineer
- Distribution Sales Manager
- Sales Engineer
- Design Department Manager
- Structural Designer
- Packaging Specialties Buyer
- Package Cushioning Designer
- Product Development Manager
- Package Testing and Development Engineer
- Technical Services
- Customer Service/Package Engineer
Where Graduates Work
- General Mills
- International Paper
- Snap-On Tools
- Abbott Laboratories
- Digital Computer
- Medtronic
- Bristol Meyers
- Kell Container
- Kohler
- Helene Curtis
- Hormel
- Federal Express
- Georgia-Pacific
- IBM
- H.B. Fuller
- Baxter
- GM-Delco
- FRITO-LAY
- 3M
Advisory Committee Members
| Mary Paz | Alvarez Valverde | Assistant Professor | UW-Stout |
| Julia | Anastasi | Senior Package Engineer | 3M |
| Tony | Baker | Engineering Manager | Johnson Controls |
| Brian | Barts | Director, Career Services | UW-Stout |
| Chris | Bendel | Associate Dean | UW-Stout |
| Tom | Blanck | President | Packaging Solutions Group |
| Steve | Brion | Training Coordinator/Project Manager | TEN-E Packaging |
| Daniel | Burgess | Fellow, Packaging Engineering | Boston Scientific Corporation |
| Min Liu | Degruson | Associate Professor; Program Director | UW-Stout |
| David | Ding | Associate Dean; Director, Robert F. Cervenka School of Engineering | UW-Stout |
| Dan | Dressel | Senior Packaging Engineer | Johnsonville Sausage |
| Michelle | Duda | Project Packaging Engineer | FedEx |
| Matt | Ellwanger | Sales ENG Manager | Syntegon |
| Daniel | Freedman | Dean, CSTEMM | UW-Stout |
| Garrett | Griswold | Senior Packaging Engineer, Personal Care | Kimberly-Clark Corp. |
| Jennifer | Hawkins | Development Team Leader | Prent Corporation |
| Vanessa | Hinrichs | Logistics Planning Supervisor | Polaris Industries |
| Seth | Hudson | OCREE | UW-Stout |
| Jon | Hunter | Vice President, Operations | Team Packaging Company |
| Erin | Konsela | Corporate & Foundation Relations Gift Officer | UW-Stout |
| Rob | Kaszubowski | Principal, Packaging Optimization | Chainalytics/NTT Data |
| Kyle | Kozlowski | Senior Package Engineer | Johnsonville Sausage LLC |
| Xiaojing | Liu | Assistant Professor | UW-Stout |
| Tony | Lubs | Director II, Global Packaging Engineering | Ecolab |
| Jake | Meicher | Staff Packaging Engineer | Kohler Company |
| Matt | Murphy | Technical Sales Manager | Green Bay Packaging |
| Megan | Quick | Advisor | Advisement Center- UW-Stout |
| Griffin | Resiman | Student Ambassador | UW-Stout |
| John | Scheffler | Instructor | UW-Stout |
| Zach | Schmidtknecht | Vice President; General Manager | Great Northern Corporation |
| Anne | Schmitz | Department Chair, Engineering & Technology | UW-Stout |
| Eric | Sinz | Vice President, Packaging | Target |
| Bodin | Stovern | Packaging Engineer; Sourcing Analyst | H.B. Fuller |
| Brett | Sweeney | Commercial Optimization Manager | International Paper |
| Claire | Thurbush | R & D Manager | General Mills |
| Jenny | Weidman | Packaging Engineer | Ariens Co |
| Tom | Wetsch | Chief Innovation Officer | Pregis LLC |
