November 5, 2025
The University of Wisconsin – Stout (UW-Stout) has a rich history in packaging education. Throughout several generations, the faculty in the UW-Stout packaging program has built the program to be among the top in the world. UW-Stout boasts a 100% employment rate for its graduates with solid starting salaries, highlighting the program’s effectiveness in equipping students for careers in the packaging industry.
Strong Connections With Industry
The packaging curriculum at UW-Stout has been updated constantly to ensure that students acquire the latest knowledge and skills. Each class features a diverse range of guest speakers and representatives from over 20 companies in the industry, enabling students to learn about current trends and gain valuable insights. The Packaging Advisory Committee comprises 25 packaging experts from various companies, ensuring comprehensive coverage of the diverse aspects of the packaging industry. These experts volunteer to participate in full-day meetings on campus twice a year, maintaining a close connection with the program. They provide constructive feedback on the course curriculum and offer support to both the program and students, thereby promoting healthy, long-term development and a broad vision for the program’s future.
Robust Cooperative Education Program
The cooperative education program is a valuable feature at UW-Stout. Students have the opportunity to participate in one or more co-op experiences during their college studies. Almost all the packaging students are involved, either directly or indirectly, in the corrugated paper packaging industry during their co-ops. Students who work at companies such as Packaging Corp. of America (PCA), Buckeye Corrugated Inc., Great Northern Corp., Green Bay Packaging, Menasha Packaging, and International Paper gain experience to develop practical skills through structured work-integrated learning, and it fosters their commitment to the corrugated and paper industry after graduation.
Design and Sustainable Focus
Each student in the program gains a solid foundation in material science, manufacturing, supply chain management, transportation, food packaging, consumer packaging, and medical device packaging, along with strong design skills and lab testing skills. After exploring their interests, each student selects an emphasis or minor that aligns with their career goals.
A shared focus across the program is sustainability, a challenge that both educational institutions and the industry must address. To prepare students for this, many research and class projects incorporate innovative designs that aim to reduce waste and minimize environmental impact. These designs can be seen in various packaging solutions, including cheese packaging, wine packaging, furniture packaging, personal care product packaging, kitchen appliance packaging, cooking oil packaging, charcuterie board packaging, pet food packaging, and much more.
Success in Student Design Competitions
The program actively engages students in design competitions to enhance hands-on learning and foster creativity. Notable competitions include the Institute of Packaging Professionals 48-Hour Redesign Competition, the Paper Packaging Alliance student design competition, the Flexible Packaging student design competition, the International Molded Fiber Association student design competition, the Ameristar student design competition, PCA Global, and of course the AICC student design competition, among others.
By participating in these activities, students showcase their creativity and innovation by applying classroom knowledge to solve real-world problems. In the history of the UW-Stout packaging program, we take pride in the numerous awards our students have won in national and international packaging competitions, shining a light on our StoutProud spirit!
Collaboration Across Disciplines
Packaging involves collaboration among various disciplines, including marketing, materials science, structural design, engineering, machinery, supply chain management, graphic design, and printing. We recognize the importance of equipping our students with effective communication and teamwork skills.
The Packaging program at UW-Stout welcomes motivated students and is dedicated to providing a high-quality education that helps them secure bright futures in the packaging industry. With the support of industry initiatives like the AICC Emerging Leaders program and the PPC Leadership Summit, we are optimistic that these students will become future leaders who will positively impact the entire industry.
Xiaojing “Kate” Liu is an associate professor of packaging at the University of Wisconsin – Stout.
