Design and Applied Arts at Bryant & Stratton College-Wauwatosa

Bryant & Stratton College-Wauwatosa's Design and Applied Arts program starts graduates at $25,506—about $4,200 below Wisconsin's median for this degree and trailing well behind the state's technical colleges. Waukesha County Technical College, for instance, posts first-year earnings of $39,095, more than 50% higher. While earnings jump impressively to $36,896 by year four, that's still playing catch-up to where graduates from stronger programs start.

The debt picture is mixed: at $17,511, it's higher than both state and national medians, though the ratio of 0.69 to first-year earnings remains manageable. With 57% of students receiving Pell grants, many families here are price-sensitive and need programs that deliver immediate earning power. The growth trajectory is encouraging, but the low starting point matters enormously when you're servicing debt from day one.

The small sample size (under 30 graduates) adds uncertainty to these figures, but the pattern is clear enough: Wisconsin's technical college system consistently produces better outcomes for design students. If your child is committed to this field and considering Bryant & Stratton, visit their career services office and ask specifically about internship placements and employer partnerships—those connections could be the difference-maker that helps graduates defy these averages.