Location: Milwaukee, WI•In-State Tuition: $5,017•Out-of-State Tuition: $7,210
Est. Earnings (1yr)
$41,852
Est. from WI median (14 programs)
Median Debt
$9,500
6% above national median

Analysis

Milwaukee Area Technical College's precision metal working certificate costs $9,500—a manageable debt load that keeps pace with what similar Wisconsin programs typically charge. The challenge is figuring out if the earnings match, since this program's first-year figures are estimates drawn from 14 comparable Wisconsin programs rather than MATC's actual graduate outcomes.

Based on those peer programs, graduates typically earn around $41,852 in year one, climbing to $46,483 by year four. That trajectory suggests steady but modest growth in a field where hands-on skill matters more than credential prestige. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.23 is reasonable—you'd owe roughly three months of gross pay—but several Wisconsin technical colleges report notably stronger outcomes for their metal working programs. Fox Valley and Chippewa Valley graduates, for instance, start around $48,000-$53,000, substantially ahead of what MATC's peer data suggests.

The core question is whether MATC can match or beat that $41,852 benchmark, which the suppressed data leaves unanswered. For a family weighing this investment, the debt is low enough that even if earnings land at the lower end of the state range, you're not facing financial disaster. But if location flexibility exists, programs with reported outcomes in the $48,000-$53,000 range represent a clearer value proposition for the same credential type.

Where Milwaukee Area Technical College Stands

Earnings vs. debt across all precision metal working certificate's programs nationally

Milwaukee Area Technical College (estimated ±10%)Other precision metal working programs

Dashed lines show national medians. Upper-left = best value.

Earnings Over Time

How earnings evolve from 1 year to 4 years after graduation

School1 Year4 YearsGrowth
Milwaukee Area Technical College—$46,483—
Madison Area Technical College$37,860$53,952+43%
Fox Valley Technical College$53,507$52,715-1%
Chippewa Valley Technical College$48,638$51,817+7%
Southwest Wisconsin Technical College$35,167$50,833+45%

Compare to Similar Programs in Wisconsin

Precision Metal Working certificate's programs at peer institutions in Wisconsin (17 total in state)

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SchoolIn-State TuitionEarnings (1yr)*Earnings (4yr)Median DebtDebt/Earnings
Milwaukee Area Technical CollegeMilwaukee$5,017$41,852*$46,483$9,500—
Fox Valley Technical CollegeAppleton$4,916$53,507*$52,715$7,6640.14
Chippewa Valley Technical CollegeEau Claire$4,724$48,638*$51,817$8,1090.17
Lakeshore Technical CollegeCleveland$4,649$48,619*$47,025——
Northcentral Technical CollegeWausau$3,861$47,718*$45,028$5,2500.11
Blackhawk Technical CollegeJanesville$4,170$44,698*$45,468——
National Median—$36,248*—$9,0000.25
* Estimated from similar programs

Career Paths

Occupations commonly associated with precision metal working graduates

Sheet Metal Workers

Fabricate, assemble, install, and repair sheet metal products and equipment, such as ducts, control boxes, drainpipes, and furnace casings. Work may involve any of the following: setting up and operating fabricating machines to cut, bend, and straighten sheet metal; shaping metal over anvils, blocks, or forms using hammer; operating soldering and welding equipment to join sheet metal parts; or inspecting, assembling, and smoothing seams and joints of burred surfaces. Includes sheet metal duct installers who install prefabricated sheet metal ducts used for heating, air conditioning, or other purposes.

$60,850/yrJobs growth:High school diploma or equivalent

Machinists

Set up and operate a variety of machine tools to produce precision parts and instruments out of metal. Includes precision instrument makers who fabricate, modify, or repair mechanical instruments. May also fabricate and modify parts to make or repair machine tools or maintain industrial machines, applying knowledge of mechanics, mathematics, metal properties, layout, and machining procedures.

$57,700/yrJobs growth:

Tool and Die Makers

Analyze specifications, lay out metal stock, set up and operate machine tools, and fit and assemble parts to make and repair dies, cutting tools, jigs, fixtures, gauges, and machinists' hand tools.

$57,700/yrJobs growth:

Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers

Use hand-welding, flame-cutting, hand-soldering, or brazing equipment to weld or join metal components or to fill holes, indentations, or seams of fabricated metal products.

$51,000/yrJobs growth:High school diploma or equivalent

Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend machines to extrude or draw thermoplastic or metal materials into tubes, rods, hoses, wire, bars, or structural shapes.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:

Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend forging machines to taper, shape, or form metal or plastic parts.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:

Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend machines to roll steel or plastic forming bends, beads, knurls, rolls, or plate, or to flatten, temper, or reduce gauge of material.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:

Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend machines to saw, cut, shear, slit, punch, crimp, notch, bend, or straighten metal or plastic material.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:

Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend drilling machines to drill, bore, ream, mill, or countersink metal or plastic work pieces.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:

Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend grinding and related tools that remove excess material or burrs from surfaces, sharpen edges or corners, or buff, hone, or polish metal or plastic work pieces.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:

Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend lathe and turning machines to turn, bore, thread, form, or face metal or plastic materials, such as wire, rod, or bar stock.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:

Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend milling or planing machines to mill, plane, shape, groove, or profile metal or plastic work pieces.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:
About This Data

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (October 2025 release)

Population: Graduates who received federal financial aid (Title IV grants or loans). At Milwaukee Area Technical College, approximately 41% of students receive Pell grants. Students who did not receive federal aid are not included in these figures.

Earnings: Median earnings from IRS W-2 data for graduates who are employed and not enrolled in further education, measured 1 year after completion. Earnings are pre-tax and include wages, salaries, and self-employment income.

Debt: Median cumulative federal loan debt at graduation. Does not include private loans or Parent PLUS loans borrowed on behalf of students.

Estimated Earnings: Actual earnings data is not available for this program (typically due to privacy thresholds when fewer than 30 graduates reported earnings). The estimate shown is based on the median of 14 similar programs in WI. Actual outcomes may vary.