Industrial Engineering at Milwaukee School of Engineering

Milwaukee School of Engineering's Industrial Engineering program produces graduates earning $71,112 in their first year—below both the national median ($74,709) and Wisconsin's median ($74,032) for this major. Among Wisconsin's four industrial engineering programs, this ranks 40th percentile, trailing both UW-Madison ($80,435) and UW-Platteville ($76,952). That's a notable gap considering MSOE's engineering-focused identity and comparable admission selectivity to these larger state universities.

The debt load of $27,000 is slightly above state and national averages, though not dramatically so. What's more concerning is the combination: below-average starting earnings with above-average debt creates a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.38. Graduates reach roughly $76,000 by year four—solid engineering money, but still lagging behind what peers from other Wisconsin programs earned in year one. The 7% earnings growth is modest for an engineering field where early-career jumps are typically more pronounced.

For Wisconsin families, this program offers reasonable engineering outcomes but not competitive ones within the state. If you're choosing between MSOE and a UW system school for industrial engineering specifically, the public options deliver stronger financial returns right out of the gate. MSOE may offer other advantages—smaller classes, industry connections, specialized facilities—but purely from an earnings standpoint, Wisconsin's public engineering programs provide better value for this particular major.