Design and Applied Arts at Mount Mary University

Mount Mary's Design and Applied Arts program graduates earn substantially less than their peers across Wisconsin—sitting in just the 25th percentile statewide. With first-year earnings of $30,053, graduates trail the Wisconsin median by over $6,000 and fall nearly $20,000 short of what UW-Madison design grads earn. Even compared to national benchmarks, this program underperforms, landing in the 34th percentile.

The debt load of $26,500 is roughly average, but it becomes problematic when paired with below-average earnings. That 0.88 debt-to-earnings ratio means graduates face nearly a full year's salary in student loans—a challenging starting point for creative professionals typically working in lower-wage early-career positions. While earnings do improve to $37,070 by year four (a 23% increase), this still leaves graduates earning less than the Wisconsin state median for design programs.

For families considering this program, the numbers suggest looking elsewhere in Wisconsin. The state has 20 design programs to choose from, and at least 15 of them produce better earning outcomes. If Mount Mary offers specific faculty connections, facilities, or artistic specializations that align with your child's goals, those factors might justify the investment—but purely from an earnings standpoint, Wisconsin's public university system delivers significantly better returns for design students.