Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology at University of Wisconsin-Madison

A first-year salary of $36,790 paired with an estimated $24,250 in debt creates a manageable 0.66 debt-to-earnings ratio—but that salary figure itself deserves scrutiny. UW-Madison's atmospheric sciences graduates start nearly $5,000 below the national median for this major, landing at the 10th percentile nationally. That's surprisingly weak for a flagship research university with a 1402 average SAT score and one of the country's premier meteorology programs.

The debt estimate comes from comparable UW-Madison programs with small graduate cohorts, so actual borrowing for atmospheric sciences students could differ. Still, based on peer programs at similar institutions, $24,250 represents reasonable borrowing relative to the modest starting salary. The real concern is why earnings lag so far behind national norms. It could reflect Wisconsin's job market for meteorologists, timing of data collection, or perhaps an unusual concentration of graduates pursuing graduate school rather than immediate employment in the field.

For parents, this creates uncertainty: you're investing in a respected program at a research powerhouse, but the earnings data suggests graduates aren't immediately capitalizing on that reputation. If your student plans graduate work in atmospheric sciences—common in this field—the relatively modest debt position matters more than first-year earnings. But if they're counting on this bachelor's degree alone to launch a meteorology career, similar programs nationally are producing stronger initial outcomes.