Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering at University of Wisconsin-Madison

UW-Madison engineering graduates start strong at $82,000 right out of college—beating the national median by $4,300 and landing in the 80th percentile nationally. But here's what matters for Wisconsin families: among the state's five electrical engineering programs, this sits squarely in the middle pack at the 60th percentile, trailing Marquette slightly and essentially matching UW-Platteville's outcomes. The modest $23,250 debt load helps, creating a manageable 0.28 debt-to-earnings ratio that lets graduates get ahead financially from day one.

The flatline from year one to year four deserves attention—earnings actually dip slightly to $81,000 rather than climbing. This isn't necessarily alarming for engineering; many graduates start at competitive corporate salaries that simply don't grow much in the first few years. What you're really buying is UW-Madison's engineering reputation and recruiting pipeline at a public school price point, not dramatic early-career salary growth.

For Wisconsin residents paying in-state tuition, this represents solid value: strong starting salaries with manageable debt at a respected flagship program. Out-of-state families should compare carefully against their home state's public options, since the outcomes here don't dramatically outperform peer programs enough to justify a significant tuition premium.