Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences at University of Wisconsin-Madison

UW-Madison's geosciences program sits squarely in the middle of Wisconsin's offerings—not the state's top earner, but solidly above the worst performers. With first-year earnings of $43,068 that jump to $67,483 by year four, graduates see meaningful career progression. That 57% earnings growth is substantial and suggests the field rewards early experience. At $25,000 in debt, the financial burden is manageable, creating a reasonable 0.58 debt-to-earnings ratio that most graduates should be able to handle.

The catch? These numbers come from a very small graduating class—fewer than 30 students—which means one or two outliers could skew the picture significantly. The program performs slightly above the national median but trails UW-Eau Claire by about $1,000 in first-year earnings among Wisconsin schools. Still, Madison's trajectory looks better than some peers, and the four-year earnings reach a respectable level for the field.

For families comfortable with Wisconsin's middle-tier performance in geosciences and willing to accept some uncertainty due to the small sample size, this represents a solid path. The debt is reasonable, the earnings growth is real, and UW-Madison's strong academic reputation provides additional career benefits beyond the numbers. Just understand you're not getting the premium Wisconsin earnings in this particular program.