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

UW-Milwaukee's geosciences program operates in a peculiar middle ground—outperforming most programs nationally while lagging behind its Wisconsin peers. With first-year earnings of $42,932, graduates land in the 70th percentile nationally but only the 40th percentile statewide. They're essentially earning $3,000 less than the typical Wisconsin geosciences graduate and trailing nearby UW-Eau Claire by about $1,300 annually. This matters because in-state students likely have better-performing options that start from similar tuition baselines.

The financial fundamentals, however, are solid. At $27,000 in debt—well below both national and state medians—the debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.63 is manageable, particularly given the 14% earnings growth to nearly $49,000 by year four. The relatively low debt burden (11th percentile nationally) means graduates enter the workforce without the crushing financial pressure seen in many science programs.

For Wisconsin families, this creates a straightforward calculation: if your student can access UW-Madison or UW-Eau Claire's geosciences programs, the earnings data suggests those are marginally better bets. But UW-Milwaukee still delivers reasonable value—decent pay, modest debt, and steady career progression. Just don't expect it to match the state's top performers out of the gate.