Materials Engineering at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

UW-Milwaukee's materials engineering program charges slightly more in debt than typical for Wisconsin while delivering below-average starting salaries at $69,175—about $7,500 less than Madison graduates earn and nearly $4,000 below the state median. Among Wisconsin's three materials engineering programs, this ranks 40th percentile, which effectively means it's the weakest option in a small field. The debt load of $29,750, while higher than both state and national medians, translates to a manageable 0.43 debt-to-earnings ratio that most graduates should be able to handle.

The critical caveat: this data comes from fewer than 30 graduates, making these numbers volatile year-to-year. A small cohort can skew dramatically based on just a few students' outcomes. That said, the pattern—higher debt for lower earnings compared to the flagship campus an hour west—suggests structural differences in career services, employer relationships, or curriculum rigor that prospective students should investigate directly.

For families prioritizing affordability and accessibility (UW-Milwaukee's 88% admission rate makes it far easier to enter than Madison), this program offers a legitimate path to engineering employment. But if your child can gain admission to Madison's materials engineering program, the $7,500 salary premium makes that the superior investment, even accounting for any additional costs.