Nutrition Sciences at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

At $30,042 in first-year earnings, UW-Milwaukee's Nutrition Sciences program falls slightly below both the national median ($30,508) and notably trails the Wisconsin median ($32,273) for this degree. More concerning, it ranks in just the 40th percentile among Wisconsin's four nutrition programs, earning about $4,500 less annually than UW-Madison graduates in the same field. While this gap might seem modest, it compounds significantly over a career—and that's before considering the debt picture.

The program does keep borrowing relatively contained at $31,000, which sits below the state median and in the 5th percentile nationally (meaning 95% of similar programs burden students with more debt). The resulting debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.03 is manageable but tight—graduates will owe roughly their entire first year's salary. For context, nutrition science isn't typically a high-earning field nationally, so these modest starting salaries reflect the profession's broader reality rather than just this program's outcomes.

For Wisconsin families, this creates a practical dilemma: you're paying for outcomes that lag other in-state options. If your student is admitted to UW-Madison's nutrition program, the earnings advantage likely justifies choosing it instead. However, if Milwaukee is the accessible option due to location, cost, or admission requirements, the moderate debt load prevents this from being a financial disaster—just be prepared for several years of careful budgeting after graduation.