Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities at University of Wisconsin-Platteville

UW-Platteville's liberal arts associate degree punches well above its weight, with graduates earning $37,558—nearly $8,000 more than Wisconsin's median for this program and about $10,000 above the national figure. That places it in the 95th percentile nationally and 80th percentile statewide, impressive for a program that typically struggles with post-graduation earnings. The debt load of $11,875 is right in line with state averages, creating a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.32 that's quite manageable.

The major asterisk here is the tiny sample size—fewer than 30 graduates were tracked—which means these numbers could shift considerably with a larger cohort. The flat earnings trajectory from year one to year four also deserves attention; these graduates aren't seeing income growth in their early career years, though they're starting from a stronger baseline than most peers. This could reflect the nature of jobs available with an associate's in liberal arts, or it might simply be statistical noise from the small sample.

For families considering this as a two-year option, the strong starting earnings and modest debt make it financially sound compared to alternatives in Wisconsin. Just remember that the small cohort means your child's experience could differ meaningfully from what these numbers suggest.