Program Analysis
At $76,662 per year, Materials Engineering graduates from University of Wisconsin-Madison earn slightly above the $71,341 national median. The premium is real but not dramatic.
Every dollar of in-state tuition returns an estimated 16.5x in decade earnings — an exceptional ratio that places this among the highest-ROI Materials Engineering programs nationally.
Some AI exposure exists in Materials Engineering's typical career paths, with 48% of job tasks potentially affected. The pessimistic scenario still projects solid returns, with a 15% gap from the optimistic case.
The median debt load of $20,195 represents less than half a year of starting salary — among the lightest debt-to-income ratios we track.
At #6 of 33 nationally, this is a top-5% Materials Engineering program. Financial outcomes consistently outperform the vast majority of peers.
Five-year earnings of $85,207 are relatively flat compared to the $76,662 starting salary — typical of fields with stable but capped salary bands.