Materials Engineeringat University of Wisconsin-Madison
Graduates earn $76,662/yr in their first year — about 7.0% above the national Materials Engineering average. Base-case 10-year earnings $737K; scenarios range from $653K to $766K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at UW-Madison
Your Materials Engineering degree from UW-Madison reflects the university's strong reputation in foundational sciences and engineering, attracting top faculty and research funding. This creates a robust academic environment that prepares you for complex challenges in developing and optimizing materials. The robust regional manufacturing base across Wisconsin and the Midwest provides a strong demand for materials scientists, particularly in sectors like advanced manufacturing, medical devices, and automotive components, often feeding graduates into leading industrial firms and research institutions.
While the field's increasing integration of AI presents a shift in task execution, it also opens new avenues for innovation. To best position yourself, actively seek out research opportunities and internships that expose you to advanced data analysis, simulation tools, and interdisciplinary project work. This will equip you to leverage new technologies and lead projects, future-proofing your expertise beyond routine tasks.
Three scenarios, ten years out
Each scenario is a different assumption about how AI reshapes the career paths this major feeds into. Earnings projections stack the full 10-year cumulative trajectory; scores use the same 0–100 metric as the hero, recomputed under that scenario's assumptions.
10 year projection
Year-by-year earnings under each scenario. Base case reflects BLS growth patterns applied to UW-Madison's starting earnings; optimistic and pessimistic adjust for AI's effect on each career path this major feeds into.
Common career destinations for this program's graduates, weighted by the school's specific occupation mix. Salary is BLS national median; AI risk is per-role task-exposure research.
Peer schools offering Materials Engineering
How UW-Madison stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at UW-Madison
Other highest-scoring programs offered at UW-Madison, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.
Frequently asked about Materials Engineering at UW-Madison
What is the DegreeOutlook Score for Materials Engineering at University of Wisconsin-Madison?
This program scores 70/100 — placing it among the stronger programs for Materials Engineering nationally. The score reflects above-average earnings, manageable AI risk, and solid financial return.
Will AI replace Materials Engineering careers?
With 48% of typical job tasks exposed to AI, this is one of the higher-risk fields. Our pessimistic scenario projects $653,079 in decade earnings vs $766,071 in the optimistic case — a meaningful gap.
What makes University of Wisconsin-Madison's Materials Engineering program stand out?
Ranked #6 of 33 programs nationally, University of Wisconsin-Madison lands in the top 25%. The ranking reflects a combination of graduate earnings, return on investment, and job market alignment.