Mechanical Engineeringat University of Wisconsin-Madison
Graduates earn $74,611/yr in their first year — about 6.0% above the national Mechanical Engineering average. Base-case 10-year earnings $875K; scenarios range from $741K to $921K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at UW-Madison
First-year earnings of $74,611 at University of Wisconsin-Madison come in 6% above the national median of $70,527 for Mechanical Engineering programs.
The 19.5x earnings multiple means ten-year projected earnings exceed tuition cost by an order of magnitude. By pure financial math, this is a standout.
AI risk is moderate — 53% task exposure — and the 19% scenario spread suggests disruption would dent but not destroy the earnings outlook.
With first-year pay of $74,611 far exceeding the $19,450 median debt, the payback timeline is measured in months, not years.
A #29 ranking out of 320 Mechanical Engineering programs nationally puts University of Wisconsin-Madison in the top 10% — a strong but not elite position.
The five-year earnings trajectory from $74,611 to $97,845 shows 31% growth, reflecting steady but unremarkable salary progression.
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 Mechanical 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 Mechanical Engineering at UW-Madison
How does University of Wisconsin-Madison's Mechanical Engineering program score?
A score of 75/100 indicates strong financial outcomes. University of Wisconsin-Madison's Mechanical Engineering graduates fare well on earnings, job market size, and return on investment.
How vulnerable is Mechanical Engineering to AI automation?
AI won't 'replace' Mechanical Engineering careers outright, but it is likely to reduce the number of job openings. We model 53% task exposure, which compresses field employment probability in our scenarios.