Best Bachelor's Degree Programs at University of Wisconsin-Madison by ROI
Every Bachelor's Degree major at University of Wisconsin-Madison ranked by estimated 20-year net return on investment. Data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
Programs Analyzed
73
Majors with salary data
Average 20-Yr Net ROI
+$106,640
Across all programs
Average Annual Cost
$27,770
Cost of attendance
| # | Major | 20-Yr Net ROI | Median Salary | Annual Cost | Avg Debt | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Computer Engineering.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
+$995,040 | $97,306 | $27,770 | $0 | Full ROI → |
| 2 |
Real Estate.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
+$847,365 | $91,306 | $27,770 | $20,500 | Full ROI → |
| 3 |
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
+$840,442 | $91,078 | $27,770 | $22,250 | Full ROI → |
| 4 |
Chemical Engineering.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
+$699,751 | $84,023 | $27,770 | $21,947 | Full ROI → |
| 5 |
Computer and Information Sciences, General.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
+$686,725 | $83,409 | $27,770 | $22,500 | Full ROI → |
| 6 |
Mechanical Engineering.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
+$639,125 | $80,894 | $27,770 | $20,500 | Full ROI → |
| 7 |
Insurance.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
+$608,225 | $79,349 | $27,770 | $20,500 | Full ROI → |
| 8 |
Industrial Engineering.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
+$577,371 | $78,014 | $27,770 | $23,577 | Full ROI → |
| 9 |
International Business.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
+$561,320 | $76,565 | $27,770 | $14,000 | Full ROI → |
| 10 |
Finance and Financial Management Services.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
+$533,175 | $75,664 | $27,770 | $21,500 | Full ROI → |
| 11 |
Nuclear Engineering.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
+$503,100 | $72,709 | $27,770 | $0 | Full ROI → |
| 12 |
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
+$494,932 | $73,870 | $27,770 | $23,250 | Full ROI → |
| 13 |
Civil Engineering.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
+$474,532 | $72,850 | $27,770 | $23,250 | Full ROI → |
| 14 |
Marketing.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
+$466,465 | $72,261 | $27,770 | $20,500 | Full ROI → |
| 15 |
Agricultural Engineering.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
+$457,235 | $72,002 | $27,770 | $23,500 | Full ROI → |
| 16 |
Geological/Geophysical Engineering.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
+$449,200 | $70,014 | $27,770 | $0 | Full ROI → |
| 17 |
Physics.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
+$421,005 | $69,988 | $27,770 | $20,500 | Full ROI → |
| 18 |
Materials Engineering
Grad rate: 89.3% |
+$415,267 | $69,713 | $27,770 | $20,676 | Full ROI → |
| 19 |
Business Administration, Management and Operations.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
+$395,445 | $68,710 | $27,770 | $20,500 | Full ROI → |
| 20 |
Mathematics.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
+$382,225 | $68,049 | $27,770 | $20,500 | Full ROI → |
| 21 |
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
+$375,910 | $68,037 | $27,770 | $25,000 | Full ROI → |
| 22 |
Accounting and Related Services.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
+$364,493 | $67,216 | $27,770 | $21,294 | Full ROI → |
| 23 |
Biomedical/Medical Engineering.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
+$357,415 | $66,808 | $27,770 | $20,492 | Full ROI → |
| 24 |
Food Science and Technology.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
+$307,880 | $62,948 | $27,770 | $0 | Full ROI → |
| 25 |
Statistics.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
+$293,940 | $64,006 | $27,770 | $26,000 | Full ROI → |
| 26 |
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
+$243,150 | $61,399 | $27,770 | $25,000 | Full ROI → |
| 27 |
Economics.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
+$176,407 | $57,775 | $27,770 | $20,750 | Full ROI → |
| 28 |
Agricultural Business and Management.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
+$156,260 | $56,312 | $27,770 | $14,000 | Full ROI → |
| 29 |
General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
+$138,879 | $55,958 | $27,770 | $21,630 | Full ROI → |
| 30 |
Chemistry.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
+$104,161 | $54,520 | $27,770 | $26,043 | Full ROI → |
| 31 |
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
+$88,844 | $53,748 | $27,770 | $25,952 | Full ROI → |
| 32 |
Nutrition Sciences.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
+$60,045 | $51,940 | $27,770 | $20,500 | Full ROI → |
| 33 |
Agricultural Public Services.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
+$46,149 | $51,040 | $27,770 | $17,460 | Full ROI → |
| 34 |
Design and Applied Arts.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
+$28,578 | $50,392 | $27,770 | $20,875 | Full ROI → |
| 35 |
Non-Professional General Legal Studies (Undergraduate).
Grad rate: 89.3% |
+$2,277 | $49,084 | $27,770 | $20,980 | Full ROI → |
| 36 |
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
-$10,450 | $48,854 | $27,770 | $27,000 | Full ROI → |
| 37 |
Journalism.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
-$20,887 | $48,079 | $27,770 | $23,250 | Full ROI → |
| 38 |
Political Science and Government.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
-$27,420 | $47,668 | $27,770 | $22,000 | Full ROI → |
| 39 |
Microbiological Sciences and Immunology.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
-$29,498 | $47,664 | $27,770 | $23,480 | Full ROI → |
| 40 |
Animal Sciences.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
-$48,400 | $46,889 | $27,770 | $26,000 | Full ROI → |
| 41 |
Genetics.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
-$63,800 | $45,714 | $27,770 | $20,000 | Full ROI → |
| 42 |
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
-$73,899 | $45,273 | $27,770 | $20,948 | Full ROI → |
| 43 |
Geography and Cartography.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
-$80,917 | $44,875 | $27,770 | $20,250 | Full ROI → |
| 44 |
History.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
-$81,587 | $44,886 | $27,770 | $20,909 | Full ROI → |
| 45 |
Special Education and Teaching.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
-$102,365 | $43,979 | $27,770 | $22,863 | Full ROI → |
| 46 |
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
-$102,795 | $44,033 | $27,770 | $23,982 | Full ROI → |
| 47 |
Apparel and Textiles.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
-$103,800 | $44,119 | $27,770 | $26,000 | Full ROI → |
| 48 |
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
-$125,260 | $41,291 | $27,770 | $0 | Full ROI → |
| 49 |
Communication and Media Studies.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
-$128,947 | $42,676 | $27,770 | $23,250 | Full ROI → |
| 50 |
Anthropology.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
-$130,436 | $42,367 | $27,770 | $19,775 | Full ROI → |
| 51 |
Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
-$130,440 | $41,032 | $27,770 | $0 | Full ROI → |
| 52 |
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
-$132,210 | $42,496 | $27,770 | $23,000 | Full ROI → |
| 53 |
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
-$132,277 | $42,307 | $27,770 | $20,250 | Full ROI → |
| 54 |
Social Work.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
-$140,627 | $41,967 | $27,770 | $21,398 | Full ROI → |
| 55 |
Sociology.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
-$165,152 | $40,498 | $27,770 | $17,802 | Full ROI → |
| 56 |
Psychology, General.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
-$176,040 | $40,184 | $27,770 | $21,215 | Full ROI → |
| 57 |
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
-$176,270 | $40,563 | $27,770 | $27,000 | Full ROI → |
| 58 |
Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
-$176,867 | $40,145 | $27,770 | $21,250 | Full ROI → |
| 59 |
Biology, General.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
-$180,795 | $39,898 | $27,770 | $20,500 | Full ROI → |
| 60 |
East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
-$184,520 | $38,328 | $27,770 | $0 | Full ROI → |
| 61 |
Natural Resources Conservation and Research.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
-$195,885 | $39,076 | $27,770 | $19,500 | Full ROI → |
| 62 |
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
-$196,182 | $39,078 | $27,770 | $19,750 | Full ROI → |
| 63 |
English Language and Literature, General.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
-$197,755 | $39,050 | $27,770 | $20,500 | Full ROI → |
| 64 |
Plant Sciences.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
-$214,400 | $36,834 | $27,770 | $0 | Full ROI → |
| 65 |
Zoology/Animal Biology.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
-$257,117 | $36,377 | $27,770 | $24,872 | Full ROI → |
| 66 |
Health and Physical Education/Fitness.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
-$270,680 | $35,775 | $27,770 | $26,000 | Full ROI → |
| 67 |
International/Global Studies.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
-$275,573 | $35,157 | $27,770 | $20,469 | Full ROI → |
| 68 |
Philosophy.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
-$304,411 | $33,968 | $27,770 | $24,216 | Full ROI → |
| 69 |
Music.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
-$320,040 | $31,552 | $27,770 | $0 | Full ROI → |
| 70 |
Fine and Studio Arts.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
-$340,216 | $31,847 | $27,770 | $19,316 | Full ROI → |
| 71 |
Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
-$363,865 | $30,677 | $27,770 | $19,500 | Full ROI → |
| 72 |
Area Studies.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
-$367,887 | $30,567 | $27,770 | $20,850 | Full ROI → |
| 73 |
Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management.
Grad rate: 89.3% |
-$377,940 | $28,657 | $27,770 | $0 | Full ROI → |
How ROI is calculated
20-Year Net ROI = Gross Earnings (salary × 20) − Total Degree Cost − Debt Payoff (×1.35) − Baseline Opportunity Cost ($42,000 × 20). Data from the U.S. College Scorecard.