Journalism at University of Wisconsin-Madison

Madison, WI · Bachelor's Degree · about 221 graduates a year

$40,942
Median pay 1 year after graduating
$75,967
Median pay 4 years after graduating
$56,278
National median for this major (4 yrs)
#6 of 187
Rank by pay
#2 of 187
Rank, wage-adjusted
$21,500
Median federal debt

University of Wisconsin-Madison graduates in journalism earn 35% more than the national median for the same major four years after graduating. Their median federal debt equals about 28% of one year’s pay at that point.

How University of Wisconsin-Madison Compares for Journalism

All 187 colleges reporting journalism earnings at this degree level, ranked by median pay four years after graduation. “Wage-adjusted” divides pay by the square root of the state’s wage index so colleges in low-wage states aren’t penalized for local pay.

#College4 yrs afterWage-adjustedAdj. rank1 yr after
1Lehigh University Bethlehem, PA$81,935$83,329#1$45,256
2George Washington University Washington, DC$81,927$71,789#10$52,015
3Northwestern University Evanston, IL$80,258$78,853#3$50,426
4University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA$79,776$72,591#8$44,651
5Chapman University Orange, CA$79,135$72,008#9$41,645
6University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI$75,967$79,047#2$40,942
7Northeastern University Boston, MA$74,709$65,789#20$51,855
8Fordham University Bronx, NY$72,475$68,981#13$42,769
9University of Miami Coral Gables, FL$71,466$76,066#5$41,378
10California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA$70,829$64,450#25$48,637

Other Majors at University of Wisconsin-Madison by Graduate Pay

Major4 yrs after1 yr afterRank in major
Real Estate$120,483$73,239#4 of 25
Computer Engineering$120,068—#38 of 189
Computer and Information Sciences$119,655$80,566#48 of 459
Industrial Engineering$110,711$80,435#14 of 94
Finance and Financial Management Services$107,207$68,681#29 of 452
International Business$106,783$66,591#6 of 115
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods$106,521$83,260#19 of 126
Insurance$105,992$78,796#1 of 21
Nuclear Engineering$102,449—#4 of 12
Chemical Engineering$101,676$85,945#44 of 158
Mathematics$101,438$67,744#23 of 309
Accounting and Related Services$101,390$68,909#48 of 796
Business Administration, Management and Operations$100,005$67,699#28 of 1176
Biomedical/Medical Engineering$99,762$74,094#32 of 118
Statistics$99,210$64,684#16 of 50
Marketing$96,148$65,224#11 of 516
Mechanical Engineering$95,114$74,611#83 of 318
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering$95,059$82,018#181 of 258
Engineering Mechanics$92,276$72,612—
Materials Engineering$91,265$76,662#19 of 34
Civil Engineering$87,691$71,246#85 of 233
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing$85,579$75,513#517 of 966
Food Science and Technology$85,445—#1 of 29
Economics$85,366$54,495#135 of 368
General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations$82,081$57,760#8 of 27
Agricultural Business and Management$81,655$49,868#5 of 77
Agricultural Engineering$78,368$67,746#23 of 26
Physics$77,380$36,878#59 of 107
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness$74,963$29,866#14 of 610
Management Information Systems and Services—$73,506—

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do University of Wisconsin-Madison journalism graduates make?

Graduates earn a median $40,942 one year after graduating and $75,967 four years after graduating. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

How does University of Wisconsin-Madison rank for journalism?

Among 187 colleges reporting earnings for journalism graduates, University of Wisconsin-Madison ranks #6 by median pay four years after graduation, and #2 after adjusting for state wage levels.

Is journalism at University of Wisconsin-Madison worth it?

Its graduates earn 35% more than the national median for journalism ($56,278), and the median federal debt at graduation is $21,500.

← All data for University of Wisconsin-Madison · Methodology

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study data. Earnings are medians for graduates who received federal aid and were working and not enrolled; programs with few graduates are not reported. Wage adjustment uses Census ACS state median household income.