Wisconsin is a Midwest and Great Lakes state. The economy in Wisconsin is famously linked to the agricultural industry, which produces dairy products. In fact, Wisconsin is the largest cheese producer and the second largest milk producer in the country.
Wisconsin also has a strong manufacturing industry through transportation and capital firms.
Engineering Education in Wisconsin
Colleges and universities provide engineering programs with either concentrations or whole degrees of study.
For example, if a student wants to study electrical engineering, they might major in electrical engineering or enroll in an engineering program with an electrical engineering concentration.
For students who want a certificate or associate's degree in engineering, Wisconsin has seventeen community colleges offering such degrees. There is also the private College of the Menominee Nation, a Native American college, that offers associate's and certificate programs in engineering. The University of Wisconsin system provides bachelor's degree programs in engineering, with six of the campuses offering engineering programs. This includes the flagship campus in Madison and five other campuses.
There are six private colleges in Wisconsin who offer undergraduate programs, including Marquette University, Beloit College, and the Milwaukee School of Engineering.
Nine universities in Wisconsin offer master's and doctoral degrees in engineering, including the University of Wisconsin – Madison and Marquette University.
Outlook for Engineering Jobs in Wisconsin
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) states that there are 44,840 engineering jobs in Wisconsin as of May 2012 and that the average annual salary of an engineer in Wisconsin calculated to $65,770.
Different engineering careers offer different career opportunities and salaries. For example, even though Wisconsin has a strong agricultural industry, the BLS found that there were only 60 agricultural engineers earning a salary of $75,570.
In contrast, there are 6,670 industrial engineers in Wisconsin earning a salary of $71,750. Another example is mechanical engineers, who earn an average annual salary of $69,610 with 6,440 engineers employed in the state.