WhatGradsMake
Master's+11% vs national median532 grads tracked

Social Sciences at University of Wisconsin - Madison

Ranked 19th of 151 master's programs in Social Sciences by 5-year earnings.

Median · 1 year out
$62,944
middle 50%: $41,088 – $81,761
Median · 5 years out
$84,991
middle 50%: $54,634 – $125,050
Median · 10 years out
$99,441
middle 50%: $75,648 – $141,539

Salary trajectory

Median earnings vs the national median for Social Sciences (master's) graduates.

This program (median)National median, same major & degreeMiddle 50% of graduates

Graduates of University of Wisconsin - Madison's master's program in Social Sciences earn a median $62,944 one year after graduating, rising to $99,441 by year ten. Five years out, earnings run 11% above the national median of $76,582 for this field, ranking 19th of 151 reporting programs.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau PSEO, release V4.13.0 2025Q4. Earnings are for graduates working in covered states; figures are medians in nominal dollars.

Will the degree pay for itself?

Drag the sliders — payback uses this program's actual salary curve.

Assumes a 6.5% APR loan and this program's median salary trajectory (interpolated between years 1, 5 and 10).

Paid off in
4.8 yrs
≈ $5,309 total interest

Same major at other universities

Georgia Institute of Technology
$87,210 · 5 yrs out
CUNY Hunter College
$86,744 · 5 yrs out
CUNY Queens College
$86,622 · 5 yrs out
University of Illinois Chicago
$86,191 · 5 yrs out
University of Texas at Austin
$85,978 · 5 yrs out
Clemson University
$85,788 · 5 yrs out
University of Utah
$84,874 · 5 yrs out
University of Connecticut
$84,347 · 5 yrs out
University of Virginia
$84,159 · 5 yrs out
Miami University
$84,083 · 5 yrs out
University of Oregon
$82,907 · 5 yrs out
Ohio State University (The)
$82,803 · 5 yrs out

Other majors at University of Wisconsin - Madison

Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services (Doctorate)
$227,440 · 5 yrs out
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services (Doctorate)
$191,060 · 5 yrs out
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services (Master's)
$179,858 · 5 yrs out
Medicine (Doctorate)
$176,530 · 5 yrs out
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (Doctorate)
$153,901 · 5 yrs out
Health Professions and Related Programs (Doctorate)
$153,036 · 5 yrs out
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctorate)
$143,232 · 5 yrs out
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (Bachelor's)
$140,310 · 5 yrs out
Engineering (Doctorate)
$139,926 · 5 yrs out
Mathematics and Statistics (Doctorate)
$134,767 · 5 yrs out
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services (Master's)
$133,218 · 5 yrs out
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor's)
$127,595 · 5 yrs out

Related fields of study

Anthropology
Compare universities
Archeology
Compare universities
Criminology
Compare universities
Economics
Compare universities
Geography and Cartography
Compare universities
International Relations and National Security Studies
Compare universities