ROI Major

Teacher Education, Specific Subject Areas at University of Wisconsin - Platteville

WI · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 13.13

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Teacher Education, Specific Subject Areas degree from University of Wisconsin - Platteville earn a median salary of $56,595 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in WI, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $59,511. The degree typically pays for itself in 9.8 years.

Quick Insights

Slow Burn / High Debt Risk

How this degree looks at a glance

A fast read on salary range, break-even speed, living-cost impact, and where graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$46,924

Typical Career

$56,595

Top Performers

$66,310

Estimated break-even: 9.8 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$377

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,716. Most students can comfortably afford about a $377 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.5x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.7x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Wisconsin buys what costs $0.95 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Manufacturing, Professional, Scientific & Technical Services, Educational Services.

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Manufacturing 21.2%
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 13.1%
Educational Services 13.0%

Institution-wide industry mix for graduates, 5 years after graduation. This is not major-specific. Source: Census PSEO Flows.

5-Year Median Salary — National Purchasing Power Equivalent

$59,511

Nominal: $56,595 in Wisconsin (COL 95.1% of national avg) · 5.2% higher purchasing power

10-Year Earnings Curve

Break-Even Timeline

How long until cumulative earnings advantage exceeds total college investment (tuition + opportunity cost vs. entering workforce directly after high school).

9.8 years to break even
Graduation 15 years

Total Investment

$155,168

4yr tuition + 4yr opportunity cost

HS Graduate Baseline

$38,792/yr

BLS 2023 median, HS diploma

View Raw Data: Median Earnings by Year
Timeframe 25th Pct. Median (50th) 75th Pct.
1 Year After Graduation $27,855 $38,260 $50,069
5 Years After Graduation $46,924 $56,595 $66,310
10 Years After Graduation $56,420 $66,562 $82,959

Source: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO), 2025 release. Earnings shown for Bachelor's degree graduates (all cohorts combined).

How We Calculate Purchasing Power

The median salary of $56,595 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in WI, which has a cost-of-living index of 95.1% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $56,595 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9510) = $59,511 National Average equivalent.

COL index source: BLS Regional Consumer Price Index & MIT Living Wage Project, 2023. Full methodology →

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Teacher Education, Specific Subject Areas program at the University of Wisconsin - Platteville experience a positive earnings trajectory over time. One year after graduation, median earnings stand at $38,260, which increases to $56,595 five years later and reaches $66,562 by the ten-year mark. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent nationally is approximately $59,511.04, indicating that while initial earnings may be modest, they improve significantly with experience, reflecting a solid return on investment over time.

The top industries for graduates include Manufacturing (21.2%), Professional, Scientific & Technical Services (13.1%), and Educational Services (13.0%). The estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is approximately 9.8 years, suggesting that pursuing a degree in this field may take nearly a decade to yield financial advantages over a high school diploma. Overall, while the initial financial returns may be lower than some other fields, the long-term earnings potential and diverse industry opportunities present a favorable outlook for graduates.

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Data sources: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO). Cost-of-living index: BLS Regional CPI & MIT Living Wage Project. Cost of attendance: IPEDS. For informational use only; data may be suppressed for small cohort sizes.