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Business Administration and Management at University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

WI · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 52.02

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Business Administration and Management degree from University of Wisconsin - Whitewater earn a median salary of $71,446 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in WI, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $75,127. The degree typically pays for itself in 6.1 years.

Quick Insights

Solid Investment

How this degree looks at a glance

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

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$56,590

Typical Career

$71,446

Top Performers

$89,120

Estimated break-even: 6.1 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$476

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $5,954. Most students can comfortably afford about a $476 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.8x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.9x 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: Educational Services, Health Care & Social Assistance, Manufacturing.

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Educational Services 18.5%
Health Care & Social Assistance 11.5%
Manufacturing 10.9%

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

5-Year Median Salary — National Purchasing Power Equivalent

$75,127

Nominal: $71,446 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).

6.1 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 $40,704 $52,703 $64,365
5 Years After Graduation $56,590 $71,446 $89,120
10 Years After Graduation $68,810 $88,627 $114,837

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 $71,446 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)
= $71,446 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9510) = $75,127 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates with a degree in Business Administration and Management from the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater experience a positive earnings trajectory. Median earnings one year after graduation stand at $52,703, which increases to $71,446 five years post-graduation and reaches $88,627 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the median earnings five years after graduation equate to approximately $75,127. This suggests that graduates can expect a solid return on their educational investment, particularly when considering the cost of living index in Wisconsin, which is slightly lower than the national average.

The top industries that graduates enter include Educational Services (18.5%), Health Care & Social Assistance (11.5%), and Manufacturing (10.9%). These sectors not only provide diverse career opportunities but also indicate a stable job market for graduates. With an estimated break-even point of approximately 6.1 years compared to a high-school-only path, the overall return on investment for pursuing a degree in Business Administration and Management appears favorable, making it a viable option for students considering their future career prospects.

AI-assisted editorial analysis based on Census PSEO data. Fact-checked against source data.

Compare with Another School

See how the Business Administration and Management degree at University of Wisconsin - Whitewater stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

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.

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