Design and Applied Arts programs in Wisconsin
20 schools in Wisconsin teach this, at certificate or associate level. 8 of them report what graduates earn two years out; the highest is $36,134 at Madison Area Technical College.
What this work pays in Wisconsin
Graphic Designers in Wisconsin earn a median of $59,900 a year across 4,130 jobs. That is what the occupation pays everyone in it — not what graduates of any one program below earned.
| Also leads to | Median | Jobs in Wisconsin |
|---|---|---|
| Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary | $77,560 | 1,840 |
| Postsecondary Teachers, All Other | $79,120 | 1,280 |
| Interior Designers | $62,740 | 1,200 |
| Web and Digital Interface Designers | $95,340 | 880 |
| Photographers | $42,060 | 850 |
Occupation wages: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.
Schools
| School | Credential | Median debt | Graduate earnings, 2 yrs | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madison Area Technical College Madison | Associate's degree | $12,120 | $36,134 (13 grads) | 76 |
| Waukesha County Technical College Pewaukee | Associate's degree | $15,554 | $31,133 (32 grads) | 49 |
| Fox Valley Technical College Appleton | Associate's degree | $10,684 | $29,685 (19 grads) | 41 |
| Herzing University-Madison Madison | Associate's degree | — | $29,685 (13 grads) | — |
| Bryant & Stratton College-Wauwatosa Wauwatosa | Associate's degree | $15,417 | $27,476 (15 grads) | 0 |
| Western Technical College La Crosse | Associate's degree | $11,479 | $25,691 (51 grads) | 28 |
| Gateway Technical College Kenosha | Associate's degree | $14,966 | $21,964 (21 grads) | 30 |
| Northeast Wisconsin Technical College Green Bay | Undergraduate certificate | — | $20,530 (19 grads) | 13 |
| Milwaukee Area Technical College Milwaukee | Associate's degree | — | not published | 25 |
| Rasmussen University-Wisconsin Green Bay | Associate's degree | $23,820 | not published | 5 |
| Chippewa Valley Technical College Eau Claire | Associate's degree | — | not published | 14 |
| Milwaukee Area Technical College Milwaukee | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 6 |
| Moraine Park Technical College Fond du Lac | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | — |
| Moraine Park Technical College Fond du Lac | Associate's degree | — | not published | 22 |
| Nicolet Area Technical College Rhinelander | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| Nicolet Area Technical College Rhinelander | Associate's degree | — | not published | 0 |
| Rasmussen University-Wisconsin Green Bay | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 61 |
| University of Wisconsin-Parkside Kenosha | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 5 |
| Western Technical College La Crosse | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | — |
A dash under earnings or debt means the U.S. Department of Education has not published a figure for that program — it withholds any median computed from too few graduates, which covers about four of every five programs. It never means zero, and it says nothing about whether the program is any good. Where a figure is shown, the number of graduates behind it is shown with it.
Email me when these figures change
The U.S. Department of Education publishes new cost, debt and earnings figures once a year, and every number on this page changes at once. One email when that happens for Design and Applied Arts — nothing else, and nothing in between.
Program and outcome figures: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, released 2026-06-10.