ROI Major

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

WI · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 13.13

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Teacher Education, Specific Subject Areas degree from University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh earn a median salary of $54,903 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in WI, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $57,732. The degree typically pays for itself in 10.6 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 bachelor's graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$45,680

Typical Career

$54,903

Top Performers

$63,097

Estimated break-even: 10.6 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$366

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,575. Most students can comfortably afford about a $366 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.4x 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: Health Care & Social Assistance, Educational Services, Manufacturing.

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 22.7%
Educational Services 17.3%
Manufacturing 10.5%

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

$57,732

Nominal: $54,903 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).

10.6 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 $26,729 $35,859 $47,168
5 Years After Graduation $45,680 $54,903 $63,097
10 Years After Graduation $52,016 $63,568 $76,425

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 $54,903 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)
= $54,903 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9510) = $57,732 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 - Oshkosh experience a steady earnings trajectory. Median earnings one year after graduation stand at $35,859, increasing to $54,903 after five years and reaching $63,568 by the ten-year mark. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent is approximately $57,731.86, indicating that while initial earnings may be modest, there is potential for growth that aligns with the cost of living in Wisconsin, which has a COL index of 0.951 compared to the national average.

The top industries that graduates enter include Health Care & Social Assistance (22.7%), Educational Services (17.3%), and Manufacturing (10.5%). This diverse range of sectors suggests that graduates possess versatile skills applicable in various fields. The estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is approximately 10.6 years, indicating that while the initial investment in education may take time to recoup, the long-term return on investment appears favorable for those committed to a career in education and related fields.

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

Compare with Another School

See how the Teacher Education, Specific Subject Areas degree at University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh 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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