For its dedication to affordability and student outcomes, UW-Stout earned national recognition as one of America's Best Colleges by Money Magazine for a second year in a row.
At UW-Stout, Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University, 99% of recent graduates are employed or furthering their education within six months of graduation, according to Career Services’ annual First Destination Report.
Alumni employers include 125 Fortune 500 companies over the past five years, and 85% of graduates are employed in Wisconsin and Minnesota, strengthening the Midwest workforce. The average starting salary is $57,000 for those with undergraduate degrees – the highest in the region – and $74,000 for those with master’s degrees.
“UW-Stout’s commitment to creating degrees that align with and support a wide range of industries across the state shows its strength as Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University. Our ability to infuse hands-on projects into first year through capstone courses helps students to develop skills that impact the workforce immediately beyond graduation,” said Career Services Director Bryan Barts. “It is our office’s mission to empower our students' career readiness intentionally.”
Money’s annual Best Colleges list represents the best investments nationwide for students based on graduation rates, cost of attendance, financial aid, alumni salaries and more.
Fewer than 15% of schools listed earned four stars or more, like UW-Stout. Of the nation’s more than 2,600 four-year universities, fewer than 30% made the list. Schools that made the list are not ranked.
UW-Stout’s focus on applied learning ensures that students have hands-on experiences and research opportunities to practice what they learn in the classroom. With three times as many labs and studio spaces as classrooms, students are prepared from day one to step into their internships, co-ops and careers.
“Many of our Career Services programs, including our national award-winning Cooperative Education and Internship Program, are rooted in developing students’ career readiness competencies, whether it is taking their classroom experience and applying them in the real world or infusing career conversations through their first on-campus position via our Grow, Persist, Succeed (GPS) program,” Barts said.
More than 1,000 students annually participate in UW-Stout’s Cooperative Education and Internship Program, which helps to coordinate students’ required experiential learning components and partners with more than 500 companies in Wisconsin and nationally.
“Our employer partners share with me repeatedly that hiring a UW-Stout student is a goal, as they bring something special – the skills to impact their businesses and projects immediately,” Barts said.
The CEIP program received the 2024 annual Excellence & Innovation Stewards of Place award from the American Association of State Colleges and Universities “for its outstanding results and potential to influence and serve as a model for other institutions.”
Career Services offers numerous events and resources to connect students and employers, including biannual Career Conferences, which draw hundreds of employers and thousands of students. Career development programs include Art & Design Week, Human Sciences Day, the Job Shadow Program, the Mock Interview Program, and Blue Devil Prep for Success events.
UW-Stout has more than 50 undergraduate and 25 graduate programs, including a School of Engineering and School of Art and Design.
