Thinking about UW or Marquette for data science? Here’s a guide on research and scholarships as well as job prospects and potential salary numbers.

Read on to learn more about data science in Wisconsin.

Traditionally, Wisconsin has relied on manufacturing, agriculture, and tourism for economic growth. Those engines are still there, but you can now add areas like health IT, biotech, water science, and Internet of Things (IoT). Think healthcare data software, food delivery, and mobile apps.

Data start-ups are often in Madison from university research and organizations such as Madworks—a seed accelerator for Madison-based companies and University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison) projects.

Meanwhile, eighty miles to the east, a number of Milwaukee-based groups are fostering homegrown innovation. These include:

The Wisconsin Technology Council (WTC) is serving as an economic catalyst through a variety of programs as well.

When it comes to data science, a name you may hear is UW-Madison. It’s the school that U.S. News & World Report ranked #13 in Best Graduate Computer Science Programs in 2018, and its Department of Computer Science has a long and illustrious history.

UW-Madison has multiple research centers devoted to health (e.g. biotechnology, urban population health, etc.) and agriculture (e.g. dairy, water resources, bioenergy, etc.). It has also pumped funds and expertise into projects such as the Internet of Things (IoT) Systems Research Center, which allows multidisciplinary researchers to collaborate with leading industry partners.

This work is being funneled into business enterprises via:

Although it doesn’t have as large a stake in computer science as its sibling, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) is still making strides. Its initiatives include the App Brewery (Mobile Innovation Lab), the Decision Systems and Artificial Intelligence Lab (DSAIL), and the Lubar School of Business Center for Technology Innovation (CTI).

There are some online programs in data science in Wisconsin, often on UW campuses. Since we cover general things to look for in an online data science program elsewhere, here we focus on what’s specifically available in the Badger State.

UWM’s Lubar School of Business has developed an online Graduate Certificate in Business Analytics. This is a pretty comprehensive qualification, with a focus on analytics tools, applications, and Business Intelligence (BI) solutions. What’s more, it can be applied to the Lubar School’s MBA or MS in Management degree program.

Have another field of interest? Check out our comprehensive directory of Online Graduate Certificates in Data Science. This has a list of distance learning certificates in every area of big data (e.g. data mining, analytics, healthcare informatics, etc.) from major universities across the country.

UW’s online Master of Science in Data Science is offered through the UW Extension School. That means faculty teaching is pulled from six UW System campuses (but not UW-Madison).

The program begins with foundations in data science, before progressing to areas like data mining, prescriptive analytics, and visualization. It’s deliberately focused on IT professionals who are trying to work their way up the job ladder. 

Need more options? Explore our databases of online master’s degrees in data science, business analytics, and information systems.

If earning a master’s of data science degree in Wisconsin is impractical for you, you may want to consider a local bootcamp instead. Data science and data analytics bootcamps in Wisconsin can quickly yet effectively prepare local students for work in the field. While some bootcamps are exclusively dedicated to data science, the study of how knowledge is established from raw data, or data analytics, the processes by which specific conclusions can be drawn, other bootcamps combine the study of both data science and data analytics for well-rounded instruction. Visit our guides to learn more about data science bootcamps or data analytics bootcamps in Wisconsin.

This section deals primarily with university scholarships & assistantships (i.e. institutional aid) that would cover your data science program. But don’t take this as the end! The university’s Graduate Studies Office will have more info on general aid (e.g. diversity scholarships) and alternative financing options (e.g. low-interest loans).

You’ll find plenty of community support and big data groups in both Madison and Milwaukee:

Major data science conferences (e.g. Strata Data Conference, Predictive Analytics World, IEEE Conferences, SIGKDD, The Machine Learning Conference etc.) tend to fly right by Wisconsin. Fortunately, they sometimes land in Detroit or Chicago. You might also want to consider:

Supported by UW-Madison research, Madison companies are doing all sorts of things with medical big data. For example, the city is home to Epic Systems (electronic health records); Propeller Health (mobile platform for respiratory health management); EnsoData (healthcare data software); and Redox (healthcare interoperability).

But to say Madison is all about health would be doing it a disservice. It also plays host to:

In your job search, you’re also likely to come across established entities in Milwaukee (e.g. Johnson Controls and Aurora Health Care, etc.) that are investing in big data solutions and smart manufacturing. Johnson Controls, for example, has a deep and abiding interest in the Internet of Things (IoT).

According to data from the O*NET OnLine in 2020, data scientists made an average $81,810 per year in Wisconsin..

Last updated: February 2021

If you’re looking for information on career paths that involve STEM, see our guides below:

Data Science and Analytics Careers:

Computer Science, Computer Engineering and Information Careers:

Marketing and User Research Careers:

Compare Careers and STEM Fields:

This page includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.