Information Assurance and Cyber Security Degrees in Wisconsin

Wisconsin’s steady and diversified economy represents a great opportunity for cyber security professionals. The state’s GDP is over $300 billion, and unemployment is below 3.5%. A stalwart of Midwestern manufacturing and farming, Wisconsin has added a tech-intensive, knowledge-based component to its workforce, turning healthcare, information services, tech, and financial and professional services into top-ranked national industries. Concurrent with its business transformation, cyber security opportunities have exploded, and at least eight colleges and universities offer IS programs to match the state’s talent demand and train future security experts.

Cyber Security Jobs in Wisconsin

The mean annual wage for information security analysts in Wisconsin is $79k, which ranks below national averages but should increase with labor demand. Further, experienced mid-level and upper-tier workers make good money: the 75th percentile of IS analysts in WI earn $100k, and the 90th percentile earn $120k. That said, about two-thirds of current job listings are advertised for entry-level workers, making Wisconsin a great place to start a career in information security and assurance. Milwaukee, Madison, Janesville, Appleton, and Green Bay are the largest IS employment hubs, and the most active employers range from research institutions to health insurers to government agencies.

Cyber Security Degrees in Wisconsin

Of the eight schools that offer cyber degrees in Wisconsin, six offer certificates in cyber security specializations, including in areas like Security Administrator, Information Systems Security, IT Security Auditing, and Infrastructure Security, among others.

Associate’s degrees in cyber security are available from Fox Valley Technical College, Madison Area Technical College, Milwaukee Area Technical College, and Waukesha County Technical College.

University of Wisconsin – Stout offers the state’s sole bachelor’s in cyber security: a BS in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science with a concentration in Cyber Security.

Marquette University offers a Master of Science in Computing: Information Assurance and Cyber Defense.

Cyber Security Resources in Wisconsin

Wisconsin IT Security

State Government Entity/Resource

Professsional Association

Professsional Association

ISSA Milwaukee Chapter

Professsional Association

Professsional Association

Madion Information Security Group

Meetup

Meetup

Milwaukee Cyber Security for Control Systems

Meetup

Other Resource: Conference

Other Resource: Conference

Other Resource: Non-profit tech collaborative

State Government Entity/Resource

State Government Entity/Resource

Other Resource: Business securitty resource

Other Resource: Competition

Other Resource: Conference

Cyber Security Degree Providers in Wisconsin

Below we’ve included some of the most pertinent information for choosing a cyber security degree program. Affordability looked at the average in-state tuition rate (where applicable) and divided the range of tuition rates into five bins. Each bin contains a roughly $8,000 jump in tuition. So one $ contains schools from roughly $1,000 in in-state tuition to $9,000, $$’s contains schools from >$9,000 to $17,000, and so forth. Retention rate is one of the best predictors of undergraduate education quality. While the NSA/CAE designation marks programs deemed excellent by the NSA.

Fox Valley Technical College

Appleton, Wisconsin
$ $ $ $ $
Financial Aid Recipients
71%
Retention Rate
71%
NSA Designated
No
Degrees
  • Associate of Applied Science – Information Systems Security Specialist Certificate in Security

Madison Area Technical College

Madison, Wisconsin
$ $ $ $ $
Financial Aid Recipients
60%
Retention Rate
N/A%
NSA Designated
No
Degrees
  • Associate in Applied Science – IT Network Security Specialist Information Security Certificate

Marquette University

Milwaukee, Wisconsin
$ $ $ $ $
Financial Aid Recipients
100%
Retention Rate
89%
NSA Designated
No
Degrees
  • Master of Science in Computing: Information Assurance and Cyber Defense

Milwaukee Area Technical College

Milwaukee, Wisconsin
$ $ $ $ $
Financial Aid Recipients
74%
Retention Rate
54%
NSA Designated
No
Degrees
  • Associate in Applied Science – IT Information Systems Security Specialist Certificate in Information Security Fundamentals Certificate in Infrastructure Security Certificate in System Administration and Security IT Security Auditing Certificate

Moraine Park Technical College

Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
$ $ $ $ $
Financial Aid Recipients
56%
Retention Rate
75%
NSA Designated
No
Degrees
  • Information Technology – Information Security Certificate

University of Wisconsin-Parkside

Kenosha, Wisconsin
$ $ $ $ $
Financial Aid Recipients
79%
Retention Rate
70%
NSA Designated
No
Degrees
  • Cyber Security Certificate

University of Wisconsin-Stout

Menomonie, Wisconsin
$ $ $ $ $
Financial Aid Recipients
84%
Retention Rate
73%
NSA Designated
No
Degrees
  • Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science – Cyber Security Concentration

Waukesha County Technical College

Pewaukee, Wisconsin
$ $ $ $ $
Financial Aid Recipients
60%
Retention Rate
69%
NSA Designated
Yes
Degrees
  • Associate of Applied Science – IT Network Security Specialist Cyber Security Specialist Certificate Security Administrator Certificate