Master's in Data Science Programs in Wisconsin

Read on to learn more about data science in Wisconsin.

Studying data science in Wisconsin

Wisconsin's technology scene includes health information technology, startup accelerators and water technology programs, covered in the sections below.

Data startups in Madison can turn to programs such as Madworks, a 12-week accelerator run by StartingBlock Madison. According to StartingBlock, each participating company receives a $5,000 operational grant and a one-year StartingBlock membership. Check the program page for current application windows.

Meanwhile, in Milwaukee, several groups support early-stage companies and inventors. These include:

• gBETA Milwaukee, which gener8tor describes as a free, seven-week pre-accelerator program for early-stage companies with local roots in Milwaukee.
• The Water Council's BREW 2.0 Post-Accelerator, which offers water technology companies sales training, a mix of virtual programming and sessions in Milwaukee, and a live pitch event for investors.

The Wisconsin Technology Council (WTC) lists statewide events and programs for the state's innovation community on its website.

Data science research and initiatives at Wisconsin universities

UW-Madison's Department of Computer Sciences, which the department says was established in 1965 as one of the first computer science departments in the country, is part of the university's College of Computing & Artificial Intelligence.

Resources for turning university research into businesses include:

• The Wisconsin Entrepreneurship Hub, which says that since 1990, more than 400 companies across Wisconsin started at UW-Madison.
• The WARF Accelerator from the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF), which provides inventors with industry expertise and targeted funding to help advance promising technologies toward the marketplace.

Online data science programs in Wisconsin

Wisconsin has online data science programs, including a master's degree offered through a partnership of University of Wisconsin campuses. For general guidance on choosing a program, see our guide to what to look for in an online data science master's program.

Online graduate certificates in data science

The University of Wisconsin's online Graduate Certificate in Data Science requires five courses (15 credits), including three required courses and two electives. According to the program, tuition is a flat $875 per credit as of Oct. 1, 2026, whether students live in Wisconsin or out of state. The program's master's degree page says all 15 credits can apply toward the online Master of Science in Data Science.

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Lubar College of Business also offers a graduate certificate in business analytics and artificial intelligence. The UWM catalog says the certificate can be completed on its own or in combination with a master's degree program.

Have another field of interest? Check out our directory of online graduate certificates in data science.

Online master's degrees in data science

The University of Wisconsin's online Master of Science in Data Science is a partnership of UW-Eau Claire, UW-Green Bay, UW-La Crosse, UW-Oshkosh, UW-Stevens Point and UW-Superior, according to UW Online Collaboratives. UW-Madison is not one of the partners.

The program describes its format as 100% online and asynchronous, with no required log-in times, and says tuition is a flat $875 per credit as of Oct. 1, 2026, for Wisconsin residents and out-of-state students. Its course list includes programming for data science, data management, machine learning, and data visualization and communication. The program says it is built for working adults.

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

Data science bootcamps in Wisconsin

If earning a master's degree in data science in Wisconsin is impractical for you, a bootcamp is another option to consider. Some bootcamps focus on data science, the study of how knowledge is established from raw data, while others focus on data analytics, the processes by which specific conclusions can be drawn. Other bootcamps combine the two. Our guides to data science bootcamps and data analytics bootcamps cover online, in-person and hybrid options nationwide.

Data science scholarships in Wisconsin

This section covers institutional aid at Marquette, UW Online Collaboratives and UW-Madison. Eligibility and conditions vary by program and student, so ask each university's graduate or financial aid office which scholarships, assistantships and financing options apply to your program.

Marquette University

• Department of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences assistantships and fellowships
  • Graduate assistantships: According to the department, merit-based full academic-year teaching and research assistantships include a tuition scholarship for 18 semester hours and a ten-month stipend.
  • Fellowships: The department says a small number of its students are supported by Schmitt or Raynor fellowships, which are awarded in a competition within the Graduate School. A student who holds a fellowship generally has no teaching assignment and is expected to devote full-time effort to study and research.

UW Online Collaboratives

• Financial aid for returning adult students: According to UW Online Collaboratives, financial aid may be available to new or returning adult students and is awarded by the student's home campus.
• Grants, scholarships and veteran benefits: The online Master of Science in Data Science says students in a semester-based collaborative program may be eligible for a UW grant or scholarship, and that benefits are available to qualifying veterans and those currently serving.

University of Wisconsin-Madison

• Graduate assistantships: According to the UW-Madison Graduate School, assistantships appointed at 33% or higher in a single appointment provide a monthly stipend and tuition remission. Health insurance eligibility also requires an appointment of at least a full semester for academic-year appointments or six months for annual appointments. Students still pay segregated fees, roughly $726 per semester. Students in service-based pricing programs, such as online and accelerated programs, are not eligible for tuition remission. For 2026-27, the minimum academic-year stipend for a teaching assistantship is $30,614.

Data science events in Wisconsin

Data science meetups and communities in Wisconsin

You'll find data-focused community groups in both Madison and Milwaukee:

1. Big Data Madison: The group says it focuses on technologies in the big data ecosystem, such as Hadoop and Spark, and on data science topics including machine learning, data visualization and analytics. It says it tries to balance technology talks, use cases and demos.
2. Data-Driven MKE (formerly MKE Big Data): The Milwaukee group says it exists to advance big data and advanced analytics practice in Wisconsin and that members gather to share and learn from each other.

Data science conferences and workshops in Wisconsin

Wisconsin events to consider include:

1. Data-Driven Wisconsin: The conference says its mission is to foster and grow the data ecosystem in Wisconsin and the upper Midwest. Its 2026 event has wrapped, and organizers say they will be back in 2027.
2. Forward Fest: Organizers describe it as Wisconsin's largest technology and entrepreneurship festival, with more than 40 events over five days every August in Madison. The 2026 festival was set for Aug. 17 to 21.
3. Wisconsin Technology Council events: WTC says the Early Stage Symposium is now Launch Wisconsin, a unified statewide brand that includes a startup competition, educational programming and investor engagement.

Data science jobs in Wisconsin

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Wisconsin had 4,370 data scientists employed in May 2025. By metropolitan area, BLS reports 1,290 in Madison and 1,080 in the Milwaukee-Waukesha area for the same period.

Madison-area health technology companies include Epic Systems, which says its headquarters is in Verona, about 11 miles southwest of Madison. EnsoData lists a Madison address and describes its AI-driven ecosystem as powering sleep medicine from diagnosis to long-term patient care. Redox describes itself as an interoperability partner powering healthcare data exchange, and its terms of use name a Madison address for the company.

Madison is also home to other technology employers:

• Earthling Interactive, which builds AI tools and custom software and says it has worked from Madison since 1999, and PerBlue, a mobile games studio founded in Madison
• Fetch, a rewards app that lists Madison among its workspaces
• American Family Insurance, which lists its address as 6000 American Parkway in Madison, and Thermo Fisher Scientific, which lists two Madison locations

Check each employer's careers page for current openings, including data science roles.

In Milwaukee, established employers include Johnson Controls, which lists Milwaukee as the site of its North America operational headquarters, and Aurora Health Care, which was founded in Milwaukee in 1984 and is now part of Advocate Health.

Data scientist wages in Wisconsin

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, data scientists in Wisconsin had a median annual wage of $106,680 in May 2025. The 10th percentile annual wage was $76,300, and the 90th percentile annual wage was $168,810.

In the Milwaukee-Waukesha area, the median annual wage for data scientists was $104,710 in May 2025. BLS did not publish a median annual wage estimate for data scientists in the Madison area for that period.

Interested in STEM careers?

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

Data science and analytics careers:

• Data scientist
• Statistician
• Data architect
• Data engineer
• Data analyst
• Business analyst
• Business intelligence analyst
• Financial analyst
• Quantitative analyst

Computer science, computer engineering and information careers:

• Computer engineer
• Computer scientist
• Information security analyst
• Computer and information research scientist
• Computer systems analyst

Marketing and user research careers:

• Marketing analyst
• Market research analyst
• Digital marketer
• UX designer

Compare careers and STEM fields:

• Data analyst vs. data scientist
• Computer science vs. computer engineering
• Cybersecurity vs. computer science
• Data analytics vs. business analytics
• Data science vs. machine learning

Related graduate STEM degrees

• Master's in business analytics
• Master's in information systems
• Master's in computer engineering
• Master's in computer science
• Master's in cybersecurity programs
• Master's in accounting analytics
• Master's in applied statistics
• Master's in business intelligence
• Master's in data analytics for public policy
• Data science MBA programs
• Master's in geospatial science and geographic information systems
• Master's in health informatics
• Master of Library and Information Science

Related undergraduate STEM degrees

• Online bachelor's in data science
• Online bachelor's in computer science
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