Accredited Online Colleges in Wisconsin (WI)

Wisconsin is home to fast-paced big cities booming with industry, cozy small towns with affordable housing and plentiful recreation opportunities, particularly near the Great Lakes. It also happens to be a great place to go to college and launch a career. At 7.4 percent in March 2011, Wisconsin's unemployment rate sits significantly below the national average, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Overall, the cost of living in Wisconsin is moderate, with exceptions being the larger cities such as Madison, in which the cost of living is slightly higher than the national average, according to Sperling's Best Places. Wisconsin is also home to numerous cultural events such as ethnic festivals and music festivals, particularly country music festivals.

The two best areas for jobs in Wisconsin are Milwaukee, the state's largest and most industrialized city, and Madison, the state's capital and a major center of business and education. Milwaukee is among the nation's most populous cities, with approximately 1.7 million people. Major industries here include brewing and manufacturing, although the health care and tourism industries are also important. The much-smaller Madison is home to about 233,000 people, and state government and the University of Wisconsin-Madison are major employers here. Despite its relatively smaller population, Madison has maintained an exceptionally low unemployment rate and in 2009, it was ranked number one in a list of "ten cities for job growth" by Forbes.

Manufacturing, agriculture, tourism and health care have historically been the major industries in Wisconsin, and the region is known for dairy farming, which gives its residents the nickname "cheese heads." Bucyrus International, a mining equipment manufacturer located in the Milwaukee area, was listed among Fortune's 100 Fastest-Growing Companies in 2010. In recent years, the state's economy has become increasingly diversified. In 2008, nine Wisconsin information technology companies were named among the fastest-growing private companies in the nation. Students who want to enter careers in agriculture would do well to pursue majors such as agribusiness and agricultural economics, while those looking to enter Wisconsin's burgeoning high-tech industry would do well to major in IT or software development.

Wisconsin's vast system of higher education contributes to a highly-educated populace. The University of Wisconsin System includes 26 public colleges and the Wisconsin Technical College System includes 16 campuses. The two systems work with one another. Alongside these colleges and universities are more than 10 private institutions. The biggest and most recognized schools in the state include the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the flagship campus in the University of Wisconsin System; and Marquette University, the largest private university in the state. The University of Wisconsin-Madison serves thousands of students and offers 133 undergraduate majors. Marquette University, a Catholic Jesuit school, serves about 8,100 undergraduates and 3,700 graduate and professional students.