Wisconsin is home to many progressive educational institutions. The University of Wisconsin System is comprised of fifteen institutions with twenty-six campuses and enrolls approximately 160,000 students. The system’s flagship university, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, ranks second among public universities for annual research spending at $509 million. The nation’s oldest genetics department resides here, founded in 1918.
Wisconsin also boasts 20 private colleges and universities, of which the Medical College of Wisconsin provides a range of advanced degrees specializing in medicine and research. Marquette University, of Milwaukee, has been ranked as one of America’s best colleges as well as one of the best graduate schools in the country. Wisconsin also provides a strong network of technical colleges.