Iowa State University Rankings by Salary Score™
Bachelor's
Master's
Salary and Debt by Major at Iowa State University
We calculated a Salary Score for each of Iowa State University's programs by comparing program-specific median alumni earnings to median alumni earnings for the same program across all schools that provide this data. This way, students can compare the relative salary strength of a specific major at Iowa State University to the same major at other schools. A school's overall score by level is based on the school's by-program performance weighted by student enrollment in each program. Data is sourced from the December 2020 release of the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard and reflects median alumni debt upon graduation and median alumni earnings in the year after graduation for students who received federal financial aid. Debt and salary numbers are shown rounded to the nearest $10.
Salary Score ™ for ISU Bachelor's Degrees
| Field of Study | Employment Rate | Median Debt | Median Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accounting and Related Services | $25,000 | $53,810 | |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering | $25,710 | $66,780 | |
| Agricultural Business and Management | $16,500 | $48,960 | |
| Agricultural Engineering | $23,610 | $61,520 | |
| Agricultural Mechanization | $22,250 | $55,290 | |
| Animal Sciences | $23,000 | $36,950 | |
| Anthropology | $25,500 | $32,650 | |
| Apparel and Textiles | $23,250 | $40,550 | |
| Architecture | $30,510 | $48,970 | |
| Area Studies | $22,500 | $31,670 | |
| Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology | $26,000 | $32,930 | |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology | $23,250 | $30,770 | |
| Biology, General | $23,250 | $29,940 | |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | $22,250 | $52,630 | |
| Chemical Engineering | $23,000 | $70,950 | |
| Chemistry | $25,000 | $35,420 | |
| City/Urban, Community and Regional Planning | $25,630 | $40,820 | |
| Civil Engineering | $25,750 | $62,470 | |
| Communication and Media Studies | $22,850 | $39,150 | |
| Computer Engineering | $25,750 | $74,810 | |
| Computer Science | $24,330 | $73,400 | |
| Construction Engineering | $27,000 | $71,350 | |
| Design and Applied Arts | $25,510 | $39,570 | |
| Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services | $21,000 | $37,570 | |
| Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology | $25,000 | $29,250 | |
| Economics | $18,500 | $55,510 | |
| Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering | $26,000 | $75,740 | |
| Engineering-Related Fields | $24,250 | $59,830 | |
| English Language and Literature, General | $25,860 | $31,910 | |
| Family and Consumer Economics and Related Studies | $21,500 | $43,800 | |
| Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General | $21,500 | $38,290 | |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | $23,000 | $51,360 | |
| Food Science and Technology | $22,500 | $48,040 | |
| Forestry | $22,250 | $35,770 | |
| Genetics | $25,720 | $34,350 | |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences | $23,250 | $32,380 | |
| Health and Physical Education/Fitness | $24,250 | $35,360 | |
| History | $22,500 | $33,570 | |
| Hospitality Administration/Management | $23,410 | $39,400 | |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | $21,800 | $32,020 | |
| Industrial Engineering | $22,500 | $68,310 | |
| International Agriculture | $22,250 | $23,110 | |
| International Business | Not Reported | $50,000 | |
| Journalism | $24,610 | $37,140 | |
| Landscape Architecture | $30,750 | $47,760 | |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | $23,140 | $36,630 | |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services | $25,000 | $26,740 | |
| Management Information Systems and Services | $24,250 | $58,080 | |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | Not Reported | $50,440 | |
| Marketing | $22,360 | $45,500 | |
| Materials Engineering | $23,900 | $67,100 | |
| Mathematics | $21,500 | $46,670 | |
| Mechanical Engineering | $23,500 | $65,810 | |
| Microbiological Sciences and Immunology | $21,500 | $36,220 | |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | $23,150 | $38,570 | |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | $17,970 | $39,010 | |
| Nutrition Sciences | $23,500 | $26,350 | |
| Plant Sciences | $18,250 | $48,820 | |
| Political Science and Government | $22,750 | $40,300 | |
| Psychology, General | $23,680 | $32,390 | |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication | $22,250 | $38,440 | |
| Religion/Religious Studies | Not Reported | $27,480 | |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | Not Reported | $35,060 | |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | $27,000 | $38,290 | |
| Sociology | $20,000 | $37,030 | |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | $23,000 | $39,340 | |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | $22,500 | $40,180 | |
| Visual and Performing Arts, General | $24,250 | $25,190 |
Salary Score ™ for ISU Master's Degrees
| Field of Study | Employment Rate | Median Debt | Median Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accounting and Related Services | Not Reported | $60,360 | |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering | Not Reported | $71,580 | |
| Agricultural Engineering | Not Reported | $71,020 | |
| Agricultural Public Services | Not Reported | $55,510 | |
| Animal Sciences | Not Reported | $63,010 | |
| Architecture | Not Reported | $50,020 | |
| Biology, General | $20,500 | $31,850 | |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | $29,960 | $79,470 | |
| City/Urban, Community and Regional Planning | Not Reported | $51,270 | |
| Civil Engineering | Not Reported | $70,460 | |
| Design and Applied Arts | Not Reported | $35,420 | |
| Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology | Not Reported | $56,420 | |
| Education, General | $20,790 | $47,430 | |
| Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering | $12,500 | $87,420 | |
| English Language and Literature, General | Not Reported | $41,190 | |
| Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General | Not Reported | $58,670 | |
| Industrial Engineering | Not Reported | $94,410 | |
| Mathematics | Not Reported | $56,780 | |
| Mechanical Engineering | $25,740 | $81,700 | |
| Plant Sciences | $19,770 | $65,240 | |
| Political Science and Government | Not Reported | $49,640 | |
| Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations | Not Reported | $77,970 | |
| Statistics | Not Reported | $84,650 | |
| Veterinary Biomedical and Clinical Sciences | Not Reported | $81,500 |
Salary Score ™ for ISU Doctoral Degrees
| Field of Study | Employment Rate | Median Debt | Median Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Veterinary Medicine | $134,110 | $80,010 |
Reviews by Program
Most Recent Reviews
Do not go here. The professors and dean only care about each classes top student and how that student can be exploited to further the professor’s research or program reputation. They do not care about your future and they certainly do not care about your well being. One time a professor didn’t come to class for two days and instead had the class drive to another town and collect data for one of the professors other classes. This data had nothing to do with what we were suppose to be learning or working on.... Read More
I cannot recommend Iowa State enough. As an out of state student I was embraced and welcomed within the student community and also by faculty and staff. My classes were challenging but necessary in my pursuit of an advanced degree. I am now a proud alumni and have taken advantage of the extensive alumni network of cyclone grads.