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Iowa State majors and salaries
Iowa State University · Ames, Iowa · Public · 25,367 undergraduates
Mechanical Engineering awards the most degrees here (725 over two years), and it also pays above most other programs: $85,938 four years out. Computer Engineering ($105,753) and Computer Science ($104,211) are the best-paid programs four years after graduation. Northern Arizona University, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Georgia Southern University, University of Kentucky, Illinois State University and East Carolina University: each of these close peers trails Iowa State on median earnings ten years after enrollment.
Highest-paying bachelor's programs
Every program with earnings data
| Program | Graduates (2 yrs) | Median debt | Pay after 1 yr | Pay after 4 yrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Engineering | 460 | $24,250 | $83,366 | $105,753 |
| Computer Science | 247 | $24,050 | $81,601 | $104,211 |
| Construction Engineering | 112 | $22,500 | $79,703 | $100,676 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | 210 | $22,429 | $81,522 | $99,705 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering | 294 | $25,250 | $79,517 | $94,089 |
| Business/Managerial Economics | 23 | – | – | $93,379 |
| Industrial Engineering | 178 | $23,250 | $78,621 | $92,914 |
| Chemical Engineering | 167 | $23,201 | $79,106 | $92,773 |
| Agricultural Engineering | 97 | $18,750 | $74,047 | $88,576 |
| Management Information Systems and Services | 0 | – | – | $87,413 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 725 | $22,971 | $77,031 | $85,938 |
| Civil Engineering | 219 | $21,500 | $75,489 | $85,427 |
| Materials Engineering | 67 | $25,500 | $72,014 | $83,416 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | 308 | $21,400 | $62,978 | $83,267 |
| Engineering-Related Fields | 161 | $22,475 | $69,879 | $82,548 |
| Agricultural Mechanization | 84 | $15,777 | $69,450 | $78,890 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 605 | $19,427 | $60,808 | $78,304 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | 444 | $20,750 | $64,168 | $75,360 |
| Economics | 60 | $19,694 | $60,188 | $75,355 |
| Statistics | 61 | $22,000 | $60,621 | $72,581 |
| Accounting and Related Services | 252 | $19,500 | $62,351 | $70,706 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | 25 | – | – | $69,673 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | 133 | $21,000 | $69,353 | – |
| Architecture | 0 | – | – | $69,310 |
| Agricultural Business and Management | 389 | $15,000 | $59,562 | $67,529 |
| Chemistry | 71 | $19,500 | $57,526 | $66,486 |
| Marketing | 601 | $21,500 | $56,055 | $66,482 |
| International Business | 30 | – | $66,155 | – |
| Food Science and Technology | 38 | – | – | $65,943 |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences | 25 | – | – | $65,204 |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology | 54 | $21,117 | $46,267 | $63,026 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication | 170 | $19,500 | $48,560 | $62,965 |
| Family and Consumer Economics and Related Studies | 31 | – | – | $62,341 |
| Mathematics | 109 | $18,625 | $55,421 | $62,261 |
| Area Studies | 20 | – | $31,298 | $61,860 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 87 | $27,000 | $49,981 | $61,697 |
| Architectural Sciences and Technology | 151 | $28,253 | $61,214 | – |
| City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning | 43 | $24,375 | $49,560 | $61,173 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | 223 | $19,550 | $44,847 | $61,166 |
| Plant Sciences | 230 | $17,504 | $48,895 | $60,997 |
| Apparel and Textiles | 155 | $22,525 | $43,793 | $60,349 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 485 | $23,250 | $40,853 | $60,059 |
| Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations | 88 | $18,722 | $58,250 | – |
| Political Science and Government | 138 | $17,750 | $41,710 | $57,752 |
| Communication and Media Studies | 136 | $19,425 | $45,887 | $57,110 |
| International Agriculture | 82 | $17,282 | $43,523 | $56,405 |
| Sociology | 60 | $19,641 | $36,395 | $55,714 |
| Hospitality Administration/Management | 161 | $22,250 | $46,372 | $55,491 |
| Sustainability Studies | 54 | $27,250 | $55,068 | – |
| Genetics | 66 | $23,500 | $42,109 | $55,037 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 142 | $19,498 | $39,154 | $54,889 |
| Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services | 78 | $19,500 | – | $54,391 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | 7 | – | – | $54,064 |
| Nutrition Sciences | 35 | – | $41,420 | $53,933 |
| Journalism | 81 | $18,855 | $43,049 | $53,633 |
| Biology, General | 335 | $21,500 | $39,244 | $53,447 |
| History | 121 | $25,000 | $41,458 | $52,934 |
| Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology | 34 | $24,292 | – | $52,786 |
| Design and Applied Arts | 461 | $25,490 | $45,054 | $52,671 |
| Forestry | 58 | $22,413 | $42,466 | $52,650 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | 113 | $17,250 | $47,409 | $52,622 |
| Animal Sciences | 466 | $20,000 | $44,561 | $51,644 |
| Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General | 21 | – | – | $51,531 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | 172 | $19,095 | $43,359 | $51,387 |
| Microbiological Sciences and Immunology | 63 | $24,572 | – | $49,875 |
| English Language and Literature, General | 123 | $18,761 | $43,430 | $49,626 |
| Medical Illustration and Informatics | 15 | – | – | $49,493 |
| Psychology, General | 463 | $20,500 | $38,802 | $49,286 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 402 | $22,500 | $46,492 | $47,462 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | 114 | $18,445 | $38,938 | $46,253 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | 24 | – | – | $44,892 |
| Anthropology | 44 | $26,000 | $35,190 | $43,443 |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services | 38 | – | – | $40,726 |
| Visual and Performing Arts, General | 27 | – | $33,710 | $39,403 |
| Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology | 197 | $21,500 | $34,656 | $39,143 |
Programs are grouped by four-digit CIP code, so one row can cover several related majors. "Graduates" counts bachelor's degrees awarded across the two years that make up each earnings cohort.
Outcomes
- Six-year graduation rate
- 77% (four-year colleges: 54% median)
- First-year students who return
- 88%
- Students per faculty member
- 18
- Median earnings 10 years after enrolling
- $67,568 (four-year colleges: $58,912 median)
- Median federal debt at graduation
- $21,250 (four-year colleges: $21,609 median)
Colleges similar to Iowa State
The six public four-year colleges closest to Iowa State in acceptance rate and undergraduate enrollment.
| College | Acceptance rate | Avg net price | Earnings after 10 yrs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ | 90% | $17,265 | $59,083 |
| Colorado State University, Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO | 89% | $22,247 | $66,947 |
| Georgia Southern University Statesboro, GA | 88% | $16,785 | $59,167 |
| University of Kentucky Lexington, KY | 93% | $18,868 | $63,924 |
| Illinois State University Normal, IL | 88% | $17,829 | $67,557 |
| East Carolina University Greenville, NC | 89% | $16,880 | $60,387 |
Program earnings and debt come from the College Scorecard field-of-study file: median pay of graduates who were working and not enrolled, one and four years after finishing, for two pooled graduating classes. Programs with too few graduates are suppressed by the Department of Education and do not appear. College Scorecard data updated November 2, 2026. How these figures are built · Iowa State on College Scorecard