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#2 Best Public Universities in Iowa

ISU Salaries

Ames, Iowa

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Salaries by Major at Iowa State University

How much money do Iowa State University graduates make and which majors earn the most upon graduating? Six years after enrolling, alumni who are working have average earnings of $42,200 per year. After ten years, graduates earn $53,700 on average.

In terms of specific areas of study, the following is a ranking of degree programs by the median first-year starting salaries for ISU graduates.

The undergraduate degree which initially pays the highest is Computer Engineering with a median starting salary of $71,400 followed by Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering paying $71,200 and Computer Science graduates who have a median starting income of $68,900 .

Looking at post-graduate and doctorate students, those completing the Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degree) program rank first with a median initial income of $92,000 followed by Industrial Engineering (Master's Degree) at $85,000 and Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degree) who earn $74,600 .

Note about salary data: First year earnings data are aggregated by the US Department of Education and analyzes IRS reported income for Iowa State University graduates who received federal financial aid in the form of grants or loans. Not all graduates or fields of study are represented as data for some degree programs are omitted for privacy purposes.

Median first-year earnings for Iowa State University graduates ranked by degree type and major
Major Earnings
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degree) $92,000
Industrial Engineering (Master's Degree) $85,000
Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degree) $74,600
Veterinary Medicine (First Professional Degree) $72,100
Computer Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $71,400
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $71,200
Computer Science (Bachelor’s Degree) $68,900
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degree) $68,400
Chemical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $66,000
Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $65,700
Construction Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $65,400
Plant Sciences (Master's Degree) $65,100
Civil Engineering (Master's Degree) $64,700
Industrial Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $64,200
Materials Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $62,000
Civil Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $60,700
Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $60,300
Agricultural Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $58,900
Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor’s Degree) $56,500
Engineering-Related Fields (Bachelor’s Degree) $54,900
Agricultural Mechanization (Bachelor’s Degree) $52,900
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor’s Degree) $52,700
Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor’s Degree) $50,300
Architecture (Bachelor’s Degree) $48,000
Agricultural Business and Management (Bachelor’s Degree) $46,400
Landscape Architecture (Bachelor’s Degree) $46,000
Education (Master's Degree) $45,900
Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor’s Degree) $45,600
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor’s Degree) $44,800
Design and Applied Arts (Master's Degree) $44,000
Plant Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) $43,700
Marketing (Bachelor’s Degree) $42,400
Mathematics (Bachelor’s Degree) $42,200
Economics (Bachelor’s Degree) $42,000
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor’s Degree) $40,600
Food Science and Technology (Bachelor’s Degree) $39,500
English Language and Literature (Master's Degree) $39,400
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor’s Degree) $39,100
City/Urban, Community and Regional Planning (Bachelor’s Degree) $38,900
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor’s Degree) $37,800
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) $37,700
Microbiological Sciences and Immunology (Bachelor’s Degree) $37,300
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Bachelor’s Degree) $37,000
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Bachelor’s Degree) $36,800
Political Science and Government (Bachelor’s Degree) $36,700
Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) $36,200
Apparel and Textiles (Bachelor’s Degree) $36,000
Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) $36,000
Animal Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) $35,800
Hospitality Administration/Management (Bachelor’s Degree) $35,200
Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor’s Degree) $35,100
Sociology (Bachelor’s Degree) $35,000
Journalism (Bachelor’s Degree) $34,500
Forestry (Bachelor’s Degree) $33,400
Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor’s Degree) $32,100
Liberal Arts and Sciences Studies and Humanities (Bachelor’s Degree) $30,800
Genetics (Bachelor’s Degree) $30,800
History (Bachelor’s Degree) $30,600
Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services (Bachelor’s Degree) $30,400
Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) $30,200
Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services (Bachelor’s Degree) $30,100
Psychology (Bachelor’s Degree) $30,000
International Agriculture (Bachelor’s Degree) $28,400
English Language and Literature (Bachelor’s Degree) $27,800
Nutrition Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) $26,900
Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) $25,500
Anthropology (Bachelor’s Degree) $23,000

Primary data source, U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=153603 IPEDS survey and College Scorecard data for Iowa State University.