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.
| 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.