Iowa State University campus

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ISU Salaries

  • 7/10 Overall Rating
  • 4 Year
  • Ames, IA
  • 4.0 4 reviews
#2 Best Public Universities in Iowa
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Salaries by Major

Salaries by Major at Iowa State University

This page shows median first-year earnings for ISU graduates by major, based on federal College Scorecard data. Six years after enrolling, former students who are working and no longer in school report average earnings of $42,200 per year; after ten years, average earnings are $53,700. See post-graduation earnings for full trends over time.

Below, majors are ranked by median first-year earnings.

The highest-paying undergraduate degree is Computer Engineering, with median first-year earnings of $71,400 , followed by Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering at $71,200 , and Computer Science at $68,900 .

Among graduate and professional degree programs, the highest-paying program is Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degree), with median first-year earnings of $92,000 , followed by Industrial Engineering (Master's Degree) at $85,000 , and Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degree) at $74,600 .

First-year earnings data come from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and reflect IRS-reported income for Iowa State University graduates who received federal grants or loans. Some programs are omitted for privacy.

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

Other Colleges to Consider

Students considering Iowa State University often consider these colleges

Data source: NCES / IPEDS https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=153603.

First-year earnings by major: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

Last updated: August 2026