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Programs & majors brief

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# Iowa State University Majors & Programs

Updated September 30, 2026

[Overview](/school/iowa-state-university/)[Cost & aid](/school/iowa-state-university/cost/)[Outcomes](/school/iowa-state-university/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/iowa-state-university/admissions/)Majors[Similar schools](/school/iowa-state-university/similar/)

**On this page**+

## Which majors earn the most at Iowa State University?

The five largest programs at Iowa State University show a clear split between higher-earning engineering fields and more moderate-earning business and agricultural programs. Computer Engineering, the highest-earning of the group, reports median earnings of $105,753 four years after completion, with 295 degrees awarded.

[Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) it #48 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field. Mechanical Engineering is nearly as large at 406 degrees awarded and posts median earnings of $85,938, ranking #163 nationally.

Business Administration and Management, the largest program at 418 degrees a year, earns $78,304 and holds a national rank of #69. At the more moderate end, Animal Sciences awards 241 degrees and reports median earnings of $51,644, though Azimuth ranks it #17 nationally within its field.

The contrast between the engineering programs and the business and agricultural fields is the main earnings story at the program level.

### Major mix · each dot ≈ 1% of completions

Share of reported completions in the bachelor’s programs included here. Each dot represents approximately 1% of those completions. Counts are credentials, not unique students; excluded programs are not zero activity.

-   Engineering**1,538 · 22.6%**
-   Business**1,319 · 19.4%**
-   Agriculture**599 · 8.8%**
-   Biological sciences**426 · 6.3%**
-   Education**296 · 4.4%**
-   Other**2,613 · 38.5%**

Find a field

Sort programsLargest programsHighest four-year earningsBest national field rankProgram name

83 of 83 programs shown

Four-year earnings · first six matching programs

**Computer Engineering 295 degrees awarded**
$105,753

**Computer Science 96 degrees awarded**
$104,211

**Construction Engineering 71 degrees awarded**
$100,676

**Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering 104 degrees awarded**
$99,705

**Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering 158 degrees awarded**
$94,089

**Business/Managerial Economics 13 degrees awarded**
$93,379

Each bar is a field’s median. Program size counts degrees awarded, not unique people or the earnings sample.

Compare all matching programs

Reported bachelor’s programs · earnings, program size and field ranks

| Program | Degrees awarded | 4-yr earnings | Field rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Computer Engineering | 295 | $105,753 | #48 |
| Computer Science | 96 | $104,211 | #108 |
| Construction Engineering | 71 | $100,676 | #2 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | 104 | $99,705 | #93 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering | 158 | $94,089 | #32 |
| Business/Managerial Economics small degree count | 13 | $93,379 | — |
| Industrial Engineering | 132 | $92,914 | #39 |
| Chemical Engineering | 123 | $92,773 | #81 |
| Agricultural Engineering | 78 | $88,576 | #6 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 406 | $85,938 | #163 |
| Civil Engineering | 122 | $85,427 | #95 |
| Materials Engineering | 44 | $83,416 | #22 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | 195 | $83,267 | #117 |
| Engineering-Related Fields | 93 | $82,548 | #15 |
| Agricultural Mechanization | 41 | $78,890 | #2 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 418 | $78,304 | #69 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | 225 | $75,360 | #100 |
| Economics | 39 | $75,355 | #142 |
| Statistics | 39 | $72,581 | #37 |
| Accounting and Related Services | 150 | $70,706 | #171 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies small degree count | 15 | $69,673 | — |
| Agricultural Business and Management | 166 | $67,529 | #13 |
| Chemistry | 32 | $66,486 | #73 |
| Marketing | 300 | $66,482 | #98 |
| Food Science and Technology | 31 | $65,943 | #22 |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences small degree count | 16 | $65,204 | — |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology | 37 | $63,026 | #62 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication | 109 | $62,965 | #44 |
| Family and Consumer Economics and Related Studies small degree count | 13 | $62,341 | — |
| Mathematics | 66 | $62,261 | #156 |
| Area Studies small degree count | 9 | $61,860 | — |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 35 | $61,697 | #43 |
| City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning | 29 | $61,173 | #9 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | 132 | $61,166 | #31 |
| Plant Sciences | 89 | $60,997 | #5 |
| Apparel and Textiles | 100 | $60,349 | #11 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 217 | $60,059 | #56 |
| Political Science and Government | 65 | $57,752 | #203 |
| Communication and Media Studies | 65 | $57,110 | #119 |
| International Agriculture | 31 | $56,405 | — |
| Sociology | 31 | $55,714 | #111 |
| Hospitality Administration/Management | 116 | $55,491 | #41 |
| Genetics | 45 | $55,037 | #7 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 70 | $54,889 | #95 |
| Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services | 50 | $54,391 | #22 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other small degree count | 5 | $54,064 | — |
| Nutrition Sciences | 21 | $53,933 | #32 |
| Journalism | 32 | $53,633 | #72 |
| Biology, General | 193 | $53,447 | #261 |
| History | 50 | $52,934 | #138 |
| Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology small degree count | 18 | $52,786 | — |
| Design and Applied Arts | 221 | $52,671 | #58 |
| Forestry | 31 | $52,650 | #20 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | 71 | $52,622 | #64 |
| Animal Sciences | 241 | $51,644 | #17 |
| Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General small degree count | 14 | $51,531 | — |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | 78 | $51,387 | #99 |
| Microbiological Sciences and Immunology | 28 | $49,875 | #43 |
| English Language and Literature, General | 49 | $49,626 | #157 |
| Medical Illustration and Informatics small degree count | 9 | $49,493 | — |
| Psychology, General | 217 | $49,286 | #205 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 186 | $47,462 | #132 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | 86 | $46,253 | #58 |
| Anthropology | 24 | $43,443 | #107 |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services | 27 | $40,726 | #64 |
| Visual and Performing Arts, General small degree count | 15 | $39,403 | — |
| Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology | 118 | $39,143 | #35 |
| Architectural Sciences and Technology | 78 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies small degree count | 7 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Education, General | 39 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering small degree count | 5 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology small degree count | 5 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Intelligence, Command Control and Information Operations small degree count | 11 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Sustainability Studies | 26 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Computational Science small degree count | 16 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Philosophy small degree count | 19 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Physics small degree count | 18 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Public Administration small degree count | 6 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Music small degree count | 8 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing small degree count | 11 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | 45 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations | 41 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| International Business small degree count | 11 | Too few graduates to report | — |

[Program data and definitions](#page-sources) · [How to evaluate program rankings](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/)

## What are the largest programs at Iowa State University?

Ten largest programs by degrees awarded

**Business Administration, Management and Operations**
418

**Mechanical Engineering**
406

**Marketing**
300

**Computer Engineering**
295

**Animal Sciences**
241

**Finance and Financial Management Services**
225

**Design and Applied Arts**
221

**Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness**
217

**Psychology, General**
217

**Computer and Information Sciences, General**
195

Counts describe degrees awarded in the reporting period, not current enrollment. [Program data and definitions](#page-sources)

## How do Iowa State University majors rank nationally?

### National program rankings

1.  Agricultural Mechanization**#2**
2.  Construction Engineering**#2**
3.  Plant Sciences**#5**
4.  Agricultural Engineering**#6**
5.  Genetics**#7**
6.  City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning**#9**
7.  Apparel and Textiles**#11**
8.  Agricultural Business and Management**#13**
9.  Engineering-Related Fields**#15**
10.  Animal Sciences**#17**
11.  Forestry**#20**
12.  Food Science and Technology**#22**
13.  Materials Engineering**#22**
14.  Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services**#22**
15.  Criminal Justice and Corrections**#31**
16.  Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering**#32**
17.  Nutrition Sciences**#32**
18.  Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology**#35**
19.  Statistics**#37**
20.  Industrial Engineering**#39**
21.  Hospitality Administration/Management**#41**
22.  Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics**#43**
23.  Microbiological Sciences and Immunology**#43**
24.  Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication**#44**
25.  Computer Engineering**#48**

Programs ranked in the national top 50, supplemented by the largest ranked programs when needed to show ten. Fewer appear when fewer ranks are reported. Each rank compares bachelor’s programs in the same field; field sizes differ.

[How Azimuth compares programs across colleges](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/)

## Further analysis

Outcomes at Iowa State University depend heavily on field of study, and [Azimuth's program ranking](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/)s evaluate what completers earn, owe, and how many the program serves — not reputation. The university has 67 programs with published four-year earnings data, and 56 of those carry an Azimuth national rank.

The degree mix is led by Engineering, which accounts for 22.7% of bachelor's degrees awarded, followed by Business at 19.4% and Agriculture & Natural Resources at 8.8%. The largest single program is Business Administration and Management, with 418 degrees awarded in a year and median earnings of $78,304 four years after completion.

Azimuth ranks it #69 nationally and #1 in Iowa. The highest-earning program is Computer Engineering, where graduates earn a median of $105,753 four years out, from 295 degrees awarded.

The best-ranked program nationally is Construction Engineering, at #2 in its field, with median earnings of $100,676. Award counts reflect degrees conferred in one academic year, and program earnings cover federally aided completers.

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), founder of College Azimuth.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Figure notes link to sources and limitations. [About College Azimuth](/about/).