Journalism at Iowa State University

Ames, IA · Bachelor's Degree · about 44 graduates a year

$39,347
Median pay 1 year after graduating
$53,633
Median pay 4 years after graduating
$56,278
National median for this major (4 yrs)
#105 of 187
Rank by pay
#75 of 187
Rank, wage-adjusted
$23,250
Median federal debt

Iowa State University graduates in journalism earn 5% less than the national median for the same major four years after graduating. Their median federal debt equals about 43% of one year’s pay at that point.

How Iowa State University Compares for Journalism

All 187 colleges reporting journalism earnings at this degree level, ranked by median pay four years after graduation. “Wage-adjusted” divides pay by the square root of the state’s wage index so colleges in low-wage states aren’t penalized for local pay.

#College4 yrs afterWage-adjustedAdj. rank1 yr after
1Lehigh University Bethlehem, PA$81,935$83,329#1$45,256
2George Washington University Washington, DC$81,927$71,789#10$52,015
3Northwestern University Evanston, IL$80,258$78,853#3$50,426
4University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA$79,776$72,591#8$44,651
5Chapman University Orange, CA$79,135$72,008#9$41,645
6University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI$75,967$79,047#2$40,942
7Northeastern University Boston, MA$74,709$65,789#20$51,855
8Fordham University Bronx, NY$72,475$68,981#13$42,769
9University of Miami Coral Gables, FL$71,466$76,066#5$41,378
10California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA$70,829$64,450#25$48,637
…
102San Diego State University San Diego, CA$53,997$49,134#152$30,269
103CUNY York College Jamaica, NY$53,901$51,303#132$24,535
104Widener University Chester, PA$53,724$54,638#94$22,058
105Iowa State University Ames, IA$53,633$56,415#75$39,347
106University of Nebraska-Lincoln Lincoln, NE$53,618$55,416#86$32,553
107Bloomfield College Bloomfield, NJ$53,579$47,025#168$25,575
108Montclair State University Montclair, NJ$53,579$47,025#169$25,575

Other Majors at Iowa State University by Graduate Pay

Major4 yrs after1 yr afterRank in major
Computer Engineering$105,753$79,182#96 of 189
Computer Science$104,211$78,517#143 of 349
Construction Engineering$100,676$77,845#8 of 13
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering$99,705$84,913#111 of 258
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering$94,089$75,036#41 of 59
Business/Managerial Economics$93,379—#16 of 84
Industrial Engineering$92,914$74,310#65 of 94
Chemical Engineering$92,773$76,184#109 of 158
Agricultural Engineering$88,576$72,376#6 of 26
Management Information Systems and Services$87,413—#64 of 166
Mechanical Engineering$85,938$72,900#276 of 318
Civil Engineering$85,427$72,502#112 of 233
Materials Engineering$83,416$65,831#31 of 34
Computer and Information Sciences$83,267$60,397#243 of 459
Engineering-Related Fields$82,548$62,416#28 of 33
Agricultural Mechanization$78,890$63,321#1 of 10
Business Administration, Management and Operations$78,304$57,188#173 of 1176
Finance and Financial Management Services$75,360$56,974#254 of 452
Economics$75,355$57,619#224 of 368
Statistics$72,581$53,132#46 of 50
Accounting and Related Services$70,706$58,479#466 of 796
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies$69,673—#4 of 137
Architecture$69,310$54,957#31 of 78
Agricultural Business and Management$67,529$53,967#27 of 77
Chemistry$66,486$43,870#105 of 209
Marketing$66,482$48,304#262 of 516
Food Science and Technology$65,943$60,351#21 of 29
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences$65,204$50,150#47 of 138
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology$63,026$43,520#70 of 110
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication$62,965$42,530#82 of 178

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Iowa State University journalism graduates make?

Graduates earn a median $39,347 one year after graduating and $53,633 four years after graduating. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

How does Iowa State University rank for journalism?

Among 187 colleges reporting earnings for journalism graduates, Iowa State University ranks #105 by median pay four years after graduation, and #75 after adjusting for state wage levels.

Is journalism at Iowa State University worth it?

Its graduates earn 5% less than the national median for journalism ($56,278), and the median federal debt at graduation is $23,250.

← All data for Iowa State University · Methodology

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study data. Earnings are medians for graduates who received federal aid and were working and not enrolled; programs with few graduates are not reported. Wage adjustment uses Census ACS state median household income.