Best Architectural programs in Iowa, ranked by enrollment
Plan, direct, or coordinate activities in such fields as architecture and engineering or research and development in these.
16 schools in Iowa run programs that feed this job, graduating 2,305 people a year. The job pays a median of $147,320 in Iowa across about 1,520 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Iowa that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
25 programs in Iowa that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Iowa (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Iowa page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 14.1901In Iowa → | 550 | 23.9% | 6 | $70,724 | $24,833 |
| 2 | CIP 14.0801In Iowa → | 211 | 9.2% | 3 | $69,574 | $24,625 |
| 3 | CIP 14.0901In Iowa → | 194 | 8.4% | 2 | $78,333 | $24,098 |
| 4 | CIP 14.1001In Iowa → | 171 | 7.4% | 3 | $77,636 | $25,000 |
| 5 | CIP 14.0201In Iowa → | 154 | 6.7% | 1 | $72,210 | $25,000 |
| 6 | CIP 14.0701In Iowa → | 144 | 6.2% | 3 | $73,072 | $23,399 |
| 7 | CIP 14.0903In Iowa → | 138 | 6.0% | 3 | $78,333 | $24,098 |
| 8 | CIP 14.3501In Iowa → | 126 | 5.5% | 3 | $74,748 | $24,989 |
| 9 | CIP 04.0902In Iowa → | 109 | 4.7% | 1 | $48,514 | $27,000 |
| 10 | CIP 14.0501In Iowa → | 88 | 3.8% | 1 | $64,660 | $23,246 |
| 11 | CIP 15.1501In Iowa → | 80 | 3.5% | 2 | $68,912 | $25,236 |
| 12 | CIP 14.0101In Iowa → | 75 | 3.3% | 11 | $67,734 | $24,375 |
| 13 | CIP 14.0301In Iowa → | 66 | 2.9% | 1 | $65,020 | $23,000 |
| 14 | CIP 14.3301In Iowa → | 52 | 2.3% | 1 | $75,998 | $25,314 |
| 15 | CIP 04.0601In Iowa → | 33 | 1.4% | 1 | $53,098 | $27,000 |
| 16 | CIP 14.1801In Iowa → | 33 | 1.4% | 1 | $74,110 | $23,250 |
| 17 | CIP 14.1401In Iowa → | 29 | 1.3% | 2 | $64,608 | $23,250 |
| 18 | CIP 14.1301In Iowa → | 28 | 1.2% | 3 | $73,378 | $17,083 |
| 19 | CIP 04.0301In Iowa → | 18 | 0.8% | 1 | $42,824 | $25,237 |
| 20 | CIP 14.0899In Iowa → | 1 | 0.0% | 1 | $69,574 | $24,625 |
| 21 | CIP 14.1101In Iowa → | 1 | 0.0% | 1 | $77,174 | $26,966 |
| 22 | CIP 14.2701In Iowa → | 1 | 0.0% | 1 | $79,942 | $20,500 |
| 23 | CIP 14.3601In Iowa → | 1 | 0.0% | 1 | $72,154 | $21,457 |
| 24 | CIP 14.4201In Iowa → | 1 | 0.0% | 1 | $72,645 | $24,250 |
| 25 | CIP 14.9999In Iowa → | 1 | 0.0% | 1 | $73,678 | $22,938 |
Top 16 schools in Iowa
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 3 of the 16 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iowa State University Ames, IA Public · 19 feeder programs | 1,657 | Mechanical Engineering | $72,900 | 75% | — | 89% |
| 2 | University of Iowa Iowa City, IA Public · 10 feeder programs | 456 | Mechanical Engineering | $71,732 | 75% | — | 84% |
| 3 | Dordt University Sioux Center, IA Private not-for-profit · 6 feeder programs | 51 | Mechanical Engineering | — | 70% | $24,569 | 68% |
| 4 | Loras College Dubuque, IA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 23 | Mechanical Engineering | — | 68% | $19,227 | 100% |
| 5 | Saint Ambrose University Davenport, IA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 23 | Mechanical Engineering | $73,622 | 61% | $21,680 | 77% |
| 6 | Des Moines Area Community College Ankeny, IA Public · 1 feeder programs | 22 | Engineering, General | — | 39% | — | — |
| 7 | Wartburg College Waverly, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 22 | Engineering Science | — | 64% | $20,228 | 76% |
| 8 | Cornell College Mount Vernon, IA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 16 | Engineering, General | — | 62% | $23,073 | 80% |
| 9 | William Penn University Oskaloosa, IA Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 11 | Computer Software Engineering | — | 33% | $21,533 | 52% |
| 10 | Central College Pella, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 9 | Engineering, General | — | 66% | $19,732 | 86% |
| 11 | Ellsworth Community College Iowa Falls, IA Public · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Engineering, General | — | 38% | — | — |
| 12 | Marshalltown Community College Marshalltown, IA Public · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Engineering, General | — | 42% | — | — |
| 13 | Northwestern College Orange City, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Computer Software Engineering | — | 66% | $22,419 | 80% |
| 14 | Iowa Western Community College Council Bluffs, IA Public · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Engineering, General | — | 40% | — | — |
| 15 | Kirkwood Community College Cedar Rapids, IA Public · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Engineering, General | — | 43% | — | — |
| 16 | Iowa Central Community College Fort Dodge, IA Public · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Engineering, General | — | 42% | — | — |
All 16 schools in Iowa
Every school in Iowa with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa State University | Ames | Public | 1,657 | 19 |
| University of Iowa | Iowa City | Public | 456 | 10 |
| Dordt University | Sioux Center | Private not-for-profit | 51 | 6 |
| Loras College | Dubuque | Private not-for-profit | 23 | 2 |
| Saint Ambrose University | Davenport | Private not-for-profit | 23 | 3 |
| Des Moines Area Community College | Ankeny | Public | 22 | 1 |
| Wartburg College | Waverly | Private not-for-profit | 22 | 1 |
| Cornell College | Mount Vernon | Private not-for-profit | 16 | 2 |
| William Penn University | Oskaloosa | Private not-for-profit | 11 | 4 |
| Central College | Pella | Private not-for-profit | 9 | 1 |
| Ellsworth Community College | Iowa Falls | Public | 4 | 1 |
| Marshalltown Community College | Marshalltown | Public | 3 | 1 |
| Northwestern College | Orange City | Private not-for-profit | 3 | 1 |
| Iowa Western Community College | Council Bluffs | Public | 2 | 1 |
| Kirkwood Community College | Cedar Rapids | Public | 2 | 1 |
What architectural and engineering managers earn in Iowa
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $171,270. Iowa pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Iowa
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Architectural and Engineering Managers page.
How to become a Architectural
Job zone 5 of 5 · SVP 8.0 and above- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
- Work experience needed
- 5 years or more
Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Iowa
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 25 majors mapped to Architectural and Engineering Managers25 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 04.0201Architecture
- 04.0202Architectural Design
- 04.0301City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning
- 04.0401Environmental Design/Architecture
- 04.0402Healthcare Environment Design/Architecture
- 04.0501Interior Architecture
- 04.0601Landscape Architecture
- 04.0902Architectural and Building Sciences/Technology
- 14.0101Engineering, General
- 14.0201Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering, General
- 14.0202Astronautical Engineering
- 14.0299Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering, Other
- 14.0301Agricultural Engineering
- 14.0401Architectural Engineering
- 14.0501Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering
- 14.0601Ceramic Sciences and Engineering
- 14.0701Chemical Engineering
- 14.0702Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
- 14.0799Chemical Engineering, Other
- 14.0801Civil Engineering, General
- 14.0802Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
- 14.0803Structural Engineering
- 14.0804Transportation and Highway Engineering
- 14.0805Water Resources Engineering
- 14.0899Civil Engineering, Other
Common questions
Answers for people weighing architectural and engineering managers programs in Iowa.
What degree do you need to become an Architectural?+
Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Mechanical Engineering, which awarded 550 degrees in Iowa in 2024-25, 23.9% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming an Architectural?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 25 programs to this occupation. The largest are Mechanical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical, plus 19 more. Together they graduate about 2,305 people a year in Iowa.
How much do architectural and engineering managers earn in Iowa?+
The median is $147,320 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 14.0% below the U.S. median of $171,270. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for architectural and engineering managers growing?+
BLS projects a +3.8% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 14,500 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Iowa?+
16 institutions in Iowa reported graduates from at least one of the 25 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do architectural and engineering managers work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Project Manager, Engineering Director, Biodiesel Division Manager, Engineering Program Manager, Project Engineering Manager, Project Development Director among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 11-9041.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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