Best Chemical Technician programs in Iowa, ranked by enrollment
Conduct chemical and physical laboratory tests to assist scientists in making qualitative and quantitative analyses of solids, liquids, and gaseous materials for research and development of new products or processes, quality control,.
23 schools in Iowa run programs that feed this job, graduating 202 people a year. The job pays a median of $58,090 in Iowa across about 440 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.
4 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 40.0501In Iowa → | 185 | 91.6% | 23 | $42,620 | $23,900 |
| 2 | CIP 40.0502In Iowa → | 8 | 4.0% | 1 | $42,620 | $23,900 |
| 3 | CIP 40.0504In Iowa → | 5 | 2.5% | 1 | $42,620 | $23,900 |
| 4 | CIP 40.0503In Iowa → | 4 | 2.0% | 1 | $42,620 | $23,900 |
Top 23 schools in Iowa
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 2 of the 23 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Iowa Iowa City, IA Public · 1 feeder programs | 73 | Chemistry, General | $44,847 | 75% | — | 84% |
| 2 | Iowa State University Ames, IA Public · 4 feeder programs | 59 | Chemistry, General | $43,870 | 75% | — | 89% |
| 3 | Luther College Decorah, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 12 | Chemistry, General | — | 71% | $22,827 | 72% |
| 4 | Drake University Des Moines, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 11 | Chemistry, General | — | 74% | $28,855 | 64% |
| 5 | Grinnell College Grinnell, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 9 | Chemistry, General | — | 88% | $14,470 | 15% |
| 6 | Saint Ambrose University Davenport, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Chemistry, General | — | 61% | $21,680 | 77% |
| 7 | University of Dubuque Dubuque, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Chemistry, General | — | 40% | $21,324 | 89% |
| 8 | Central College Pella, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Chemistry, General | — | 66% | $19,732 | 86% |
| 9 | Indian Hills Community College Ottumwa, IA Public · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Chemistry, General | — | 40% | — | — |
| 10 | Simpson College Indianola, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Chemistry, General | — | 63% | $20,710 | 86% |
| 11 | Clarke University Dubuque, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Chemistry, General | — | 56% | $21,417 | 72% |
| 12 | Coe College Cedar Rapids, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Chemistry, General | — | 66% | $18,153 | 64% |
| 13 | Cornell College Mount Vernon, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Chemistry, General | — | 62% | $23,073 | 80% |
| 14 | Loras College Dubuque, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Chemistry, General | — | 68% | $19,227 | 100% |
| 15 | Mount Mercy University Cedar Rapids, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Chemistry, General | — | 58% | $23,054 | 83% |
| 16 | University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA Public · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Chemistry, General | — | 68% | — | 93% |
| 17 | Wartburg College Waverly, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Chemistry, General | — | 64% | $20,228 | 76% |
| 18 | Western Iowa Tech Community College Sioux City, IA Public · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Chemistry, General | — | 50% | — | — |
| 19 | Briar Cliff University Sioux City, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Chemistry, General | — | 48% | $21,731 | — |
| 20 | Des Moines Area Community College Ankeny, IA Public · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Chemistry, General | — | 39% | — | — |
| 21 | Graceland University - Lamoni Lamoni, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Chemistry, General | — | 42% | $16,430 | 81% |
| 22 | Iowa Western Community College Council Bluffs, IA Public · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Chemistry, General | — | 40% | — | — |
| 23 | Northwestern College Orange City, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Chemistry, General | — | 66% | $22,419 | 80% |
All 23 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Iowa | Iowa City | Public | 73 | 1 |
| Iowa State University | Ames | Public | 59 | 4 |
| Luther College | Decorah | Private not-for-profit | 12 | 1 |
| Drake University | Des Moines | Private not-for-profit | 11 | 1 |
| Grinnell College | Grinnell | Private not-for-profit | 9 | 1 |
| Saint Ambrose University | Davenport | Private not-for-profit | 4 | 1 |
| University of Dubuque | Dubuque | Private not-for-profit | 4 | 1 |
| Central College | Pella | Private not-for-profit | 3 | 1 |
| Indian Hills Community College | Ottumwa | Public | 3 | 1 |
| Simpson College | Indianola | Private not-for-profit | 3 | 1 |
| Clarke University | Dubuque | Private not-for-profit | 2 | 1 |
| Coe College | Cedar Rapids | Private not-for-profit | 2 | 1 |
| Cornell College | Mount Vernon | Private not-for-profit | 2 | 1 |
| Loras College | Dubuque | Private not-for-profit | 2 | 1 |
| Mount Mercy University | Cedar Rapids | Private not-for-profit | 2 | 1 |
What chemical technicians earn in Iowa
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $60,390. 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 Chemical Technicians page.
How to become a Chemical Technician
Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0- Typical entry education
- Associate's degree
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
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 7 majors mapped to Chemical Technicians7 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 40.0501Chemistry, General
- 40.0502Analytical Chemistry
- 40.0503Inorganic Chemistry
- 40.0504Organic Chemistry
- 40.0509Environmental Chemistry
- 41.0301Chemical Technology/Technician
- 41.0303Chemical Process Technology
Common questions
Answers for people weighing chemical technicians programs in Iowa.
What degree do you need to become a Chemical Technician?+
Associate's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Chemistry, General, which awarded 185 degrees in Iowa in 2024-25, 91.6% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Chemical Technician?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 4 programs to this occupation. The largest are Chemistry. Together they graduate about 202 people a year in Iowa.
How much do chemical technicians earn in Iowa?+
The median is $58,090 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 3.8% below the U.S. median of $60,390. 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 chemical technicians growing?+
BLS projects a +3.7% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 6,700 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Iowa?+
23 institutions in Iowa reported graduates from at least one of the 4 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 chemical technicians work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Chemical Technician, Laboratory Analyst (Lab Analyst), Laboratory Technician (Lab Tech), Quality Control Technician (QC Tech) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 19-4031.
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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