Best Computer Programmer programs in Iowa, ranked by enrollment
Create, modify, and test the code and scripts that allow computer applications to run. Work from specifications drawn up by software and web developers or other individuals.
30 schools in Iowa run programs that feed this job, graduating 1,433 people a year. The job pays a median of $79,180 in Iowa across about 950 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.
8 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 11.0701In Iowa → | 816 | 56.9% | 18 | $70,374 | $23,250 |
| 2 | Computer Programming, Specific Applicationsmain feeder CIP 11.0202In Iowa → | 362 | 25.3% | 6 | $46,719 | $20,729 |
| 3 | Computer Programming/Programmer, Generalmain feeder CIP 11.0201In Iowa → | 107 | 7.5% | 6 | $46,719 | $20,729 |
| 4 | CIP 52.1201In Iowa → | 57 | 4.0% | 6 | $59,352 | $24,618 |
| 5 | CIP 30.7101In Iowa → | 51 | 3.6% | 3 | — | — |
| 6 | CIP 30.3001In Iowa → | 18 | 1.3% | 1 | $50,745 | $27,000 |
| 7 | CIP 11.0803In Iowa → | 15 | 1.0% | 1 | $33,504 | $27,000 |
| 8 | CIP 11.0804In Iowa → | 7 | 0.5% | 1 | $33,504 | $27,000 |
Top 25 schools in Iowa
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 7 of the 30 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maharishi International University Fairfield, IA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 382 | Computer Science | — | 50% | $19,927 | 96% |
| 2 | Des Moines Area Community College Ankeny, IA Public · 2 feeder programs | 271 | Computer Programming, Specific Applications | — | 39% | — | — |
| 3 | Iowa State University Ames, IA Public · 2 feeder programs | 207 | Computer Science | $78,517 | 75% | — | 89% |
| 4 | University of Iowa Iowa City, IA Public · 1 feeder programs | 108 | Computer Science | — | 75% | — | 84% |
| 5 | Grinnell College Grinnell, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 61 | Computer Science | $84,449 | 88% | $14,470 | 15% |
| 6 | Kirkwood Community College Cedar Rapids, IA Public · 1 feeder programs | 59 | Computer Programming, Specific Applications | $39,216 | 43% | — | — |
| 7 | Drake University Des Moines, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 45 | Data Analytics, General | — | 74% | $28,855 | 64% |
| 8 | Eastern Iowa Community College District Davenport, IA Public · 2 feeder programs | 44 | Computer Programming/Programmer, General | — | 45% | — | — |
| 9 | University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA Public · 2 feeder programs | 36 | Computer Science | $65,960 | 68% | — | 93% |
| 10 | Indian Hills Community College Ottumwa, IA Public · 1 feeder programs | 32 | Computer Programming, Specific Applications | $63,559 | 40% | — | — |
| 11 | Iowa Western Community College Council Bluffs, IA Public · 2 feeder programs | 29 | Computer Programming, Specific Applications | — | 40% | — | — |
| 12 | University of Dubuque Dubuque, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 15 | Computer Graphics | — | 40% | $21,324 | 89% |
| 13 | Grand View University Des Moines, IA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 13 | Computer Science | — | 54% | $20,840 | 99% |
| 14 | Luther College Decorah, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 13 | Computer Science | $63,760 | 71% | $22,827 | 72% |
| 15 | Saint Ambrose University Davenport, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 13 | Computer Science | — | 61% | $21,680 | 77% |
| 16 | Cornell College Mount Vernon, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 12 | Computer Science | — | 62% | $23,073 | 80% |
| 17 | Loras College Dubuque, IA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 11 | Computer Science | — | 68% | $19,227 | 100% |
| 18 | Morningside University Sioux City, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 11 | Computer Programming/Programmer, General | — | 50% | $22,816 | 71% |
| 19 | Simpson College Indianola, IA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 10 | Computer Science | $70,950 | 63% | $20,710 | 86% |
| 20 | Coe College Cedar Rapids, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 9 | Computer Science | — | 66% | $18,153 | 64% |
| 21 | Northeast Iowa Community College Calmar, IA Public · 2 feeder programs | 9 | Computer Programming, Specific Applications | — | 51% | — | — |
| 22 | Clarke University Dubuque, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 8 | Computer Science | — | 56% | $21,417 | 72% |
| 23 | Central College Pella, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 7 | Computer Science | — | 66% | $19,732 | 86% |
| 24 | Mount Mercy University Cedar Rapids, IA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 7 | Computer Science | — | 58% | $23,054 | 83% |
| 25 | Northwestern College Orange City, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Computer Science | — | 66% | $22,419 | 80% |
All 30 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maharishi International University | Fairfield | Private not-for-profit | 382 | 3 |
| Des Moines Area Community College | Ankeny | Public | 271 | 2 |
| Iowa State University | Ames | Public | 207 | 2 |
| University of Iowa | Iowa City | Public | 108 | 1 |
| Grinnell College | Grinnell | Private not-for-profit | 61 | 1 |
| Kirkwood Community College | Cedar Rapids | Public | 59 | 1 |
| Drake University | Des Moines | Private not-for-profit | 45 | 1 |
| Eastern Iowa Community College District | Davenport | Public | 44 | 2 |
| University of Northern Iowa | Cedar Falls | Public | 36 | 2 |
| Indian Hills Community College | Ottumwa | Public | 32 | 1 |
| Iowa Western Community College | Council Bluffs | Public | 29 | 2 |
| University of Dubuque | Dubuque | Private not-for-profit | 15 | 1 |
| Grand View University | Des Moines | Private not-for-profit | 13 | 2 |
| Luther College | Decorah | Private not-for-profit | 13 | 1 |
| Saint Ambrose University | Davenport | Private not-for-profit | 13 | 1 |
What computer programmers earn in Iowa
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $100,390. 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 Computer Programmers page.
How to become a Computer Programmer
Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational 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 17 majors mapped to Computer Programmers17 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 11.0201Computer Programming/Programmer, General
- 11.0202Computer Programming, Specific Applications
- 11.0203Computer Programming, Vendor/Product Certification
- 11.0204Computer Game Programming
- 11.0205Computer Programming, Specific Platforms
- 11.0299Computer Programming, Other
- 11.0701Computer Science
- 11.0803Computer Graphics
- 11.0804Modeling, Virtual Environments and Simulation
- 11.0902Cloud Computing
- 15.1204Computer Software Technology/Technician
- 30.3001Computational Science
- 30.7101Data Analytics, General
- 30.7103Data Visualization
- 30.7199Data Analytics, Other
- 51.0709Medical Office Computer Specialist/Assistant
- 52.1201Management Information Systems, General
Common questions
Answers for people weighing computer programmers programs in Iowa.
What degree do you need to become a Computer Programmer?+
Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Computer Science, which awarded 816 degrees in Iowa in 2024-25, 56.9% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Computer Programmer?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 8 programs to this occupation. The largest are Computer Science, Computer Programming, Management Information Systems and Services, Data Analytics, plus 2 more. Together they graduate about 1,433 people a year in Iowa.
How much do computer programmers earn in Iowa?+
The median is $79,180 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 21.1% below the U.S. median of $100,390. 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 computer programmers growing?+
BLS projects a -6.0% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, decline, with roughly 5,500 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Iowa?+
30 institutions in Iowa reported graduates from at least one of the 8 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 computer programmers work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Programmer, Analyst Programmer, Programmer Analyst, Computer Programmer among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 15-1251.
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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