Iowa·Computer and Mathematical Occupations·SOC 15-1232

Best Computer User Support Specialist programs in Iowa, ranked by enrollment

Provide technical assistance to computer users. Answer questions or resolve computer problems for clients in person, via telephone, or electronically.

4 schools in Iowa run programs that feed this job, graduating 53 people a year. The job pays a median of $58,810 in Iowa across about 6,140 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledComputer Support SpecialistComputer Tech (Computer Technician)IS Tech (Information Systems Technician)IT Specialist (Information Technology Specialist)Desktop AnalystCustomer LiaisonSupport EngineerComputer Operator
Graduates / yr
53
in Iowa
Median pay · Iowa
$58,810
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
6,140
people employed
Schools
4
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
51%
across those schools
Median net price
per year, IPEDS

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.

1 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.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
CIP 11.1006In Iowa
53
100.0%
4$48,185$25,250

Top 4 schools in Iowa

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 1 of the 4 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1North Iowa Area Community College
Mason City, IA Public · 1 feeder programs
29Computer Support Specialist61%
2Kirkwood Community College
Cedar Rapids, IA Public · 1 feeder programs
19Computer Support Specialist$41,57543%
3Northwest Iowa Community College
Sheldon, IA Public · 1 feeder programs
4Computer Support Specialist58%
4Hawkeye Community College
Waterloo, IA Public · 1 feeder programs
1Computer Support Specialist43%

All 4 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.

All schools in Iowa that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
North Iowa Area Community CollegeMason CityPublic291
Kirkwood Community CollegeCedar RapidsPublic191
Northwest Iowa Community CollegeSheldonPublic41
Hawkeye Community CollegeWaterlooPublic11

What computer user support specialists earn in Iowa

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual in Iowa
$58,810
Mean annual
$60,620
Jobs in state
6,140
What the range looks like
10th pct$37,740Median$58,81090th pct$85,680
Versus the national median
-4.9%

U.S. median $61,860. Iowa pays below the national figure.

Job concentration
0.85×

1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.

Metro areas in Iowa

Ames, IA
$63,830median
350 jobs
Dubuque, IA
$59,190median
230 jobs
Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA
$59,630median
270 jobs
Cedar Rapids, IA
$58,330median
690 jobs
Iowa City, IA
$61,750median
370 jobs
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
$59,450median
2,110 jobs
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL
$55,850median
630 jobs
Sioux City, IA-NE-SD
$50,430median
250 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
-3.7%
Decline
Openings per year
40,800
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
-27,000
729,500 → 702,500
Typical entry education
Some college, no degree
Plus moderate-term on-the-job training

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 User Support Specialists page.

How to become a Computer User Support Specialist

Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0
Typical entry education
Some college, no 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

Reading ComprehensionSpeakingActive ListeningCritical ThinkingWritingMonitoring

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 3 majors mapped to Computer User Support Specialists3 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 01.0106Agricultural Business Technology/Technician
  • 11.1006Computer Support Specialist
  • 51.0709Medical Office Computer Specialist/Assistant

Common questions

Answers for people weighing computer user support specialists programs in Iowa.

What degree do you need to become a Computer User Support Specialist?+

Some college, no degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Computer Support Specialist, which awarded 53 degrees in Iowa in 2024-25, 100.0% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Computer User Support Specialist?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 1 programs to this occupation. The largest are Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management. Together they graduate about 53 people a year in Iowa.

How much do computer user support specialists earn in Iowa?+

The median is $58,810 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 4.9% below the U.S. median of $61,860. 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 user support specialists growing?+

BLS projects a -3.7% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, decline, with roughly 40,800 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career in Iowa?+

4 institutions in Iowa reported graduates from at least one of the 1 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 user support specialists work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Computer Support Specialist, Computer Tech (Computer Technician), IS Tech (Information Systems Technician), IT Specialist (Information Technology Specialist) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 15-1232.

Computer User Support Specialists in other statesIndianaArizonaUtahWisconsinCaliforniaWest VirginiaTennesseeWashington

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 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected 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 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, 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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