Best Data Scientist programs in Iowa, ranked by enrollment
Develop and implement a set of techniques or analytics applications to transform raw data into meaningful information using data-oriented programming languages and visualization software.
32 schools in Iowa run programs that feed this job, graduating 1,676 people a year. The job pays a median of $95,830 in Iowa across about 2,300 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.
17 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 | 48.7% | 18 | $70,374 | $23,250 |
| 2 | CIP 27.0101In Iowa → | 222 | 13.2% | 23 | $48,772 | $21,544 |
| 3 | CIP 11.0103In Iowa → | 196 | 11.7% | 3 | $57,986 | $24,286 |
| 4 | CIP 45.0603In Iowa → | 84 | 5.0% | 5 | $51,725 | $22,907 |
| 5 | CIP 52.1301In Iowa → | 65 | 3.9% | 3 | $62,069 | $23,500 |
| 6 | CIP 27.0501In Iowa → | 60 | 3.6% | 3 | $59,718 | $20,150 |
| 7 | CIP 30.7101In Iowa → | 51 | 3.0% | 3 | — | — |
| 8 | CIP 27.0305In Iowa → | 47 | 2.8% | 1 | $60,930 | $21,143 |
| 9 | Data Science, Generalmain feeder CIP 30.7001In Iowa → | 45 | 2.7% | 6 | — | — |
| 10 | Computational Sciencemain feeder CIP 30.3001In Iowa → | 18 | 1.1% | 1 | $50,745 | $27,000 |
| 11 | CIP 11.0102In Iowa → | 17 | 1.0% | 2 | $57,986 | $24,286 |
| 12 | CIP 27.0301In Iowa → | 16 | 1.0% | 6 | $60,930 | $21,143 |
| 13 | CIP 30.7102In Iowa → | 12 | 0.7% | 3 | — | — |
| 14 | CIP 26.1103In Iowa → | 10 | 0.6% | 2 | $72,338 | $18,500 |
| 15 | CIP 27.0503In Iowa → | 9 | 0.5% | 2 | $59,718 | $20,150 |
| 16 | CIP 11.0804In Iowa → | 7 | 0.4% | 1 | $33,504 | $27,000 |
| 17 | CIP 30.0801In Iowa → | 1 | 0.1% | 1 | $89,651 | $23,175 |
Top 25 schools in Iowa
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 6 of the 32 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 · 10 feeder programs | 537 | Computer Science | $78,517 | 75% | — | 89% |
| 2 | Maharishi International University Fairfield, IA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 326 | Computer Science | — | 50% | $19,927 | 96% |
| 3 | University of Iowa Iowa City, IA Public · 8 feeder programs | 284 | Computer Science | — | 75% | — | 84% |
| 4 | Grinnell College Grinnell, IA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 126 | Computer Science | $84,449 | 88% | $14,470 | 15% |
| 5 | University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA Public · 3 feeder programs | 79 | Mathematics, General | $42,729 | 68% | — | 93% |
| 6 | Drake University Des Moines, IA Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 64 | Data Analytics, General | — | 74% | $28,855 | 64% |
| 7 | Saint Ambrose University Davenport, IA Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 41 | Management Science | $49,039 | 61% | $21,680 | 77% |
| 8 | Southeastern Community College West Burlington, IA Public · 1 feeder programs | 27 | Information Technology | — | 43% | — | — |
| 9 | Loras College Dubuque, IA Private not-for-profit · 5 feeder programs | 24 | Business Analytics | — | 68% | $19,227 | 100% |
| 10 | Cornell College Mount Vernon, IA Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 20 | Computer Science | — | 62% | $23,073 | 80% |
| 11 | Luther College Decorah, IA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 20 | Computer Science | $63,760 | 71% | $22,827 | 72% |
| 12 | Grand View University Des Moines, IA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 16 | Computer Science | — | 54% | $20,840 | 99% |
| 13 | Coe College Cedar Rapids, IA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 12 | Computer Science | — | 66% | $18,153 | 64% |
| 14 | Simpson College Indianola, IA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 11 | Computer Science | $70,950 | 63% | $20,710 | 86% |
| 15 | Central College Pella, IA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 10 | Computer Science | — | 66% | $19,732 | 86% |
| 16 | Clarke University Dubuque, IA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 9 | Computer Science | — | 56% | $21,417 | 72% |
| 17 | Northwestern College Orange City, IA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 9 | Computer Science | — | 66% | $22,419 | 80% |
| 18 | Des Moines Area Community College Ankeny, IA Public · 1 feeder programs | 8 | Mathematics, General | — | 39% | — | — |
| 19 | Mount Mercy University Cedar Rapids, IA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 8 | Computer Science | — | 58% | $23,054 | 83% |
| 20 | Wartburg College Waverly, IA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 8 | Mathematics, General | — | 64% | $20,228 | 76% |
| 21 | Eastern Iowa Community College District Davenport, IA Public · 1 feeder programs | 7 | Modeling, Virtual Environments and Simulation | — | 45% | — | — |
| 22 | Graceland University - Lamoni Lamoni, IA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 7 | Mathematics and Statistics | — | 42% | $16,430 | 81% |
| 23 | Buena Vista University Storm Lake, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Information Technology | — | 62% | $17,609 | 78% |
| 24 | University of Dubuque Dubuque, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Mathematics, General | — | 40% | $21,324 | 89% |
| 25 | Briar Cliff University Sioux City, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Computer Science | — | 48% | $21,731 | — |
All 32 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 | 537 | 10 |
| Maharishi International University | Fairfield | Private not-for-profit | 326 | 2 |
| University of Iowa | Iowa City | Public | 284 | 8 |
| Grinnell College | Grinnell | Private not-for-profit | 126 | 3 |
| University of Northern Iowa | Cedar Falls | Public | 79 | 3 |
| Drake University | Des Moines | Private not-for-profit | 64 | 4 |
| Saint Ambrose University | Davenport | Private not-for-profit | 41 | 4 |
| Southeastern Community College | West Burlington | Public | 27 | 1 |
| Loras College | Dubuque | Private not-for-profit | 24 | 5 |
| Cornell College | Mount Vernon | Private not-for-profit | 20 | 4 |
| Luther College | Decorah | Private not-for-profit | 20 | 3 |
| Grand View University | Des Moines | Private not-for-profit | 16 | 3 |
| Coe College | Cedar Rapids | Private not-for-profit | 12 | 3 |
| Simpson College | Indianola | Private not-for-profit | 11 | 3 |
| Central College | Pella | Private not-for-profit | 10 | 2 |
What data scientists earn in Iowa
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $120,230. 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 Data Scientists page.
How to become a Data Scientist
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 25 majors mapped to Data Scientists25 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 11.0102Artificial Intelligence
- 11.0103Information Technology
- 11.0701Computer Science
- 11.0802Data Modeling/Warehousing and Database Administration
- 11.0804Modeling, Virtual Environments and Simulation
- 26.1103Bioinformatics
- 26.1104Computational Biology
- 26.1199Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology, Other
- 27.0101Mathematics, General
- 27.0301Applied Mathematics, General
- 27.0303Computational Mathematics
- 27.0304Computational and Applied Mathematics
- 27.0305Financial Mathematics
- 27.0306Mathematical Biology
- 27.0399Applied Mathematics, Other
- 27.0501Statistics, General
- 27.0502Mathematical Statistics and Probability
- 27.0503Mathematics and Statistics
- 27.0601Applied Statistics, General
- 27.9999Mathematics and Statistics, Other
- 30.0801Mathematics and Computer Science
- 30.3001Computational Science
- 30.3901Economics and Computer Science
- 30.4801Linguistics and Computer Science
- 30.7001Data Science, General
Common questions
Answers for people weighing data scientists programs in Iowa.
What degree do you need to become a Data Scientist?+
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, 48.7% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Data Scientist?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 17 programs to this occupation. The largest are Computer Science, Mathematics, Computer and Information Sciences, Economics, plus 9 more. Together they graduate about 1,676 people a year in Iowa.
How much do data scientists earn in Iowa?+
The median is $95,830 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 20.3% below the U.S. median of $120,230. 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 data scientists growing?+
BLS projects a +33.5% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, much faster than average, with roughly 23,400 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Iowa?+
32 institutions in Iowa reported graduates from at least one of the 17 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 data scientists work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Intelligence Analyst, Clinical Data Manager, Data Management Manager, Market Intelligence Consultant, Competitive Intelligence Analyst, Business Intelligence Analyst (BI Analyst) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 15-2051.
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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