Best Editor programs in Iowa, ranked by enrollment
Plan, coordinate, revise, or edit written material.
18 schools in Iowa run programs that feed this job, graduating 371 people a year. The job pays a median of $57,200 in Iowa across about 900 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.
11 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 09.0401In Iowa → | 149 | 40.2% | 5 | $34,515 | $24,250 |
| 2 | Creative Writingmain feeder CIP 23.1302In Iowa → | 88 | 23.7% | 7 | $28,725 | $25,250 |
| 3 | Writing, Generalmain feeder CIP 23.1301In Iowa → | 40 | 10.8% | 2 | $28,725 | $25,250 |
| 4 | CIP 09.0102In Iowa → | 38 | 10.2% | 5 | $34,858 | $25,000 |
| 5 | CIP 09.0100In Iowa → | 17 | 4.6% | 3 | $34,858 | $25,000 |
| 6 | CIP 23.1303In Iowa → | 13 | 3.5% | 1 | $28,725 | $25,250 |
| 7 | Rhetoric and Compositionmain feeder CIP 23.1304In Iowa → | 10 | 2.7% | 3 | $28,725 | $25,250 |
| 8 | CIP 09.0908In Iowa → | 6 | 1.6% | 1 | $39,658 | $24,500 |
| 9 | General Literaturemain feeder CIP 23.1401In Iowa → | 4 | 1.1% | 2 | $23,868 | $26,552 |
| 10 | CIP 52.0501In Iowa → | 3 | 0.8% | 1 | $41,000 | $26,000 |
| 11 | CIP 52.0599In Iowa → | 3 | 0.8% | 1 | $41,000 | $26,000 |
Top 18 schools in Iowa
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 6 of the 18 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 · 4 feeder programs | 178 | Journalism | $34,743 | 75% | — | 84% |
| 2 | Iowa State University Ames, IA Public · 5 feeder programs | 79 | Journalism | $39,347 | 75% | — | 89% |
| 3 | Loras College Dubuque, IA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 19 | Mass Communication/Media Studies | $36,821 | 68% | $19,227 | 100% |
| 4 | Cornell College Mount Vernon, IA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 14 | Creative Writing | $18,241 | 62% | $23,073 | 80% |
| 5 | Drake University Des Moines, IA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 14 | Writing, General | — | 74% | $28,855 | 64% |
| 6 | Wartburg College Waverly, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 13 | Mass Communication/Media Studies | $40,255 | 64% | $20,228 | 76% |
| 7 | Coe College Cedar Rapids, IA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 8 | Creative Writing | — | 66% | $18,153 | 64% |
| 8 | University of Dubuque Dubuque, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 8 | Communication, General | — | 40% | $21,324 | 89% |
| 9 | Grand View University Des Moines, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Mass Communication/Media Studies | — | 54% | $20,840 | 99% |
| 10 | Clarke University Dubuque, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Communication, General | — | 56% | $21,417 | 72% |
| 11 | Maharishi International University Fairfield, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Creative Writing | — | 50% | $19,927 | 96% |
| 12 | Waldorf University Forest City, IA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 5 | Business/Corporate Communications, General | — | 21% | $22,328 | 77% |
| 13 | Simpson College Indianola, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Journalism | — | 63% | $20,710 | 86% |
| 14 | Upper Iowa University Fayette, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Communication, General | — | 34% | $22,697 | 96% |
| 15 | Morningside University Sioux City, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Mass Communication/Media Studies | — | 50% | $22,816 | 71% |
| 16 | Saint Ambrose University Davenport, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Journalism | — | 61% | $21,680 | 77% |
| 17 | Dordt University Sioux Center, IA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 2 | General Literature | — | 70% | $24,569 | 68% |
| 18 | University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA Public · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Mass Communication/Media Studies | $40,558 | 68% | — | 93% |
All 18 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 | 178 | 4 |
| Iowa State University | Ames | Public | 79 | 5 |
| Loras College | Dubuque | Private not-for-profit | 19 | 2 |
| Cornell College | Mount Vernon | Private not-for-profit | 14 | 2 |
| Drake University | Des Moines | Private not-for-profit | 14 | 2 |
| Wartburg College | Waverly | Private not-for-profit | 13 | 1 |
| Coe College | Cedar Rapids | Private not-for-profit | 8 | 2 |
| University of Dubuque | Dubuque | Private not-for-profit | 8 | 1 |
| Grand View University | Des Moines | Private not-for-profit | 6 | 1 |
| Clarke University | Dubuque | Private not-for-profit | 5 | 1 |
| Maharishi International University | Fairfield | Private not-for-profit | 5 | 1 |
| Waldorf University | Forest City | Private not-for-profit | 5 | 2 |
| Simpson College | Indianola | Private not-for-profit | 4 | 1 |
| Upper Iowa University | Fayette | Private not-for-profit | 4 | 1 |
| Morningside University | Sioux City | Private not-for-profit | 3 | 1 |
What editors earn in Iowa
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $77,920. 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 Editors page.
How to become a Editor
Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
- Work experience needed
- Less than 5 years
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 18 majors mapped to Editors18 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 09.0100Communication, General
- 09.0102Mass Communication/Media Studies
- 09.0401Journalism
- 09.0402Broadcast Journalism
- 09.0908Technical and Scientific Communication
- 09.1001Publishing
- 09.9999Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other
- 23.1301Writing, General
- 23.1302Creative Writing
- 23.1303Professional, Technical, Business, and Scientific Writing
- 23.1304Rhetoric and Composition
- 23.1399Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies, Other
- 23.1401General Literature
- 23.1405Children's and Adolescent Literature
- 23.1499Literature, Other
- 52.0501Business/Corporate Communications, General
- 52.0502Grantsmanship
- 52.0599Business/Corporate Communications, Other
Common questions
Answers for people weighing editors programs in Iowa.
What degree do you need to become an Editor?+
Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Journalism, which awarded 149 degrees in Iowa in 2024-25, 40.2% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming an Editor?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 11 programs to this occupation. The largest are Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies, Journalism, Communication and Media Studies, Public Relations, plus 2 more. Together they graduate about 371 people a year in Iowa.
How much do editors earn in Iowa?+
The median is $57,200 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 26.6% below the U.S. median of $77,920. 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 editors growing?+
BLS projects a +0.6% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, little or no change, with roughly 9,800 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Iowa?+
18 institutions in Iowa reported graduates from at least one of the 11 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 editors work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Editor, News Editor, Sports Editor, Newspaper Copy Editor among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 27-3041.
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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