Best Life Scientist, All Other programs in Iowa, ranked by enrollment
All life scientists not listed.
40 schools in Iowa run programs that feed this job, graduating 1,202 people a year. The job pays a median of $64,270 in Iowa across about 110 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.
7 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 26.0101In Iowa → | 732 | 60.9% | 39 | $32,152 | $25,000 |
| 2 | CIP 30.1701In Iowa → | 360 | 30.0% | 1 | $36,206 | $29,240 |
| 3 | CIP 26.1301In Iowa → | 86 | 7.2% | 2 | $29,460 | $23,480 |
| 4 | CIP 30.1901In Iowa → | 11 | 0.9% | 1 | $30,508 | $24,586 |
| 5 | CIP 42.2706In Iowa → | 7 | 0.6% | 1 | $34,454 | $21,878 |
| 6 | CIP 51.2314In Iowa → | 5 | 0.4% | 1 | $35,966 | $26,323 |
| 7 | CIP 26.9999In Iowa → | 1 | 0.1% | 1 | $31,278 | $23,000 |
Top 25 schools in Iowa
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 16 of the 40 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 · 3 feeder programs | 473 | Behavioral Sciences | — | 75% | — | 84% |
| 2 | Iowa State University Ames, IA Public · 3 feeder programs | 266 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $32,528 | 75% | — | 89% |
| 3 | University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA Public · 2 feeder programs | 49 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $36,286 | 68% | — | 93% |
| 4 | Grinnell College Grinnell, IA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 37 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $37,170 | 88% | $14,470 | 15% |
| 5 | Wartburg College Waverly, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 37 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $34,398 | 64% | $20,228 | 76% |
| 6 | Coe College Cedar Rapids, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 28 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $41,112 | 66% | $18,153 | 64% |
| 7 | Morningside University Sioux City, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 26 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $32,620 | 50% | $22,816 | 71% |
| 8 | Saint Ambrose University Davenport, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 26 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $30,825 | 61% | $21,680 | 77% |
| 9 | Northwestern College Orange City, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 25 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 66% | $22,419 | 80% |
| 10 | Luther College Decorah, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 23 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $29,359 | 71% | $22,827 | 72% |
| 11 | William Penn University Oskaloosa, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 23 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $36,449 | 33% | $21,533 | 52% |
| 12 | Des Moines Area Community College Ankeny, IA Public · 1 feeder programs | 16 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 39% | — | — |
| 13 | University of Dubuque Dubuque, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 16 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $31,779 | 40% | $21,324 | 89% |
| 14 | Central College Pella, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 15 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $26,933 | 66% | $19,732 | 86% |
| 15 | Drake University Des Moines, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 14 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $41,226 | 74% | $28,855 | 64% |
| 16 | Buena Vista University Storm Lake, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 12 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $30,682 | 62% | $17,609 | 78% |
| 17 | Dordt University Sioux Center, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 12 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 70% | $24,569 | 68% |
| 18 | Simpson College Indianola, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 11 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 63% | $20,710 | 86% |
| 19 | Clarke University Dubuque, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 10 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 56% | $21,417 | 72% |
| 20 | Loras College Dubuque, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 10 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 68% | $19,227 | 100% |
| 21 | Briar Cliff University Sioux City, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 9 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 48% | $21,731 | — |
| 22 | Mount Mercy University Cedar Rapids, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 9 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $32,264 | 58% | $23,054 | 83% |
| 23 | Cornell College Mount Vernon, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 7 | Behavioral Neuroscience | — | 62% | $23,073 | 80% |
| 24 | Upper Iowa University Fayette, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 7 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $43,311 | 34% | $22,697 | 96% |
| 25 | Grand View University Des Moines, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $43,237 | 54% | $20,840 | 99% |
All 40 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 | 473 | 3 |
| Iowa State University | Ames | Public | 266 | 3 |
| University of Northern Iowa | Cedar Falls | Public | 49 | 2 |
| Grinnell College | Grinnell | Private not-for-profit | 37 | 2 |
| Wartburg College | Waverly | Private not-for-profit | 37 | 1 |
| Coe College | Cedar Rapids | Private not-for-profit | 28 | 1 |
| Morningside University | Sioux City | Private not-for-profit | 26 | 1 |
| Saint Ambrose University | Davenport | Private not-for-profit | 26 | 1 |
| Northwestern College | Orange City | Private not-for-profit | 25 | 1 |
| Luther College | Decorah | Private not-for-profit | 23 | 1 |
| William Penn University | Oskaloosa | Private not-for-profit | 23 | 1 |
| Des Moines Area Community College | Ankeny | Public | 16 | 1 |
| University of Dubuque | Dubuque | Private not-for-profit | 16 | 1 |
| Central College | Pella | Private not-for-profit | 15 | 1 |
| Drake University | Des Moines | Private not-for-profit | 14 | 1 |
What life scientists, all other earn in Iowa
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $93,750. Iowa pays below the national figure.
Concentrated here: Iowa employs more of this job per worker than the U.S. average.
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 Life Scientists, All Other page.
How to become a Life Scientist, All Other
- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 10 majors mapped to Life Scientists, All Other10 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 26.0101Biology/Biological Sciences, General
- 26.1301Ecology
- 26.1399Ecology, Evolution, Systematics and Population Biology, Other
- 26.9999Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other
- 30.1701Behavioral Sciences
- 30.1801Natural Sciences
- 30.1901Nutrition Sciences
- 30.4301Geobiology
- 42.2706Behavioral Neuroscience
- 51.2314Rehabilitation Science
Common questions
Answers for people weighing life scientists, all other programs in Iowa.
What degree do you need to become a Life Scientist, All Other?+
Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Biology/Biological Sciences, General, which awarded 732 degrees in Iowa in 2024-25, 60.9% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Life Scientist, All Other?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 7 programs to this occupation. The largest are Biology, Behavioral Sciences, Ecology, Nutrition Sciences, plus 3 more. Together they graduate about 1,202 people a year in Iowa.
How much do life scientists, all other earn in Iowa?+
The median is $64,270 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 31.4% below the U.S. median of $93,750. 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 life scientists, all other growing?+
BLS projects a +3.7% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 400 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Iowa?+
40 institutions in Iowa reported graduates from at least one of the 7 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.
Do you need training or experience beyond a degree?+
BLS lists 'None' for related work experience and 'None' for on-the-job training typically needed to reach competency.
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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