Best Philosophy programs in Iowa, ranked by enrollment
Teach courses in philosophy, religion, and theology.
25 schools in Iowa run programs that feed this job, graduating 365 people a year. The job pays a median of $77,180 in Iowa across about 260 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.
12 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 39.0201In Iowa → | 122 | 33.4% | 3 | $33,182 | $25,000 |
| 2 | CIP 38.0101In Iowa → | 63 | 17.3% | 12 | $31,618 | $22,862 |
| 3 | CIP 39.0602In Iowa → | 46 | 12.6% | 3 | $32,202 | $25,375 |
| 4 | Religion/Religious Studiesmain feeder CIP 38.0201In Iowa → | 42 | 11.5% | 14 | $26,048 | $25,612 |
| 5 | CIP 39.0699In Iowa → | 34 | 9.3% | 3 | $32,202 | $25,375 |
| 6 | Philosophy and Religious Studies, Othermain feeder CIP 38.9999In Iowa → | 26 | 7.1% | 1 | $28,712 | $24,734 |
| 7 | CIP 39.0601In Iowa → | 15 | 4.1% | 6 | $32,202 | $25,375 |
| 8 | CIP 39.0301In Iowa → | 6 | 1.6% | 2 | $28,103 | $17,318 |
| 9 | CIP 30.5101In Iowa → | 5 | 1.4% | 1 | — | — |
| 10 | CIP 39.0401In Iowa → | 3 | 0.8% | 2 | $32,351 | $25,937 |
| 11 | CIP 39.0604In Iowa → | 2 | 0.5% | 1 | $32,202 | $25,375 |
| 12 | CIP 39.0501In Iowa → | 1 | 0.3% | 1 | $30,092 | $27,000 |
Top 25 schools in Iowa
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 1 of the 25 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emmaus Bible College Dubuque, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 81 | Bible/Biblical Studies | — | 83% | $13,586 | 60% |
| 2 | Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary Ankeny, IA Private not-for-profit · 8 feeder programs | 66 | Bible/Biblical Studies | $21,543 | 68% | $18,510 | 68% |
| 3 | Wartburg Theological Seminary Dubuque, IA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 44 | Divinity/Ministry | — | — | — | — |
| 4 | University of Dubuque Dubuque, IA Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 28 | Divinity/Ministry | — | 40% | $21,324 | 89% |
| 5 | University of Iowa Iowa City, IA Public · 2 feeder programs | 28 | Philosophy | — | 75% | — | 84% |
| 6 | Maharishi International University Fairfield, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 26 | Philosophy and Religious Studies, Other | — | 50% | $19,927 | 96% |
| 7 | Grinnell College Grinnell, IA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 16 | Philosophy | — | 88% | $14,470 | 15% |
| 8 | Divine Word College Epworth, IA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 11 | Theology/Theological Studies | — | 100% | — | — |
| 9 | Cornell College Mount Vernon, IA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 7 | Philosophy | — | 62% | $23,073 | 80% |
| 10 | Drake University Des Moines, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Philosophy | — | 74% | $28,855 | 64% |
| 11 | Luther College Decorah, IA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 6 | Philosophy, Politics, and Economics | — | 71% | $22,827 | 72% |
| 12 | Graceland University - Lamoni Lamoni, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Religion/Religious Studies | — | 42% | $16,430 | 81% |
| 13 | University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA Public · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Philosophy | — | 68% | — | 93% |
| 14 | Central College Pella, IA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 4 | Philosophy | — | 66% | $19,732 | 86% |
| 15 | Dordt University Sioux Center, IA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 4 | Bible/Biblical Studies | — | 70% | $24,569 | 68% |
| 16 | Iowa State University Ames, IA Public · 2 feeder programs | 4 | Religion/Religious Studies | — | 75% | — | 89% |
| 17 | Loras College Dubuque, IA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 4 | Religion/Religious Studies | — | 68% | $19,227 | 100% |
| 18 | Morningside University Sioux City, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Religion/Religious Studies | — | 50% | $22,816 | 71% |
| 19 | Saint Ambrose University Davenport, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Philosophy | — | 61% | $21,680 | 77% |
| 20 | Wartburg College Waverly, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Religion/Religious Studies | — | 64% | $20,228 | 76% |
| 21 | Northwestern College Orange City, IA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 3 | Religion/Religious Studies | — | 66% | $22,419 | 80% |
| 22 | Simpson College Indianola, IA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 2 | Religion/Religious Studies | — | 63% | $20,710 | 86% |
| 23 | Briar Cliff University Sioux City, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Theology/Theological Studies | — | 48% | $21,731 | — |
| 24 | Grand View University Des Moines, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Theology/Theological Studies | — | 54% | $20,840 | 99% |
| 25 | Mount Mercy University Cedar Rapids, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Religion/Religious Studies | — | 58% | $23,054 | 83% |
All 25 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emmaus Bible College | Dubuque | Private not-for-profit | 81 | 1 |
| Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary | Ankeny | Private not-for-profit | 66 | 8 |
| Wartburg Theological Seminary | Dubuque | Private not-for-profit | 44 | 2 |
| University of Dubuque | Dubuque | Private not-for-profit | 28 | 4 |
| University of Iowa | Iowa City | Public | 28 | 2 |
| Maharishi International University | Fairfield | Private not-for-profit | 26 | 1 |
| Grinnell College | Grinnell | Private not-for-profit | 16 | 2 |
| Divine Word College | Epworth | Private not-for-profit | 11 | 3 |
| Cornell College | Mount Vernon | Private not-for-profit | 7 | 2 |
| Drake University | Des Moines | Private not-for-profit | 6 | 1 |
| Luther College | Decorah | Private not-for-profit | 6 | 2 |
| Graceland University - Lamoni | Lamoni | Private not-for-profit | 5 | 1 |
| University of Northern Iowa | Cedar Falls | Public | 5 | 1 |
| Central College | Pella | Private not-for-profit | 4 | 2 |
| Dordt University | Sioux Center | Private not-for-profit | 4 | 3 |
What philosophy and religion teachers, postsecondary earn in Iowa
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $80,260. Iowa pays below the national figure.
Concentrated here: Iowa employs more of this job per worker than the U.S. average.
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 Philosophy and Religion Teachers, Postsecondary page.
How to become a Philosophy
Job zone 5 of 5 · SVP 8.0 and above- Typical entry education
- Doctoral or professional degree
Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or 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 Philosophy and Religion Teachers, Postsecondary24 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 30.5101Philosophy, Politics, and Economics
- 38.0001Philosophy and Religious Studies, General
- 38.0101Philosophy
- 38.0103Ethics
- 38.0104Applied and Professional Ethics
- 38.0199Philosophy, Other
- 38.0201Religion/Religious Studies
- 38.0202Buddhist Studies
- 38.0203Christian Studies
- 38.0204Hindu Studies(no graduates reported)
- 38.0207Talmudic Studies
- 38.9999Philosophy and Religious Studies, Other
- 39.0201Bible/Biblical Studies
- 39.0301Missions/Missionary Studies
- 39.0401Religious Education
- 39.0501Religious/Sacred Music
- 39.0502Worship Ministry
- 39.0601Theology/Theological Studies
- 39.0602Divinity/Ministry
- 39.0604Pre-Theology/Pre-Ministerial Studies
- 39.0605Rabbinical Studies
- 39.0699Theological and Ministerial Studies, Other
- 39.0701Pastoral Studies/Counseling
- 39.0703Urban Ministry
- 39.0706Chaplain/Chaplaincy Studies
Common questions
Answers for people weighing philosophy and religion teachers, postsecondary programs in Iowa.
What degree do you need to become a Philosophy?+
Doctoral or professional degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Bible/Biblical Studies, which awarded 122 degrees in Iowa in 2024-25, 33.4% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Philosophy?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 12 programs to this occupation. The largest are Bible/Biblical Studies, Theological and Ministerial Studies, Philosophy, Religion/Religious Studies, plus 5 more. Together they graduate about 365 people a year in Iowa.
How much do philosophy and religion teachers, postsecondary earn in Iowa?+
The median is $77,180 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 3.8% below the U.S. median of $80,260. 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 philosophy and religion teachers, postsecondary growing?+
BLS projects a +0.7% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, little or no change, with roughly 2,000 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Iowa?+
25 institutions in Iowa reported graduates from at least one of the 12 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 philosophy and religion teachers, postsecondary work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Professor, Religion Professor, Assistant Professor, Philosophy Professor among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 25-1126.
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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