Best Producer programs in Iowa, ranked by enrollment
Produce or direct stage, television, radio, video, or film productions for entertainment, information, or instruction.
17 schools in Iowa run programs that feed this job, graduating 161 people a year. The job pays a median of $58,550 in Iowa across about 720 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.
8 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 50.0601In Iowa → | 64 | 39.8% | 2 | $25,014 | $24,650 |
| 2 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, Generalmain feeder CIP 50.0501In Iowa → | 46 | 28.6% | 12 | $20,667 | $24,994 |
| 3 | CIP 50.0602In Iowa → | 28 | 17.4% | 4 | $25,014 | $24,650 |
| 4 | Dramatic/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft, Othermain feeder CIP 50.0599In Iowa → | 12 | 7.5% | 1 | $20,667 | $24,994 |
| 5 | CIP 09.0701In Iowa → | 5 | 3.1% | 1 | $29,112 | $23,836 |
| 6 | Musical Theatremain feeder CIP 50.0509In Iowa → | 4 | 2.5% | 2 | $20,667 | $24,994 |
| 7 | Directing and Theatrical Productionmain feeder CIP 50.0507In Iowa → | 1 | 0.6% | 1 | $20,667 | $24,994 |
| 8 | Theatre and Dancemain feeder CIP 50.0512In Iowa → | 1 | 0.6% | 1 | $20,667 | $24,994 |
Top 17 schools in Iowa
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 3 of the 17 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 · 5 feeder programs | 86 | Film/Cinema/Media Studies | $26,147 | 75% | — | 84% |
| 2 | Des Moines Area Community College Ankeny, IA Public · 2 feeder programs | 19 | Cinematography and Film/Video Production | — | 39% | — | — |
| 3 | Drake University Des Moines, IA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 13 | Dramatic/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft, Other | $19,613 | 74% | $28,855 | 64% |
| 4 | William Penn University Oskaloosa, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 8 | Cinematography and Film/Video Production | — | 33% | $21,533 | 52% |
| 5 | Coe College Cedar Rapids, IA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 5 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | — | 66% | $18,153 | 64% |
| 6 | Saint Ambrose University Davenport, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Radio and Television | — | 61% | $21,680 | 77% |
| 7 | Cornell College Mount Vernon, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | — | 62% | $23,073 | 80% |
| 8 | Northwestern College Orange City, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | — | 66% | $22,419 | 80% |
| 9 | Grand View University Des Moines, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | — | 54% | $20,840 | 99% |
| 10 | Maharishi International University Fairfield, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Cinematography and Film/Video Production | — | 50% | $19,927 | 96% |
| 11 | Indian Hills Community College Ottumwa, IA Public · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | — | 40% | — | — |
| 12 | Luther College Decorah, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | — | 71% | $22,827 | 72% |
| 13 | University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA Public · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | $22,289 | 68% | — | 93% |
| 14 | Waldorf University Forest City, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | — | 21% | $22,328 | 77% |
| 15 | Central College Pella, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Musical Theatre | — | 66% | $19,732 | 86% |
| 16 | Grinnell College Grinnell, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Theatre and Dance | — | 88% | $14,470 | 15% |
| 17 | Simpson College Indianola, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | — | 63% | $20,710 | 86% |
All 17 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 | 86 | 5 |
| Des Moines Area Community College | Ankeny | Public | 19 | 2 |
| Drake University | Des Moines | Private not-for-profit | 13 | 2 |
| William Penn University | Oskaloosa | Private not-for-profit | 8 | 1 |
| Coe College | Cedar Rapids | Private not-for-profit | 5 | 2 |
| Saint Ambrose University | Davenport | Private not-for-profit | 5 | 1 |
| Cornell College | Mount Vernon | Private not-for-profit | 4 | 1 |
| Northwestern College | Orange City | Private not-for-profit | 4 | 1 |
| Grand View University | Des Moines | Private not-for-profit | 3 | 1 |
| Maharishi International University | Fairfield | Private not-for-profit | 3 | 1 |
| Indian Hills Community College | Ottumwa | Public | 2 | 1 |
| Luther College | Decorah | Private not-for-profit | 2 | 1 |
| University of Northern Iowa | Cedar Falls | Public | 2 | 1 |
| Waldorf University | Forest City | Private not-for-profit | 2 | 1 |
| Central College | Pella | Private not-for-profit | 1 | 1 |
What producers and directors earn in Iowa
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $90,360. 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 Producers and Directors page.
How to become a Producer
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 10 majors mapped to Producers and Directors10 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 09.0701Radio and Television
- 50.0501Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General
- 50.0507Directing and Theatrical Production
- 50.0509Musical Theatre
- 50.0512Theatre and Dance
- 50.0599Dramatic/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft, Other
- 50.0601Film/Cinema/Media Studies
- 50.0602Cinematography and Film/Video Production
- 50.0607Documentary Production
- 50.1004Theatre/Theatre Arts Management
Common questions
Answers for people weighing producers and directors programs in Iowa.
What degree do you need to become a Producer?+
Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Film/Cinema/Media Studies, which awarded 64 degrees in Iowa in 2024-25, 39.8% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Producer?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 8 programs to this occupation. The largest are Film/Video and Photographic Arts, Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft, Radio. Together they graduate about 161 people a year in Iowa.
How much do producers and directors earn in Iowa?+
The median is $58,550 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 35.2% below the U.S. median of $90,360. 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 producers and directors growing?+
BLS projects a +4.9% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 12,800 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Iowa?+
17 institutions in Iowa reported graduates from at least one of the 8 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 producers and directors work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Director, Producer, Casting Agent, News Director, News Producer, Program Manager among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 27-2012.
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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