Best Social Scientist programs in Iowa, ranked by enrollment
All social scientists and related workers not listed.
11 schools in Iowa run programs that feed this job, graduating 534 people a year. The job pays a median of $91,560 in Iowa across about 150 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.
13 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 30.1701In Iowa → | 360 | 67.4% | 1 | $36,206 | $29,240 |
| 2 | CIP 30.3301In Iowa → | 82 | 15.4% | 3 | $37,223 | $20,968 |
| 3 | CIP 13.0603In Iowa → | 20 | 3.7% | 1 | $33,086 | $26,000 |
| 4 | CIP 45.0101In Iowa → | 20 | 3.7% | 2 | $35,590 | $24,095 |
| 5 | CIP 30.2301In Iowa → | 13 | 2.4% | 4 | $25,750 | $18,622 |
| 6 | CIP 30.1101In Iowa → | 11 | 2.1% | 3 | $37,623 | $25,986 |
| 7 | CIP 13.0607In Iowa → | 7 | 1.3% | 2 | $33,086 | $26,000 |
| 8 | CIP 45.0102In Iowa → | 6 | 1.1% | 1 | $35,590 | $24,095 |
| 9 | CIP 30.5101In Iowa → | 5 | 0.9% | 1 | — | — |
| 10 | CIP 13.0604In Iowa → | 3 | 0.6% | 1 | $33,086 | $26,000 |
| 11 | CIP 13.0699In Iowa → | 3 | 0.6% | 1 | $33,086 | $26,000 |
| 12 | CIP 30.1001In Iowa → | 2 | 0.4% | 1 | $43,343 | $22,125 |
| 13 | CIP 30.2601In Iowa → | 2 | 0.4% | 1 | $21,458 | $21,125 |
Top 11 schools in Iowa
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 1 of the 11 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 · 8 feeder programs | 470 | Behavioral Sciences | — | 75% | — | 84% |
| 2 | Iowa State University Ames, IA Public · 3 feeder programs | 20 | Sustainability Studies | — | 75% | — | 89% |
| 3 | Upper Iowa University Fayette, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 16 | Social Sciences, General | $56,221 | 34% | $22,697 | 96% |
| 4 | Luther College Decorah, IA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 7 | Philosophy, Politics, and Economics | — | 71% | $22,827 | 72% |
| 5 | Morningside University Sioux City, IA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 5 | Learning Sciences | — | 50% | $22,816 | 71% |
| 6 | University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA Public · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Gerontology | — | 68% | — | 93% |
| 7 | Central College Pella, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Social Sciences, General | — | 66% | $19,732 | 86% |
| 8 | Divine Word College Epworth, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Intercultural/Multicultural and Diversity Studies | — | 100% | — | — |
| 9 | Maharishi International University Fairfield, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Sustainability Studies | — | 50% | $19,927 | 96% |
| 10 | Grand View University Des Moines, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Intercultural/Multicultural and Diversity Studies | — | 54% | $20,840 | 99% |
| 11 | Waldorf University Forest City, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Intercultural/Multicultural and Diversity Studies | — | 21% | $22,328 | 77% |
All 11 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 | 470 | 8 |
| Iowa State University | Ames | Public | 20 | 3 |
| Upper Iowa University | Fayette | Private not-for-profit | 16 | 1 |
| Luther College | Decorah | Private not-for-profit | 7 | 2 |
| Morningside University | Sioux City | Private not-for-profit | 5 | 2 |
| University of Northern Iowa | Cedar Falls | Public | 5 | 1 |
| Central College | Pella | Private not-for-profit | 4 | 1 |
| Divine Word College | Epworth | Private not-for-profit | 3 | 1 |
| Maharishi International University | Fairfield | Private not-for-profit | 2 | 1 |
| Grand View University | Des Moines | Private not-for-profit | 1 | 1 |
| Waldorf University | Forest City | Private not-for-profit | 1 | 1 |
What social scientists and related workers, all other earn in Iowa
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $101,110. 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 Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other page.
How to become a Social 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 Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other25 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 03.0209Energy and Environmental Policy
- 13.0601Educational Evaluation and Research
- 13.0603Educational Statistics and Research Methods
- 13.0604Educational Assessment, Testing, and Measurement
- 13.0607Learning Sciences
- 13.0699Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research, Other
- 16.0199Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services, Other
- 19.0702Adult Development and Aging
- 30.0501Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution
- 30.1001Biopsychology
- 30.1101Gerontology
- 30.1701Behavioral Sciences
- 30.2101Holocaust and Related Studies
- 30.2301Intercultural/Multicultural and Diversity Studies
- 30.2601Cultural Studies/Critical Theory and Analysis
- 30.2701Human Biology
- 30.3301Sustainability Studies
- 30.3401Anthrozoology
- 30.4001Economics and Foreign Language/Literature
- 30.4201Geoarcheaology
- 30.4401Geography and Environmental Studies
- 30.4601History and Political Science
- 30.4701Linguistics and Anthropology
- 30.5101Philosophy, Politics, and Economics
- 44.0502Education Policy Analysis
Common questions
Answers for people weighing social scientists and related workers, all other programs in Iowa.
What degree do you need to become a Social Scientist?+
Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Behavioral Sciences, which awarded 360 degrees in Iowa in 2024-25, 67.4% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Social Scientist?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 13 programs to this occupation. The largest are Behavioral Sciences, Sustainability Studies, Educational Assessment, Social Sciences, plus 5 more. Together they graduate about 534 people a year in Iowa.
How much do social scientists and related workers, all other earn in Iowa?+
The median is $91,560 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 9.4% below the U.S. median of $101,110. 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 social scientists and related workers, all other growing?+
BLS projects a -1.7% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, decline, with roughly 3,200 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Iowa?+
11 institutions in Iowa reported graduates from at least one of the 13 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 social scientists and related workers, all other work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Planner, Program Officer, Transportation Planner, Transportation Data Programs Manager among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 19-3099.
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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