Best Special Effects Artist programs in Iowa, ranked by enrollment
Create special effects or animations using film, video, computers, or other electronic tools and media for use in products, such as computer games, movies, music videos, and.
27 schools in Iowa run programs that feed this job, graduating 325 people a year. The job pays a median of $47,530 in Iowa across about — 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 50.0409In Iowa → | 159 | 48.9% | 14 | $31,611 | $26,000 |
| 2 | CIP 11.0801In Iowa → | 78 | 24.0% | 7 | $33,504 | $27,000 |
| 3 | CIP 10.0304In Iowa → | 38 | 11.7% | 4 | $25,121 | $26,958 |
| 4 | CIP 50.0102In Iowa → | 30 | 9.2% | 3 | $24,752 | $25,963 |
| 5 | CIP 11.0804In Iowa → | 7 | 2.2% | 1 | $33,504 | $27,000 |
| 6 | CIP 50.0411In Iowa → | 7 | 2.2% | 2 | $31,611 | $26,000 |
| 7 | CIP 50.0705In Iowa → | 3 | 0.9% | 1 | $24,447 | $25,294 |
| 8 | CIP 50.0708In Iowa → | 3 | 0.9% | 2 | $24,447 | $25,294 |
Top 25 schools in Iowa
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 3 of the 27 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iowa State University Ames, IA Public · 1 feeder programs | 88 | Graphic Design | $37,565 | 75% | — | 89% |
| 2 | Eastern Iowa Community College District Davenport, IA Public · 2 feeder programs | 33 | Web Page, Digital/Multimedia and Information Resources Design | — | 45% | — | — |
| 3 | Hawkeye Community College Waterloo, IA Public · 2 feeder programs | 24 | Graphic Design | — | 43% | — | — |
| 4 | Western Iowa Tech Community College Sioux City, IA Public · 1 feeder programs | 20 | Animation, Interactive Technology, Video Graphics, and Special Effects | — | 50% | — | — |
| 5 | Des Moines Area Community College Ankeny, IA Public · 2 feeder programs | 19 | Web Page, Digital/Multimedia and Information Resources Design | — | 39% | — | — |
| 6 | Kirkwood Community College Cedar Rapids, IA Public · 2 feeder programs | 18 | Digital Arts | — | 43% | — | — |
| 7 | Northwest Iowa Community College Sheldon, IA Public · 1 feeder programs | 17 | Web Page, Digital/Multimedia and Information Resources Design | — | 58% | — | — |
| 8 | Iowa Central Community College Fort Dodge, IA Public · 1 feeder programs | 15 | Digital Arts | — | 42% | — | — |
| 9 | University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA Public · 1 feeder programs | 15 | Graphic Design | $38,637 | 68% | — | 93% |
| 10 | Northeast Iowa Community College Calmar, IA Public · 1 feeder programs | 8 | Graphic Design | — | 51% | — | — |
| 11 | Simpson College Indianola, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 8 | Graphic Design | — | 63% | $20,710 | 86% |
| 12 | Buena Vista University Storm Lake, IA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 7 | Animation, Interactive Technology, Video Graphics, and Special Effects | — | 62% | $17,609 | 78% |
| 13 | Grand View University Des Moines, IA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 7 | Game and Interactive Media Design | $26,996 | 54% | $20,840 | 99% |
| 14 | Iowa Western Community College Council Bluffs, IA Public · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Web Page, Digital/Multimedia and Information Resources Design | — | 40% | — | — |
| 15 | Southeastern Community College West Burlington, IA Public · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Animation, Interactive Technology, Video Graphics, and Special Effects | — | 43% | — | — |
| 16 | Southwestern Community College Creston, IA Public · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Web Page, Digital/Multimedia and Information Resources Design | — | 59% | — | — |
| 17 | Dordt University Sioux Center, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Graphic Design | — | 70% | $24,569 | 68% |
| 18 | Drake University Des Moines, IA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 5 | Drawing | — | 74% | $28,855 | 64% |
| 19 | Clarke University Dubuque, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Graphic Design | — | 56% | $21,417 | 72% |
| 20 | Mount Mercy University Cedar Rapids, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Graphic Design | — | 58% | $23,054 | 83% |
| 21 | Northwestern College Orange City, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Graphic Design | — | 66% | $22,419 | 80% |
| 22 | Briar Cliff University Sioux City, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Graphic Design | — | 48% | $21,731 | — |
| 23 | Ellsworth Community College Iowa Falls, IA Public · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Graphic Design | — | 38% | — | — |
| 24 | University of Iowa Iowa City, IA Public · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Digital Arts | — | 75% | — | 84% |
| 25 | Iowa Lakes Community College Estherville, IA Public · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Game and Interactive Media Design | — | 50% | — | — |
All 27 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa State University | Ames | Public | 88 | 1 |
| Eastern Iowa Community College District | Davenport | Public | 33 | 2 |
| Hawkeye Community College | Waterloo | Public | 24 | 2 |
| Western Iowa Tech Community College | Sioux City | Public | 20 | 1 |
| Des Moines Area Community College | Ankeny | Public | 19 | 2 |
| Kirkwood Community College | Cedar Rapids | Public | 18 | 2 |
| Northwest Iowa Community College | Sheldon | Public | 17 | 1 |
| Iowa Central Community College | Fort Dodge | Public | 15 | 1 |
| University of Northern Iowa | Cedar Falls | Public | 15 | 1 |
| Northeast Iowa Community College | Calmar | Public | 8 | 1 |
| Simpson College | Indianola | Private not-for-profit | 8 | 1 |
| Buena Vista University | Storm Lake | Private not-for-profit | 7 | 2 |
| Grand View University | Des Moines | Private not-for-profit | 7 | 2 |
| Iowa Western Community College | Council Bluffs | Public | 6 | 1 |
| Southeastern Community College | West Burlington | Public | 6 | 1 |
What special effects artists and animators earn in Iowa
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $102,030. Iowa pays below the national figure.
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 Special Effects Artists and Animators page.
How to become a Special Effects Artist
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 9 majors mapped to Special Effects Artists and Animators9 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 10.0304Animation, Interactive Technology, Video Graphics, and Special Effects
- 11.0801Web Page, Digital/Multimedia and Information Resources Design
- 11.0804Modeling, Virtual Environments and Simulation
- 50.0102Digital Arts
- 50.0409Graphic Design
- 50.0411Game and Interactive Media Design
- 50.0705Drawing
- 50.0706Intermedia/Multimedia
- 50.0708Painting
Common questions
Answers for people weighing special effects artists and animators programs in Iowa.
What degree do you need to become a Special Effects Artist?+
Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Graphic Design, which awarded 159 degrees in Iowa in 2024-25, 48.9% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Special Effects Artist?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 8 programs to this occupation. The largest are Design and Applied Arts, Computer Software and Media Applications, Graphic Communications, Visual and Performing Arts, plus 1 more. Together they graduate about 325 people a year in Iowa.
How much do special effects artists and animators earn in Iowa?+
The median is $47,530 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 53.4% below the U.S. median of $102,030. 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 special effects artists and animators growing?+
BLS projects a +1.6% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, little or no change, with roughly 5,000 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Iowa?+
27 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 special effects artists and animators work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Artist, Animator, Graphic Artist, 3D Artist (Three-Dimensional Artist) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 27-1014.
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
Explore every U.S. college in one conversation
Clema turns plain-language questions into sourced answers across every U.S. institution — earnings, aid, acceptance, graduation, safety, and athletics from IPEDS, College Scorecard, and 10+ federal datasets, built in.
Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card