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2024 Best Journalism Schools in Iowa

4 Colleges in Iowa
279 Journalism Degrees Awarded
$40,608 Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in journalism is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #69 out of 395 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 4 schools in Iowa to determine which ones were the best for journalism students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 279 degrees in journalism during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Journalism School

Best Journalism Schools in Iowa Your choice of journalism school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Journalism School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Journalism Rankings by Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Journalism
Master's Degrees in Journalism
Doctor's Degrees in Journalism

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Journalism Schools in Iowa list, to help you choose the best school for you. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.


 

Best Schools for Journalism in Iowa

The schools below may not offer all types of journalism degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

Top Iowa Schools in Journalism

1
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
170 Journalism Degrees Awarded
$46,352 Median Starting Salary

It is difficult to beat University of Iowa if you want to pursue a degree in journalism. Iowa is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Iowa City. A Best Colleges rank of #84 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Iowa is a great university overall.

There were approximately 170 journalism students who graduated with this degree at Iowa in the most recent year we have data available. Journalism degree recipients from University of Iowa get an earnings boost of about $5,744 over the typical income of journalism majors.

More information about a degree in journalism from University of Iowa

2
Drake crest
Drake University
Des Moines, IA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
39 Journalism Degrees Awarded
20.5% Growth in Graduates

Any student who is interested in journalism needs to take a look at Drake University. Located in the medium-sized city of Des Moines, Drake is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 5th out of 40 schools for overall quality in the state of Iowa.

There were about 39 journalism students who graduated with this degree at Drake in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the journalism program make around $34,814 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in journalism from Drake University

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
56 Journalism Degrees Awarded
$34,913 Median Starting Salary

It's hard to beat Iowa State University if you wish to pursue a degree in journalism. Located in the small city of Ames, Iowa State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #75 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Iowa State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 56 journalism students who graduated with this degree at Iowa State in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the journalism program state that they receive average early career income of $34,913.

More information about a degree in journalism from Iowa State University

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In IA
33.3% Growth in Graduates

Saint Ambrose University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in journalism. Located in the medium-sized city of Davenport, St. Ambrose University is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 10th out of 40 colleges for overall quality in the state of Iowa.

There were roughly 6 journalism students who graduated with this degree at St. Ambrose University in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in journalism from Saint Ambrose University

4
Simpson College crest
Simpson College
Indianola, IA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In IA

It is hard to beat Simpson College if you want to pursue a degree in journalism. Simpson College is a small private not-for-profit college located in the fringe town of Indianola. This college ranks 14th out of 40 schools for overall quality in the state of Iowa.

There were about 3 journalism students who graduated with this degree at Simpson College in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in journalism from Simpson College

Best Journalism Colleges in the Plains States Region

Explore all the Best Journalism Colleges in the Plains States Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Minnesota 284 292
Missouri 283 540
Kansas 266 347
Nebraska 238 155
North Dakota 210 10
South Dakota 204 16

View All Rankings >

Journalism is one of 5 different types of Communication & Journalism programs to choose from.

Journalism Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
General Journalism 240
Other Journalism 39

View All Journalism Focus Areas >

Majors Similar to Journalism

Related Major Annual Graduates
Communication & Media Studies 552
Public Relations & Advertising 289
Radio, Television & Digital Communication 111
Communication & Journalism (Other) 4

View All Journalism Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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