2023 Most Popular Master's Degree Schools in Iowa
It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools and bootcamps that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Most Popular Master's Degree Schools in Iowa ranking. This report analyzed 28 schools in Iowa to see which ones were the most popular master's degree programs for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from each school on the list.
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Most Popular Master's Degree Schools in Iowa
Learn more about these popular schools below:
Our 2023 rankings named University of Iowa the most popular school in Iowa for students working on their master’s degree. University of Iowa is a large public school located in Iowa City, Iowa that handed out 1,494 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 51% of those degree recipients were women.
Iowa does have options available for those who want to take online graduate classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 33% took at least some of their classes online.
You’ll be in good company if you attend Iowa State University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in Iowa list. Iowa State is a public institution located in Ames, Iowa. The school has a large population, and it awarded 957 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 49% were women.
Iowa State does have options available for those who want to take online graduate classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. During the 2019-2020 year, about 54% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Out of the 28 schools in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, Maharishi International University landed the # 3 spot on the list. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Fairfield, Iowa, and it awarded 467 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 26% were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at MIU. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 78% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Out of the 28 schools in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Northern Iowa landed the # 4 spot on the list. University of Northern Iowa is a medium-sized public school located in Cedar Falls, Iowa that handed out 450 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 74% were women.
Online graduate courses are available at UNI, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In 2019-2020 about 67% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Out of the 28 schools in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, Drake University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in Des Moines, Iowa, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 404 master’s degree awards in 2020-2021.
Around 72% of those degree recipients were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Drake. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 80% took at least some of their classes online.
Morningside College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in Sioux City, Iowa, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 315 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Around 86% of those degree recipients were women.
Since the graduate programs at Morningside are online, the school is an excellent choice for graduate students who need more flexibility than what is offered at some other schools.
Upper Iowa University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree programs. UIU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Fayette, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 263 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 57% were women.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at UIU. In 2019-2020 about 92% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Waldorf University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree programs. Waldorf University is a small private for-profit school located in Forest City, Iowa that handed out 242 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 35% were women.
Waldorf is one of the schools on our list that is primarily online. Each graduate student at the school took at least one class online.
With a ranking of #9, Saint Ambrose University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their master’s degree. Davenport, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out master’s degrees to 200 students in 2020-2021.
Around 72% of those degree recipients were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at St. Ambrose University. In fact, around 15% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Graceland University - Lamoni did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #10 on the list. Graceland Lamoni is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lamoni, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 198 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 82% were women.
Since the graduate programs at Graceland Lamoni are primarily online school, so it is a great choice for returning adults and students who work full time.
With a ranking of #11, Buena Vista University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their master’s degree. Located in Storm Lake, Iowa, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 168 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 83% were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since BVU does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. In 2019-2020 about 85% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Mount Mercy University ranked #12 on this year’s Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in Iowa list. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and it awarded 155 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 70% were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Mount Mercy. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 62% took at least some of their classes online.
Des Moines University - Osteopathic Medical Center landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree programs. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Des Moines, Iowa, and it awarded 150 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 71% were women.
Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 64% took at least some of their classes online.
Full Des Moines University - Osteopathic Medical Center Report
University of Dubuque did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #14 on the list. University of Dubuque is a small private not-for-profit school located in Dubuque, Iowa that handed out 140 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 57% of those degree recipients were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since UD does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. In 2019-2020 about 27% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Northwestern College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #15 on the list. Northwestern College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Orange City, Iowa that handed out 102 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 85% of those degree recipients were women.
One thing to take note of is that NWC does offer online graduate classes in some areas. In fact, around 94% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #16, Allen College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their master’s degree. Allen College is located in Waterloo, Iowa and has a very small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 89 master’s degrees to qualified students.
Around 89% of those degree recipients were women.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Allen College. In fact, around 78% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Dordt University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in Iowa ranking. Dordt is located in Sioux Center, Iowa and has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 58 master’s degrees to qualified students.
Of those students who received their degree, 43% were women.
Since the graduate programs at Dordt are online, the school is an excellent choice for graduate students who need more flexibility than what is offered at some other schools.
Loras College came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in Iowa ranking. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Dubuque, Iowa, and it awarded 53 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 60% of those degree recipients were women.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Loras. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 44% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Briar Cliff University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #19 on the list. Briar Cliff is a private not-for-profit institution located in Sioux City, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 43 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 77% were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Briar Cliff. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 64% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Grand View University ranked #20 on this year’s Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in Iowa list. Located in Des Moines, Iowa, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 38 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 66% were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Grand View University. During the 2019-2020 year, about 89% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
William Penn University landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree programs. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Oskaloosa, Iowa, and it awarded 37 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 46% were women.
William Penn University does have options available for those who want to take online graduate classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 28% took at least some of their classes online.
Wartburg Theological Seminary came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in Iowa ranking. Wartburg Theological Seminary is a very small private not-for-profit school located in Dubuque, Iowa that handed out 36 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 61% were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Wartburg Seminary. During the 2019-2020 year, about 90% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Clarke University landed the #23 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree programs. Clarke is located in Dubuque, Iowa and has a very small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 35 master’s degrees to qualified students.
Of those students who received their degree, 80% were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Clarke. In fact, around 7% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Iowa Wesleyan University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in Iowa ranking. Mount Pleasant, Iowa is the setting for this very small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out master’s degrees to 18 students in 2020-2021.
Around 39% of those degree recipients were women.
Since the graduate programs at Iowa Wesleyan are online, the school is an excellent choice for graduate students who need more flexibility than what is offered at some other schools.
Simpson College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #25 on the list. Indianola, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out master’s degrees to 11 students in 2020-2021.
Around 64% of those degree recipients were women.
Simpson College does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. In 2019-2020 about 38% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Most Popular Master's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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