Des Moines Area Community College
Ankeny, IA, United States
Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
Des Moines Area Community College has 31 programs with reported graduate earnings. The highest is Precision Metal Working (associate), where graduates earn a median $75,145 four years after finishing, against $58,640 for the same field nationally.
Graduation rate
First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time
First-year retention
Students who return for a second year
Median earnings
$46,331
Former students who received federal aid
Source: U.S. College Scorecard, field of study, 2025
Median earnings of graduates who received federal aid, one and four years after finishing, and the median federal loan debt they borrowed at Des Moines Area Community College. The field median is the middle value for the same field and credential across every college that reports it. 74 more programs have too few graduates for earnings to be published.
Highest-earning programs
| Program | Graduates | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | Field median | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Precision Metal Working | 20 | $65,355 | $75,145 | $58,64028% above | N/A |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 181 | $67,790 | $68,315 | $79,94315% below | $15,333 |
| Computer Programming | 62 | $67,290 | N/A | $47,20143% above | $11,857 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | 23 | $60,015 | $64,330 | $64,0630% above | N/A |
| Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians | 77 | $55,522 | $63,673 | $60,0866% above | $8,730 |
| Dental Support Services and Allied Professions | 23 | $56,952 | $62,269 | $64,8784% below | $15,000 |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management | 24 | $62,078 | N/A | $48,19529% above | N/A |
| Accounting and Related Services | 64 | $44,735 | $62,072 | $49,13826% above | $13,524 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 109 | $40,909 | $60,716 | $49,32323% above | $11,000 |
| Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians | 16 | $50,207 | $59,996 | $59,9960% above | N/A |
| Legal Support Services | 22 | $46,625 | $56,924 | $45,75124% above | N/A |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions | 9 | $53,561 | $56,204 | $56,1680% above | N/A |
| Agricultural Business and Management | 43 | $47,636 | $55,546 | $48,56514% above | $8,402 |
| Funeral Service and Mortuary Science | 24 | $54,692 | N/A | $46,62517% above | $10,500 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | 61 | $46,515 | $50,877 | $47,3068% above | $8,195 |
| Community Organization and Advocacy | 23 | $33,394 | $49,886 | $41,88819% above | $16,016 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 770 | $34,223 | $45,505 | $42,7746% above | $9,868 |
| Culinary Arts and Related Services | 22 | $37,050 | $40,878 | $38,8465% above | N/A |
| Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians | 13 | $43,281 | $37,055 | $42,08612% below | N/A |
| Design and Applied Arts | 45 | $36,845 | $36,996 | $37,6892% below | $11,000 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | 14 | $35,520 | $35,773 | $34,7503% above | N/A |
| Program | Graduates | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | Field median | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Homeland Security | 274 | $64,167 | $74,269 | $61,32421% above | N/A |
| Funeral Service and Mortuary Science | 64 | $54,564 | $67,653 | $60,12913% above | $10,424 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | 209 | $44,230 | $65,586 | $56,69516% above | N/A |
| Precision Metal Working | 352 | $53,940 | $52,238 | $49,1006% above | $5,500 |
| Legal Support Services | 13 | $52,168 | N/A | $48,8527% above | N/A |
| Carpenters | 13 | N/A | $50,349 | $43,78815% above | N/A |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | 35 | $38,817 | $48,259 | $38,71425% above | $15,197 |
| Dental Support Services and Allied Professions | 21 | $37,501 | $43,642 | $36,74819% above | N/A |
| Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services | 6 | $44,717 | $41,607 | $36,77613% above | N/A |
| Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants | 1,637 | $45,478 | $40,673 | $56,82128% below | $12,167 |
Careers linked to the programs Des Moines Area Community College reports, highest national median pay first. Pay and outlook are BLS figures for the whole occupation, not for this college's graduates.
Healthcare practitioners
Master's degree
Via Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Management
Bachelor's degree
Via Business Administration, Management and Operations, Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations
Management
Bachelor's degree
Via Business Administration, Management and Operations, Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations
Science
Master's degree
Via Psychology, General
Management
Bachelor's degree
Via Computer Software and Media Applications, Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management and 1 more
Science
Doctoral or professional degree
Via Physics
Every field of study, with the colleges that offer it and what graduates earn.
Programs A–ZVerified facts
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Bars show profile closeness out of 100: how near each college's graduation rate, size, admit rate, net price, Carnegie class, and control are to Des Moines Area Community College. The order also uses CollegesRef matching tiers, so a later card can score higher.
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