Best Online Master’s Programs in Iowa 2023

Best Online Master’s Programs in Iowa 2023

By James Barham
Reviewed By AI Staff

Published: May 11, 2022
Updated: May 22, 2023

Find the best online colleges in Iowa ranked by the academic success of faculty and alumni associated with the colleges and universities and their online degree programs. Faculty and alumni with influential ideas are the foundation of respectable online degree programs employers can trust.

Top 10 Online Master's Programs in Iowa

Drake University

40%

University of Northern Iowa

35%

29%

Graceland University

26%

Iowa Wesleyan University

26%

Clarke University

25%

Simpson College

25%

University of Dubuque

24%

Des Moines University

23%

Maharishi International University

23%

Grand View University

100%

Maharishi International University

95%

Simpson College

91%

Clarke University

89%

University of Northern Iowa

86%

Northwestern College

83%

Iowa Wesleyan University

82%

Mount Mercy University

81%

University of Dubuque

76%

Morningside University

74%

University of Northern Iowa

17 to 1

University of Dubuque

15 to 1

William Penn University

15 to 1

Dordt University

14 to 1

Graceland University

14 to 1

Mount Mercy University

14 to 1

Morningside University

13 to 1

Grand View University

12 to 1

Maharishi International University

12 to 1

12 to 1

Drake University

$45,912

Simpson College

$44,030

Buena Vista University

$37,518

Clarke University

$36,870

Mount Mercy University

$36,540

University of Dubuque

$36,010

Morningside University

$35,270

$35,268

Dordt University

$34,170

Iowa Wesleyan University

$33,650

Maharishi International University

$32,000

Des Moines University

$19,025

St. Ambrose University

$18,360

Clarke University

$13,847

$12,960

Drake University

$11,738

Mount Mercy University

$11,106

Graceland University

$10,970

William Penn University

$10,500

Buena Vista University

$9,936

Dordt University

14%

Morningside University

16%

Northwestern College

17%

Buena Vista University

19%

Mount Mercy University

19%

William Penn University

20%

Grand View University

21%

St. Ambrose University

22%

Maharishi International University

23%

Des Moines University

23%

William Penn University

58%

Buena Vista University

66%

Graceland University

67%

Drake University

69%

72%

St. Ambrose University

72%

Dordt University

73%

Morningside University

74%

University of Dubuque

76%

Mount Mercy University

81%

Clarke University

8 to 1

Buena Vista University

10 to 1

Drake University

10 to 1

Simpson College

11 to 1

Northwestern College

11 to 1

Grand View University

12 to 1

Maharishi International University

12 to 1

12 to 1

Iowa Wesleyan University

12 to 1

St. Ambrose University

12 to 1

University of Northern Iowa

$7,780

Maharishi International University

$16,530

William Penn University

$27,200

Grand View University

$30,864

Graceland University

$31,920

St. Ambrose University

$33,570

Northwestern College

$33,590

Iowa Wesleyan University

$33,650

Dordt University

$34,170

$35,268

Northwestern College

$6,120

Iowa Wesleyan University

$6,300

Morningside University

$6,516

Simpson College

$6,526

University of Dubuque

$6,960

Grand View University

$9,270

University of Northern Iowa

$9,296

Dordt University

$9,750

Buena Vista University

$9,936

William Penn University

$10,500

Table of Contents

Featured Programs

Colleges and Universities in Iowa

With a large number of both brick-and-mortar and online colleges in Iowa, students have plenty of great schools to choose from.

Iowa’s largest public university, Iowa State University, serves over 30,000 students and offers extra flexibility for both undergraduate and graduate students through a selection of online degree programs in more than 50 academic fields including business administration, psychology, computer science, and more.

The University of Iowa-home of the Hawkeyes-is also home to some of the nation’s top programs in literature, philosophy, and law. The University of Iowa has also been at the forefront of higher education, starting the nation’s first co-educational medical school, as well as being the first public school to grant a law degree to a woman, Mary B. Hickey Wilkinson, in 1873.

Find college admissions consultants in your state.

For prospective students hoping to obtain their degrees at a smaller school, Iowa offers over 40 options to choose from. For a more affordable option, students can pay $4,000 per year for tuition at Indian Hills Community College. Like most community colleges in Georgia, Indian Hills also offers an array of online programs.

At the other end of the spectrum, students will pay up to $52,000 for an academic year at Grinnell College. Furthermore, nearly half of the schools in Iowa are religiously affiliated.

Iowa is often recognized for its agriculture as it produces the most pork and corn in the nation. Equally noteworthy is Iowa’s wealth of one-of-a-kind roadside attractions. From the largest wooden nickel, to the crookedest street, to the Grotto of Redemption, The Hawkeye State is full of wonders. Students in search of curiosities and oddities while earning a degree can attend one of Iowa’s public or private colleges.

Whether you’re looking to earn your associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree, Iowa offers a wealth of on-campus and online learning options. Discover more about Iowa’s top brick-and-mortar and online programs as well as top career paths in the state of Iowa.

What are Iowa’s Colleges & Universities?

Iowa’s Best Overall

Online master’s degrees offered by respected colleges and universities are generally respected by employers. The main thing to consider about your online master’s choices is whether the school name is well known and respected. In many cases, employers won’t know your degree was earned online. But even if they do, a degree from a respected college is automatically to your benefit.

We rank the colleges and universities in this list by the influence of their alumni and faculty. For master’s degree students, including online master’s degree students, having faculty who are influential in your field matters a lot. It’s a big indicator that you have the chance to get a quality education. And, knowing that you will join an alumni association with some impressive people is nice, too.

Frequently Asked Questions About Online Master’s Degrees

An online master’s degree costs about $40,000 for the average grad student. However, the cost of your online master’s degree will depend on the type of grad school you attend. In 2018-2019, the average cost for a year of tuition in a public grad school was $12,171. The average cost for a year of tuition in private, non-profit grad school was $27,776. An online master’s degree will usually cost about the same as a traditional master’s degree. Some schools will charge 5-10% more for online courses. This added cost pays for the technology and specialized training needed for online instruction. But getting a master’s degree online can also help you save money. The costs above don’t include expenses like housing, transportation, or certain campus fees. As an online grad student, you can save a lot of money by avoiding these added expenses. Many online master’s degree programs are also accelerated. Most master’s degree programs are designed to be completed in two years. But you may be able to earn your online master’s degree in as little as 12-18 months. Earning an accelerated online master’s degree can save you money on tuition.

If this is your first time taking an online course, the experience may require some adjustment. While you’ll generally learn the same content and take the same exams as your on-campus peers, the medium will likely require you to manage much of this experience independently. You’ll be accountable for your own time management, your ability to harness the technology at your fingertips, and your ability to focus on the lectures, lessons, and assignments at hand. This means you’ll need to create a suitable workspace for yourself, maintain a realistic schedule, and take it upon yourself to build relationships with your instructors and classmates. With online college, your goal is to find a balance between independence and engagement.

In most cases, as long you graduate from a well-regarded, regionally-accredited online college, prospective employers won’t look sideways at your degree. In fact, unless you attend an exclusively online college or university, there will likely be no specific indicator on your degree, transcript or resume differentiating your school from its brick-and-mortar counterpart. This means that your employer will likely only differentiate between an online and in-person degree if you mention this distinction.

While some employers may express concern about making the adjustment from online education to in-person workplace collaboration, many other employers will view your online degree as evidence of valuable 21st Century professional skills such as independence, self-motivation, time management, and tech savvy.

The advantages of online classes are many. First and foremost, online courses give you the freedom and flexibility to attend class from anywhere that works for you, whether you’re at home, in a coffee shop, or in a quiet conference room at work. In many cases, you’ll also enjoy the convenience of asynchronous learning opportunities-educational experiences that you can complete on your own schedule. This may include pre-taped lectures, ongoing chat-board discussions, and 24/7 access to digital materials. And of course, just as there are some learners who prefer the energy of a live classroom, there are those who learn best when working in their own personal space, free from distractions. If this sounds like you, you might find the solitude of online learning to be a major advantage.

If you are a student who thrives on the dynamic energy of in-person discussion, who requires the physical surroundings of a classroom to feel engaged, or who considers the social aspects of education to be of equal importance to the actual content of your courses, online education will require some adjustment.

While there is much that can be supplanted or simulated through the online medium, some students may find that there is nothing which can replace the conversation, collaboration, and motivation that occur in an actual classroom setting. As you make the adjustment to online education, one of the biggest challenges you will likely face is overcoming this difference in order to the get the most out of your classes. Fortunately, we’ve got some great Tips for Online Education Beginners.

Best Online Colleges in Iowa — Download Badge

How do we determine Iowa's best online master's degree programs?

The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great! If you are serious about finding the best colleges and universities for a bachelor’s degree, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching and whether their graduates are themselves advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence in their fields of study.

Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Concentrated Influence provides a ranking that is freer from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.

To rank the influence of schools, we first determine the influence of scholars and professionals based on the number of citations and publications they have had over the past 10 years. In addition to publications and citations, we consider the web links to and from these sources, and the page views of those sources. We then match the influential people to their alma maters and institutions of employment, so that their influence is attributed to those schools. Our machine-learning Influence Ranking algorithm produces a numerical score of academic achievements, merits, and citations across Wikipedia, wikidata, Crossref, Semantic Scholar and an ever-growing body of data. If you are interested in exploring how and why we rank by influence, explore our methodology in more depth.

Median Salaries of Top Careers in Iowa

The following graph depicts the average salaries of top occupations in different industries in Iowa.

Source: U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Annual Salary

99690Personal Financial Advisors

109770Chemical Engineers

119060Physicists

127800Computer and Information Research Scientists

191010Chief Executives

Best Online Master’s Program in Iowa 2022

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