CollegeCostWise

Master's · Ames, Iowa

Is Business Administration, Management and Operations at Iowa State University worth it?

Medium confidence Medium confidence: 40–99 graduates behind the earnings figures.

The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans

Pays back fast: graduates typically recover the cost in about 2 years.

Earnings 1 year after graduating
$93,948
Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating
$132,234
Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation
$40,569
NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
Typical borrowing (no graduate net price is published)
$43k (likely $43k – $43k)
AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Earnings bump, year 4
$68k a year vs bachelor's graduates 4 years out in IA
2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback
2 years (likely 1.6–2.5)
Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return
$429k (likely $301k – $568k)
Today's dollars
20-year net return
$1.25M (likely $933k – $1.58M)
Today's dollars

Change income, residency or loans Compare Business Administration, Management and Operations at other schools

Scorecard reports no net price for graduate programs; cost is based on what graduates typically borrowed.

Other majors at Iowa State University

Business Administration, Management and Operations at other schools in Iowa