Criminal Justice and Corrections programs in Iowa
21 schools in Iowa teach this, at certificate or associate level. 6 of them report what graduates earn two years out; the highest is $36,488 at Hawkeye Community College.
What this work pays in Iowa
Security Guards in Iowa earn a median of $37,080 a year across 6,890 jobs. That is what the occupation pays everyone in it — not what graduates of any one program below earned.
| Also leads to | Median | Jobs in Iowa |
|---|---|---|
| Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers | $74,470 | 5,130 |
| Compliance Officers | $75,620 | 3,660 |
| Managers, All Other | $128,080 | 3,600 |
| Correctional Officers and Jailers | $53,040 | 3,440 |
| Child, Family, and School Social Workers | $52,250 | 3,410 |
Occupation wages: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.
Schools
| School | Credential | Median debt | Graduate earnings, 2 yrs | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hawkeye Community College Waterloo | Associate's degree | $11,000 | $36,488 (41 grads) | 26 |
| Iowa Central Community College Fort Dodge | Associate's degree | $14,250 | $35,213 (29 grads) | 26 |
| Western Iowa Tech Community College Sioux City | Associate's degree | $11,000 | $33,726 (32 grads) | 27 |
| Des Moines Area Community College Ankeny | Associate's degree | $9,750 | $32,332 (37 grads) | 63 |
| Indian Hills Community College Ottumwa | Associate's degree | — | $32,119 (11 grads) | 8 |
| Southeastern Community College West Burlington | Associate's degree | — | $31,305 (12 grads) | 7 |
| Des Moines Area Community College Ankeny | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 14 |
| Eastern Iowa Community College District Davenport | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 1 |
| Eastern Iowa Community College District Davenport | Associate's degree | — | not published | 1 |
| Ellsworth Community College Iowa Falls | Associate's degree | — | not published | 6 |
| Iowa Central Community College Fort Dodge | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 1 |
| Iowa Lakes Community College Estherville | Associate's degree | — | not published | 6 |
| Iowa Western Community College Council Bluffs | Associate's degree | — | not published | 27 |
| Kirkwood Community College Cedar Rapids | Associate's degree | — | not published | 12 |
| Marshalltown Community College Marshalltown | Associate's degree | — | not published | 1 |
| North Iowa Area Community College Mason City | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 2 |
| North Iowa Area Community College Mason City | Associate's degree | — | not published | 8 |
| Northeast Iowa Community College Calmar | Associate's degree | — | not published | 5 |
| Southwestern Community College Creston | Associate's degree | — | not published | 5 |
| Waldorf University Forest City | Associate's degree | — | not published | 5 |
| Western Iowa Tech Community College Sioux City | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
A dash under earnings or debt means the U.S. Department of Education has not published a figure for that program — it withholds any median computed from too few graduates, which covers about four of every five programs. It never means zero, and it says nothing about whether the program is any good. Where a figure is shown, the number of graduates behind it is shown with it.
Email me when these figures change
The U.S. Department of Education publishes new cost, debt and earnings figures once a year, and every number on this page changes at once. One email when that happens for Criminal Justice and Corrections — nothing else, and nothing in between.
Program and outcome figures: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, released 2026-06-10.