Accounting Degree in Iowa - Best Programs for 2025

What is Accounting?

An accountant is an individual that works with a business’s finances and generates reports that reflect the financial health of a business. These reports are done on daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual periods. Daily work for an accountant consists of making sure that transactions that occur on that day have been recorded properly. Accountants also oversee the payments of certain bills, such as a company's tax obligation. Some companies use an accounting department or single accountant for all of their financial needs, while others send their accounting needs to a CPA firm on a monthly or quarterly basis.

Every business uses some form of accounting services at one point or another. Whether the company has an in-house accounting department, has retained an accountant or CPA firm to do their accounting work, or simply uses a tax preparer when it's time to pay taxes accounting, this is a vital part of doing business. For anyone who enjoys working with numbers, solving puzzles, and has a knack for knowing how numbers work, a career in accounting is a viable option. There are many elements of an accounting career and many options, you don't have to become a CPA.

In some cases, you may be able to start your accounting career without a formal education. However, if you want to progress in the industry, a formal education will be required. How much education you will need depends on how far you want to go in the field. Clerks often have lower-level degrees, while CPAs and accounting managers often have higher degrees, licenses, and certifications.

Featured Online Programs

Search Programs

Top Ranked Campus & Online Accounting Programs in Iowa

1

Iowa State University

Score: 83.68

Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $10,497
- Out-of-State:$27,683
Net Price: $15,310
Acceptance Rate: 90%
Retention Rate: 86%

Graduation Rate: 74%
Total Enrollment: 29,969
Undergrad Students: 25,241
Graduate Students: 4,728
Grads Salary: $74,000
Student-to-faculty: 18:1

View All Their Popular Majors and Rankings

2

University of Iowa

Score: 82.1

Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $10,964
- Out-of-State:$32,927
Net Price: $19,587
Acceptance Rate: 86%
Retention Rate: 89%

Graduation Rate: 74%
Total Enrollment: 30,015
Undergrad Students: 21,973
Graduate Students: 8,042
Grads Salary: $73,000
Student-to-faculty: 16:1

View All Their Popular Majors and Rankings

3

Central College

Score: 81.68

Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $20,988
- Out-of-State:$20,988
Net Price: $23,303
Acceptance Rate: 79%
Retention Rate: 74%

Graduation Rate: 71%
Total Enrollment: 1,169
Undergrad Students: 1,169
Graduate Students: N/A
Grads Salary: $78,000
Student-to-faculty: 13:1

4

Luther College

Score: 80.12

Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $50,320
- Out-of-State:$50,320
Net Price: $25,734
Acceptance Rate: 75%
Retention Rate: 81%

Graduation Rate: 74%
Total Enrollment: 1,610
Undergrad Students: 1,610
Graduate Students: N/A
Grads Salary: $72,000
Student-to-faculty: 11:1

5

Drake University

Score: 79.42

Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $49,944
- Out-of-State:$49,944
Net Price: $30,333
Acceptance Rate: 67%
Retention Rate: 83%

Graduation Rate: 76%
Total Enrollment: 4,685
Undergrad Students: 2,835
Graduate Students: 1,850
Grads Salary: $72,000
Student-to-faculty: 10:1

View All Their Popular Majors and Rankings

6

Loras College

Score: 79.08

Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $38,298
- Out-of-State:$38,298
Net Price: $21,886
Acceptance Rate: 90%
Retention Rate: 77%

Graduation Rate: 68%
Total Enrollment: 1,319
Undergrad Students: 1,227
Graduate Students: 92
Grads Salary: $74,000
Student-to-faculty: 12:1

7

Saint Ambrose University

Score: 76.76

Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $35,598
- Out-of-State:$35,598
Net Price: $23,359
Acceptance Rate: 74%
Retention Rate: 79%

Graduation Rate: 64%
Total Enrollment: 2,747
Undergrad Students: 2,118
Graduate Students: 629
Grads Salary: $70,000
Student-to-faculty: 12:1

8

Graceland University-Lamoni

Score: 76.34

Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $33,220
- Out-of-State:$33,220
Net Price: $16,627
Acceptance Rate: 74%
Retention Rate: 61%

Graduation Rate: 48%
Total Enrollment: 1,237
Undergrad Students: 885
Graduate Students: 352
Grads Salary: $76,000
Student-to-faculty: 13:1

9

Cornell College

Score: 76.18

Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $50,634
- Out-of-State:$50,634
Net Price: $25,686
Acceptance Rate: 79%
Retention Rate: 80%

Graduation Rate: 63%
Total Enrollment: 1,073
Undergrad Students: 1,058
Graduate Students: 15
Grads Salary: $74,000
Student-to-faculty: 13:1

10

Dordt University

Score: 76.07

Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $35,960
- Out-of-State:$35,960
Net Price: $27,375
Acceptance Rate: 88%
Retention Rate: 80%

Graduation Rate: 67%
Total Enrollment: 1,861
Undergrad Students: 1,618
Graduate Students: 243
Grads Salary: $76,000
Student-to-faculty: 14:1

11

University of Northern Iowa

Score: 75.53

Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $9,728
- Out-of-State:$21,272
Net Price: $15,782
Acceptance Rate: 95%
Retention Rate: 83%

Graduation Rate: 64%
Total Enrollment: 8,945
Undergrad Students: 7,735
Graduate Students: 1,210
Grads Salary: $66,000
Student-to-faculty: 17:1

View All Their Popular Majors and Rankings

12

Mount Mercy University

Score: 75.49

Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $39,070
- Out-of-State:$39,070
Net Price: $24,078
Acceptance Rate: 75%
Retention Rate: 74%

Graduation Rate: 57%
Total Enrollment: 1,526
Undergrad Students: 1,271
Graduate Students: 255
Grads Salary: $75,000
Student-to-faculty: 13:1

View All Their Popular Majors and Rankings

13

Buena Vista University

Score: 74.16

Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $40,190
- Out-of-State:$40,190
Net Price: $19,204
Acceptance Rate: 77%
Retention Rate: 76%

Graduation Rate: 58%
Total Enrollment: 1,973
Undergrad Students: 1,474
Graduate Students: 499
Grads Salary: $65,000
Student-to-faculty: 12:1

14

Coe College

Score: 73.36

Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $52,576
- Out-of-State:$52,576
Net Price: $21,237
Acceptance Rate: 100%
Retention Rate: 70%

Graduation Rate: 65%
Total Enrollment: 1,264
Undergrad Students: 1,264
Graduate Students: N/A
Grads Salary: $66,000
Student-to-faculty: 10:1

15

Wartburg College

Score: 72.08

Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $51,040
- Out-of-State:$51,040
Net Price: $23,683
Acceptance Rate: 97%
Retention Rate: 70%

Graduation Rate: 67%
Total Enrollment: 1,444
Undergrad Students: 1,416
Graduate Students: 28
Grads Salary: $67,000
Student-to-faculty: 13:1

16

Clarke University

Score: 70.53

Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $39,600
- Out-of-State:$39,600
Net Price: $27,275
Acceptance Rate: 85%
Retention Rate: 67%

Graduation Rate: 58%
Total Enrollment: 965
Undergrad Students: 785
Graduate Students: 180
Grads Salary: $69,000
Student-to-faculty: 9:1

17

Grand View University

Score: 68.98

Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $33,450
- Out-of-State:$33,450
Net Price: $20,236
Acceptance Rate: 98%
Retention Rate: 69%

Graduation Rate: 52%
Total Enrollment: 1,827
Undergrad Students: 1,556
Graduate Students: 271
Grads Salary: $66,000
Student-to-faculty: 12:1

18

Northwestern College

Score: 68.4

Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $35,300
- Out-of-State:$35,300
Net Price: $25,198
Acceptance Rate: 87%
Retention Rate: 78%

Graduation Rate: 63%
Total Enrollment: 1,651
Undergrad Students: 1,153
Graduate Students: 498
Grads Salary: $62,000
Student-to-faculty: 15:1

19

Northwest Iowa Community College

Score: 68.24

Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $7,110
- Out-of-State:$7,410
Net Price: $12,334
Acceptance Rate: 100%
Retention Rate: 69%

Graduation Rate: 64%
Total Enrollment: 1,811
Undergrad Students: 1,811
Graduate Students: N/A
Grads Salary: $50,100
Student-to-faculty: 15:1

View All Their Popular Majors and Rankings

20

Upper Iowa University

Score: 68.06

Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $19,000
- Out-of-State:$19,000
Net Price: $24,563
Acceptance Rate: 54%
Retention Rate: 57%

Graduation Rate: 42%
Total Enrollment: 3,072
Undergrad Students: 2,463
Graduate Students: 609
Grads Salary: $70,000
Student-to-faculty: 13:1

21

Briar Cliff University

Score: 67.9

Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $35,534
- Out-of-State:$35,534
Net Price: $21,620
Acceptance Rate: 100%
Retention Rate: 68%

Graduation Rate: 43%
Total Enrollment: 927
Undergrad Students: 709
Graduate Students: 218
Grads Salary: $72,000
Student-to-faculty: 12:1

22

University of Dubuque

Score: 65.94

Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $40,065
- Out-of-State:$40,065
Net Price: $22,879
Acceptance Rate: 85%
Retention Rate: 71%

Graduation Rate: 39%
Total Enrollment: 1,776
Undergrad Students: 1,444
Graduate Students: 332
Grads Salary: $66,000
Student-to-faculty: 9:1

23

William Penn University

Score: 64.94

Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $28,750
- Out-of-State:$28,750
Net Price: $20,922
Acceptance Rate: 58%
Retention Rate: 62%

Graduation Rate: 30%
Total Enrollment: 1,473
Undergrad Students: 1,404
Graduate Students: 69
Grads Salary: $71,000
Student-to-faculty: 18:1

24

Northeast Iowa Community College

Score: 59.81

Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $6,600
- Out-of-State:$7,470
Net Price: $7,097
Acceptance Rate: 100%
Retention Rate: 53%

Graduation Rate: 49%
Total Enrollment: 4,355
Undergrad Students: 4,355
Graduate Students: N/A
Grads Salary: $40,400
Student-to-faculty: 15:1

25

North Iowa Area Community College

Score: 59.03

Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $6,436
- Out-of-State:$9,245
Net Price: $6,327
Acceptance Rate: 100%
Retention Rate: 72%

Graduation Rate: 55%
Total Enrollment: 2,479
Undergrad Students: 2,479
Graduate Students: N/A
Grads Salary: $34,800
Student-to-faculty: 21:1

View All Their Popular Majors and Rankings

Online Accounting Education in Iowa

In the accounting industry, there are several levels in which a person with an accounting background can work. In many cases, the positions a person can take are dictated by their experience and educational level. Below are the four most common degree levels a person working in accounting can strive to achieve.

In the state of Iowa, there are 10,000 people employed as accountants, auditors, or accounting professionals. The average salary for a person working in the accounting field is $72,000 per year. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the need for accountants is expected to increase by 7% between now and 2030. So, if a career in accounting is something that you think might be of interest, now is the time to get started. Below you will find information you need to get started on your career path. There's educational guidance, career guidance, and a rough guide as to how to progress in an accounting career.

Online Associate (AS)

With an associate accounting degree, an individual can take on the tasks of a bookkeeper or an accounting clerk in a payroll, accounts receivable, or accounts payable position. This two-year degree provides a person with a base knowledge of accounting.

Some of the courses that a student in this program could take include the following:

Accounting I & II
Payroll Accounting
Computerized Accounting
Business Ethics
Other general business courses and general electives needed to complete a program

Associate degrees typically take two to three years, or four to six semesters, to complete. Upon completion, an individual has the educational ability to take on a position as a bookkeeper, accounts receivable clerk, or accounts payable clerk. Most career opportunities will be with smaller businesses, but some corporations might hire a clerk with a two-year degree.

University HQ National Rankings - Best Online Associate Programs

Online Bachelors (BS or BAcc)

One of the first requirements to become a certified public accountant (CPA) is a bachelor’s in accounting. These four-year programs consist of accounting courses as well as general business courses in areas such as management, marketing, and business law.

Some of the courses students will take include:

Accounting I & II
Computerized Accounting or Accounting Information Systems
Corporate Accounting
Cost Accounting
Managerial Accounting
Marketing
And other courses required to complete a four-year program

Bachelor degree programs are designed to be completed in four years or eight semesters. Some people complete their program in less than four years while others need longer, especially those that also have family and work obligations and must attend part-time. After completing a bachelor’s degree, a person is ready to prepare themselves to take the CPA exam.

University HQ National Rankings - Best Online Bachelors Programs

Online Masters (MS or MAcc)

A Master of Accountancy, also known as a MAcc, is for individuals who want to take their education in accounting to the next level. Many who attain this degree are considering specializing in a particular area of accounting. For many, a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) is more practical. Although a person holding a MAcc is valuable in the field, a person with an MBA is often considered more versatile and, therefore, may have better success at landing jobs, including accounting positions.

Typical courses for this program include:

Audit Theory Review and Practice
Business Process Integration
Data Analytics and Data Management
Federal Taxation
Financial Accounting Regulation
Financial Accounting Theory Review and Practice

University HQ National Rankings - Best Online Masters Programs

Online Doctorate (PhD)

Most doctorate programs used for accounting are actually part of a doctorate program in business administration. These programs vary from school to school and are customized by the student to create the programs that suits their needs and career goals.

Some courses covered in the program include:

Advanced Statistics and Analysis
Auditing
Business Law
Business Psychology
Ethics
Finance
Management
Organizational Leadership
Taxation

Doctorate programs require a dissertation to be completed. Upon completion of the dissertation, as well as the successful defense of the dissertation, a student will be rewarded with a PhD designation. Most doctorate programs are required to be completed in seven years but can be finished in five. Accountants with doctorate degrees can set themselves up as subject matter experts or explore the possibilities of entering academia and teaching at colleges or universities.

CPA Exam Requirements in Iowa

Iowa’s State Board of Accountancy requires every certified public accountant to have a minimum of a Bachelor of Science and at least 150 credit hours of college credit as a student to learn everything they can about the industry before becoming a CPA. It is crucial that your degree or accounting program has the proper accreditation. United States schools must have accreditation from the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business or the Higher Learning Commission. If your degree came from a foreign school, it requires validation from the National State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) International Evaluation Services or the Foreign Academic Credential Services, Inc. (FACS). Certification from either of these will determine whether you can sit for the CPA certification Exam.

CPA candidates have several options when it comes to the required 150 credit hours of college credit. The first is obtaining a full graduate degree in accounting from an accredited program. The second option allows CPA candidates who have earned a graduate business degree from an accredited program that includes at least 24 credit hours in accounting to sign up in order to take the CPA exam.

This degree must include the following individual subjects:

Financial accounting
Taxation
Auditing
Management accounting.

Students cannot claim internships or work experience hours at a firm or office to help them meet the CPA requirements.

The third option involves receiving an undergraduate accounting or business degree from an accredited school program, including the same 24 credit hours in the same subjects as the second option.

The fourth option will require students to earn a minimum of a bachelor’s degree with the same 24 credit hours and subjects as options two and three, along with 24 credit hours of courses including:

Marketing
Finance
Business law
Economics
Management

A degree from a community or two-year college does count for semester credits, but commercial CPA review courses do not. Online, CPA and College Level Examination Program (CLEP) courses will count, as long as the schools are accredited, so make sure to check for accreditation and request a transfer to an accredited institution if necessary.

To become a certified public accountant CPA, the national association of state boards requires that CPA candidates pass an ethics exam covering the code of ethical conduct.

Taking the Iowa CPA Exam

Four Iowa cities host the Uniform CPA Exam. They are:

Bettendorf
Coralville
Sioux City
West Des Moines

You will receive instructions for scheduling your test via the Notice to Schedule (NTS), which is delivered in the format you choose: Email, regular mail, or fax. The NTS allows you to schedule one testing session within six months. Iowa uses Prometric for CPA exam scheduling, so you can call them for answers to questions and to schedule your test at the site for one of the four current locations. Now it’s just a question of studying hard and showing up at the correct date and time to take the examination, as well as sending in the pertinent info with your application such as age, residency, and transcripts report. Even applying isn't free, so make sure you are prepared to pay all associated fees.

The four sections

Each section of the test takes four hours, for a total of 16 hours of examination time. The four sections consist of:
- Regulation
- Auditing and Attestation
- Financial Accounting and Reporting
- Business Environment and Concepts
Recent modifications to the Uniform CPA Exam have weighted scores more toward the regulation and business, environment, and concepts sections than previously. These modifications added an additional two hours to the overall exam time. The exam will be taken on a computer at the testing center and you will not be able to take anything in with you according to current testing security policies, so study and plan accordingly.
Time to pass the Uniform CPA exam

Candidates have 18 months in which to pass all four sections of the CPA certification Examination. Each section may be taken at a different time, as long as it falls within the 18-month period. You will lose credit for any part of the exam passed outside that strict time limit. The passing grade for each section of the CPA certification is a minimum of 75 percent.

You can find your results online at NASBA or have them mailed to you within the U.S.
Examination Preparation

To prepare for the CPA certification exam, you can participate in available online tutorials and sample tests hosted by cpa-exam.org. You must know how to access professional standards for various part of the exam, so visit the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) website at aicpa.org for information pertaining to their association standards. You may also find useful information for exam preparation at the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) website at fasb.org.

Continuing Professional Education Requirements

The amount of annual Continuing Professional Education (CPE) requirements you’ll need in Iowa depends on how recently you received your license. You do not need CPE for the first year in which you receive your license.

You will need 40 CPE hours by December 31 of the second year in which you have your license, and 80 CPE hours in the third year, which actually runs from December 31 to July 1 approximately 18 months later. After the third year, you must earn 120 CPE hours every three years for license maintenance.

General CPA continuing education requirements
Once you are past the third-year mark for CPE requirements, you cannot earn more than 24 CPE hours of the 120 hours in non-technical subjects.

Such subjects include:
- Communications
- Marketing
- Memory building
- Behavior and motivation
- Public relations
- Speed reading
- Leadership
- Personal development
- Practice development.
Every three years, you must spend earn 4 CPE hours in rules of professional conduct and ethics.

The remaining CPE hours are spent on the following areas:
- Consulting
- Auditing
- Taxation
- Accounting
- Management
- Assurance
- Specialized knowledge.

It is important to enroll in various CPE programs and take advantage of distance learning, employer-offered programs, professional examination completion, webinars, educational organization meetings and meetings of state and national associations featuring technical sessions. You can receive some credit toward your total CPE hours by publishing books and articles or acting as an instructor or speaker. If you are taking accredited courses at a college or university, each semester hour is equivalent to 15 CPE hours. However, if the course at the college or university is not for credit, the value of each semester hour is just one CPE hour.

Search Programs Offering Accounting Majors

Keep all of your CPE-related records for at least three years. That includes not only your number of hours and fields of study, but the dates you attended, your completion certificate, course location, content and sponsor and how your instruction was delivered. You will also need to keep the name of your instructors on file. Make sure the program’s representative verifies all of your CPE hours.

Become an Accountant in Iowa

Becoming an accounting professional in Iowa follows a linear course, especially if you are looking to obtain specific licensure in the state, such as a CPA license. The first step is to gain the required education level for the position you seek. For example, if you want to work as a full charge bookkeeper, then an associate degree in accounting or business is often a requirement. If you want to work as a full-fledged accountant, then a business degree with a specialization in accounting is normally required. You’ll also need to take the certified public accountant examination to work as an accountant for many businesses and organizations, especially if the company is required to report to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

The CPA exam consists of four sections. Most people take each part individually, and the process of taking and passing the complete CPA exam can take over a year. Prior to taking the exam, many people partake in study sessions, which can be 7-to-10-week courses or review programs that they can work on in their own time. These classes help students to review what they learned while in undergraduate school, but also add additional education specifically tailored for the CPA exam.

For those who want to work in the accounting field but are not sure they want to become accountants, with a bachelor’s degree, positions such as accounts receivable clerk and accounts payable clerk are options. A person can also work as a full charge bookkeeper, tax preparers, or in another accounting capacity that does not require the position to hold a CPA.

In the state of Iowa, to work as an accountant with high-level duties such as signing off on reports to the SEC or representing their clients to the IRS (in other words, as a CPA), a person must hold a CPA license as well as a license from the Iowa Board of Accountancy. There is an entire application process, and the information needed includes transcripts from all schools attended, proof of a CPA license, an application fee, and a background check. Once a person has been granted a license to work as a CPA in Iowa, a person can pursue accounting positions in the state.

Anyone who is planning to progress into management in accounting will need to attain either a Master’s in Business Administration or a Master of Accountancy. Companies like to ensure that their managers and supervisors are not only proficient in accounting, but also have a solid general business base to go with it.

Potential Careers for Accounting Graduates in IA

There are many different roles that an accounting professional can fill. Below are some of the more common positions found in the accounting industry. This is by far not an exhaustive list but does provide an idea of the types of jobs available in Iowa as well as in other parts of the United States and beyond.

Senior Accountant
Staff Accountant
Financial Controller
Comptroller Accountant
Business Analyst
Business Consultant
Capital Accountant
Financial Analyst
Certified Professional Accountant (CPA)
Accounts Payable / Accounts Receivable Specialist
Accountant
Budget Analyst
Managerial Accountant
IRS Agent
Bookkeeper
Tax Accountant

Sources:

Search All Programs

How to Become an Accountant or CPA in Iowa

What is Accounting?

Top Ranked Campus & Online Accounting Programs in Iowa

Iowa State University

University of Iowa

Central College

Luther College

Drake University

Loras College

Saint Ambrose University

Graceland University-Lamoni

Cornell College

Dordt University

University of Northern Iowa

Mount Mercy University

Buena Vista University

Coe College

Wartburg College

Clarke University

Grand View University

Northwestern College

Northwest Iowa Community College

Upper Iowa University

Briar Cliff University

University of Dubuque

William Penn University

Northeast Iowa Community College

North Iowa Area Community College

Online Accounting Education in Iowa

Online Associate (AS)

Online Bachelors (BS or BAcc)

Online Masters (MS or MAcc)

Online Doctorate (PhD)

CPA Exam Requirements in Iowa

Taking the Iowa CPA Exam

Continuing Professional Education Requirements

Become an Accountant in Iowa

Potential Careers for Accounting Graduates in IA

Sources: