Health and Medical Administrative Services at Des Moines Area Community College

Des Moines Area Community College delivers surprisingly strong early earnings for this certificate—$35,662 ranks in the 95th percentile nationally, crushing the typical program's $27,783. That's nearly $8,000 more than average right out of the gate, with manageable debt under $17,000. Within Iowa, though, the picture is more modest: this sits around the 60th percentile, trailing Northeast Iowa and Hawkeye community colleges by a bit.

The catch is that earnings slide backward over four years to $33,282, losing about 7% while graduates would typically expect their incomes to grow. The small sample size (under 30 graduates) means a few outliers could be skewing these numbers in either direction, so this pattern may not hold for every cohort. Still, the debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.48 means graduates owe roughly half their first-year salary—manageable compared to many programs.

For a quick healthcare administrative credential, this looks reasonable if your child lands a decent position right away. The initial earnings advantage matters, even if growth stalls. Just recognize this isn't the top program in Iowa, and with such limited data, you're placing some faith that future cohorts will match these results.