Home   >  Career Outcomes
Two Drake students in caps, gowns, and honors sashes smile and stand close during commencement

Career Outcomes

You’re aiming high. We’ll help you get there. Drake’s commitment to professional preparation delivers stand-out skills and nation-leading career outcomes.

Student Success

Craft a Lasting Connection

It took one trip to Cairo for Rachel Gray to fall in love with Egypt. Internships with the country’s consulate in Chicago and the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations in Washington, D.C., gave her the experience she needed to build a career in international relations. “It’s crazy to think there was a time I didn’t know anything about the Middle East, and now my entire academic and professional life revolves around it. Drake offers so many amazing opportunities for students to get involved outside of the classroom. The interdisciplinary experience has made me a better learner and critical thinker overall.”

Value That Endures

Drake graduates go far, and the numbers prove it. Our commitment to hands-on experience results in great job opportunities with far-above-average earnings potential.

%

Of undergraduates have an internship or practical experience.

#

Among Iowa colleges for median salary 10 years after graduation.

Top

Best Colleges in the U.S. and #1 Private College in Iowa based on Impact and Value Added to Graduate Salary Scores.
Wall Street Journal

How We Ensure Our Graduates Are Career-Ready

Classroom lessons are just the start of your career prep. You’ll put knowledge to work through internships, research, and other practical experiences, while career counselors and professors sharpen the kind of communication, leadership, and critical thinking skills employers want.

Customized Degrees

Triple Major Puts a Philosophical Slant on Tech

Our 150+ majors are just the start of what you can study at Drake. We know your curiosity can’t be confined. That’s why many of our students pursue double majors, minors, or even customized degrees—often in creative combinations. For David Mascharka, a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science and Mathematics led to a job at MIT that involved machine learning research. But a third degree, in philosophy, added an even deeper dimension to his everyday work. “I constantly find connections between my research pursuits and my philosophical interests,” he says. “I'm interested in the philosophical intersection of computers, especially autonomous and semi-autonomous systems, and society. My philosophy professors were just as curious and passionate. They gave me the freedom to begin exploring these topics during my undergraduate years and the philosophical foundations and skills to keep growing after I graduated.”

Personalize Your Education

Small classes mean you’ll get close attention from faculty who get to know you. And double majors, minors, and customizable programs provide even more ways to make your education your own.

:1

Student-to-faculty ratio.

#

Projected graduation rate among all Iowa schools.

+

Majors and more than 150 programs for customizing your studies.

How You Can Build Your Degree

A Drake degree provides a roadmap to what comes next. From mentorship you’ll receive through faculty members to the confidence you’ll gain through rigorous studies and immersive experience, a Drake education is a cornerstone for your future.

Career opportunities abound

Define Your Future in Des Moines

Every great city deserves a great university, and every great university deserves a great city—and Des Moines delivers. From visionary entrepreneurs to Fortune 500 companies, our students’ access to professional opportunities allows them to explore and prepare for the career path that fits them best, so they cross the graduation stage with confidence. For Deidre DeJear, JO ‘08, Des Moines’ location at the center of the political world made it an obvious place to plant her flag. While waves of presidential aspirants visit Iowa every four years, our location in a state capital means students get VIP-level access to the political world. “The political engagement scene at Drake was a big selling point for me,” she says. “The Iowa caucuses gave me an opportunity to connect with a political environment in a way that I could not have from my home state.”

Big City, Heartland Feel

Over 740,000 people live in the Des Moines area, one of the Midwest’s fastest-growing places (and one of the best places to find a job). And thanks to our robust alumni network, you’ll never be far from another Bulldog.

#

Best place to live in the Midwest, 2023-24 (U.S. News & World Report).

#

Metro for young professionals in the U.S. (Forbes Advisor, 2024).

Drake alumni lead companies throughout the Des Moines area—and know what Bulldogs can deliver.

What Des Moines Has to Offer

Des Moines is big enough to get lost in and small enough to be found. Major arena acts, up-and-coming artists, pro sports, miles of trails, whatever food you crave—it all adds up to make us a place you won’t want to leave.

Global Education

Set Your Sights on the World

For some students, studying abroad becomes the kind of experience they draw on once they return home. For others, like Alexandria Lueck, AS‘16, it redefines where home is. A month in Barcelona as a student inspired her to move to Spain following graduation and then to Chile, where she teaches English. “The World Languages & Cultures program at Drake helped motivate me to pursue work options in other countries and with other cultures,” Lueck says. “Those classes made me want to go and experience those cultures first-hand. My language and cultural classes at Drake prepared me for both the language and the culture when I moved to Spain and Chile.”

See The World

Whether you spend an entire semester abroad or explore another country on a faculty-led tour or J-Term seminar, international study prepares you to become a global citizen and see the world in a new light.

1 in

Of graduating Drake students have studied abroad.

$ K+

Of study abroad scholarships offered by Drake annually.

$

Additional tuition costs for participating in J-Term international programs.

Take Your Drake Education Overseas

We’ll help you chart your course to an international experience, whether you study through Drake or an affiliated program, or start your career overseas after you graduate.

Take the Next Step

Everything you’ll remember most about your Drake experience—the internships you’ll land, the courses you’ll dive into, the places you’ll visit—are the very things that spark a lifetime of success. Learn more today.

Request Info Visit Apply
Drake students work on an activity on their laptops in a dark campus lab