Best Art History Schools Near Urbandale, IA (2026)

Updated September 5, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Urbandale, Iowa has 3 accredited schools offering art history programs, with tuition ranging from $9,936 to $22,278 per year for indexed programs. Urbandale has a population of about 46,026. Median household income is $113,086 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 51.4% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area, the top-earning art history-related role is Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists at a median $76,580 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Art History Schools to Urbandale

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer art history programs near Urbandale, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Urbandale city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Urbandale. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

Drake University

Des Moines, IA 7.2 miles from Urbandale
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
72.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 78%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $71,901
Avg net price $29,127/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 84%
  • Programs offered: 80

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Grinnell College

Grinnell, IA 55.2 miles from Urbandale
  • 4 year
72.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 88%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $62,830
Avg net price $17,648/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 93%
  • Programs offered: 31

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, IA 90.9 miles from Urbandale
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
68.9 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 93%
Graduation rate 68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $55,177
Avg net price $15,901/yr
Tuition
In‑state$9,936
Out‑of‑state$21,712
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 116

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

University of Iowa

Iowa City, IA 115.9 miles from Urbandale
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
73.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 72%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $64,762
Avg net price $22,531/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 90%
  • Programs offered: 199

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Cornell College

Mount Vernon, IA 123.1 miles from Urbandale
  • 4 year
45.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $53,460
Avg net price $23,634/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 77%
  • Programs offered: 49

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Saint Ambrose University

Davenport, IA 165.6 miles from Urbandale
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
62.5 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 77%
Graduation rate 62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,531
Avg net price $24,691/yr
Tuition
In‑state$36,658
Out‑of‑state$36,658
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 80%
  • Programs offered: 59

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Iowa schools on the Iowa art history page.

Art History Wages Near Urbandale

Urbandale is part of the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area (BLS area code 19780). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Iowa statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Curators $48,600 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA $52,999
Archivists $59,010 IA statewide $64,351
Museum Technicians and Conservators $68,960 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA $75,202
Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators N/A IA statewide –
Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary $75,490 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA $82,323
Writers and Authors $63,010 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA $68,713
Graphic Designers $56,520 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA $61,636
Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists $76,580 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA $83,511

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.

Urbandale at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 46,026 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $113,086 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 51.4% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 91.7 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Urbandale-Area Cities With Art History Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited art history schools are near Urbandale, IA?

Our directory has 3 accredited schools offering art history programs near Urbandale. The closest is Drake University in Des Moines, IA (7.2 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of Northern Iowa (90.9 miles). 2 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying art history roles near Urbandale?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying art history-related roles near Urbandale are: Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists ($76,580), Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary ($75,490), Museum Technicians and Conservators ($68,960). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Iowa statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Johnston instead of Urbandale?

Johnston, IA is 4.6 miles from Urbandale and has its own set of local art history programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Urbandale an affordable place to study art history?

Urbandale’s median household income of $113,086 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Urbandale while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Iowa public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.

Learn More About Art History Programs

Other Programs Available in Urbandale

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Urbandale:

Data verified: September 5, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

Back to Best Art History Schools in Iowa: Online Programs (2026)