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Best Forensic Psychology Schools Near West Des Moines, IA
Updated September 5, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
West Des Moines, Iowa is home to about 69,893 residents. Median household income is $84,925 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 54.6% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Iowa, the top-earning forensic psychology-related role is Psychologists, All Other at a median $138,420 annually (BLS, May 2025).
Closest Forensic Psychology Schools to West Des Moines
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer forensic psychology programs near West Des Moines, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from West Des Moines 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:
BOCSCORE
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 West Des Moines.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
BOC
Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.
Sort:
#1
Saint Ambrose University
📍
Davenport, IA
•
165.5 miles from West Des Moines
West Des Moines 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)
Clinical and Counseling Psychologists
$84,740
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
$92,410
Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists
$79,370
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
$86,554
Detectives and Criminal Investigators
$79,560
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
$86,761
Forensic Science Technicians
$71,160
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
$77,601
Psychologists, All Other
$138,420
IA statewide
$150,949
Social and Human Service Assistants
$45,760
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
$49,902
First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives
$117,790
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
$128,451
Rehabilitation Counselors
$46,200
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
$50,382
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.
West Des Moines at a Glance
Metric
Value
Source
Population
69,893
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income
$84,925
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+
54.6%
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)
91.7 (below U.S. average)
BEA RPP 2024
Other West Des Moines-Area Cities With Forensic Psychology Programs
What are the highest-paying forensic psychology roles near West Des Moines?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying forensic psychology-related roles near West Des Moines are: Psychologists, All Other ($138,420), First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives ($117,790), Clinical and Counseling Psychologists ($84,740). 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 Urbandale instead of West Des Moines?
Urbandale, IA is 6.0 miles from West Des Moines and has its own set of local forensic psychology programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is West Des Moines an affordable place to study forensic psychology?
West Des Moines’s median household income of $84,925 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in West Des Moines 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.
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.
