What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for Precision Metal Working at Des Moines Area Community College

This page combines two federal data products: IPEDS institutional characteristics for Des Moines Area Community College and the College Scorecard field-of-study (FOS) file for Precision Metal Working at the certificate credential level. The FOS file is keyed by CIP (Classification of Instructional Programs) code, which means earnings and debt figures here reflect only graduates of this specific program – not the school as a whole. IPEDS reports 279 completers in the most recent cohort for this program at Des Moines Area Community College, the denominator behind the median earnings figure.

Median graduate earnings of $52,238 represent Treasury-derived wages, deferred compensation, and positive self-employment earnings four years after program completion for federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled. Compared to the national mean of $48,439 across all institutions offering Precision Metal Working, graduates here earn above the national average for this program. Across all programs at Des Moines Area Community College, the mean median-earnings figure is $54,664, providing internal context for whether this specific field out-earns other options at the same institution.

Debt signals complete the ROI picture. The median cumulative federal loan debt for Precision Metal Working graduates at Des Moines Area Community College is $5,500, which translates to roughly $46 per month on a standard 10-year repayment plan. The descriptive debt-to-earnings ratio is 0.11: reported annual earnings exceed cumulative debt. This is a PlainCollege comparison, not a federal gainful-employment verdict. Program-level debt and four-year post-completion earnings come from the Department of Education’s College Scorecard field-of-study snapshot retrieved in March 2026.