General Biological Sciences

Stem Major

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Total Degrees​
Awarded in 2023
92,325
declining 2.34%
Median In-State​
Public Tuition
$7,140
growing 0.99%
Median Out-of-State​
Private Tuition
$36,152
growing 4.03%
Average Wage
$125,220
growing 2.36%
People in Workforce
3.11M
growing 3.95%
Average Employee Age
41.1
declining 0.182%

About

In 2023, the locations with the highest concentration of General Biological Sciences degree recipients are New York, NY, Los Angeles, CA, and Houston, TX. In 2023, the locations with a relatively high number of General Biological Sciences degree recipients are Holly Springs, MS, Pippa Passes, KY, and Cayey, PR. The most common degree awarded to students studying General Biological Sciences is a bachelors degree.

Institutions

Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in General Biological Sciences and the types of students that study this field. Arizona State University Campus Immersion awards the most degrees in General Biological Sciences in the US, but Rust College and Fisk University have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in General Biological Sciences.

Tuition costs for General Biological Sciences majors are, on average, $7,140 for in-state public colleges, and $36,152 for out of state private colleges.

The most common sector, by number of institutions, that offers General Biological Sciences programs are Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above institutions (821 total). The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded, is Public, 4-year or above (62,148 completions).

Institutions

Institution with the Most Degrees Awarded in General Biological Sciences (2023)
  1. 987 degrees awarded
  2. 945 degrees awarded
  3. 766 degrees awarded

The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded in General Biological Sciences, is Public, 4-year or above (62,148 completions in 2023).

The following chart shows the share of universities that offer General Biological Sciences programs, by the total number of completions, colored and grouped by their sector.

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Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

$7,140
Median In-State Public
$36,152
Median Out of State Private

Arizona State University Campus Immersion has the most General Biological Sciences degree recipients, with 987 degrees awarded in 2023.

The following bar chart shows the state tuition for the top 5 institutions with the most degrees awarded in General Biological Sciences.

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Specialized Colleges

Highest Concentration Institution
  1. 27.5%
  2. 26%
  3. 24.7%

Out of all institutions that offer General Biological Sciences programs and have at least 5 graduates in those programs, Rust College has the highest percentage of degrees awarded in General Biological Sciences, with 27.5%.

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Degrees Awarded by County

Counties with the Most Degrees Awarded in General Biological Sciences
  1. 2,776 degrees awarded
  2. 1,818 degrees awarded
  3. 1,511 degrees awarded

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest number of degrees awarded in General Biological Sciences by year.

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Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Biology graduates and on wages and locations for those in the field.

The average salary for Biology majors is $125,220 and the most common occupations are Physicians, Postsecondary teachers, and Other Physical Scientists.

The industry that employs the most Biology majors is General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals, though the highest paying industry, by average wage, is Offices of physicians.

Yearly Income for Common Jobs

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course General Biological Sciences is from the 2 Digit Course Biology.
$125,220
Average Wage in Workforce
± $1,921
2.36%
1 Year Growth
± 2.15%

The average salary for Biology majors is $125,220 and the most common occupations are Physicians, Postsecondary teachers, and Other Physical Scientists.

This chart shows the average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Biology majors.

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Highest Paying Locations

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course General Biological Sciences is from the 2 Digit Course Biology.

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States colored by the average salary of Biology majors.

Note that the census collects information tied to where people live, not where they work. It is possible that Biology majors live and work in the same place, but it is also possible that they live and work in two different places.

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Most Common

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course General Biological Sciences is from the 2 Digit Course Biology.

The most common occupations for Biology majors, by number of employees, are Physicians, Postsecondary teachers, and Other Physical Scientists.

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Most Specialized

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course General Biological Sciences is from the 2 Digit Course Biology.

Compared to other majors, there are an unusually high number of Biology majors working as Podiatrists, Biological scientists, and Optometrists.

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Highest Paid

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course General Biological Sciences is from the 2 Digit Course Biology.

The highest paid occupations by median income for Biology majors are Surgeons, Physicians, and Chief executives & legislators.

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Occupations by Share

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course General Biological Sciences is from the 2 Digit Course Biology.
3.11M
2023 Workforce
± 42,876
3.95%
1 Year Growth
± 1.89%

The number of Biology graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 3.95%, from 2.99M in 2022 to 3.11M in 2023.

The largest single share of Biology graduates go on to work as Physicians (13.9%). This chart shows the various jobs filled by those with a major in Biology by share of the total number of graduates.

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Most Common

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course General Biological Sciences is from the 2 Digit Course Biology.
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Highest Paid

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course General Biological Sciences is from the 2 Digit Course Biology.
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Industries by Share

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course General Biological Sciences is from the 2 Digit Course Biology.
3.11M
2023 Workforce
± 42,876
3.95%
1 Year Growth
± 1.89%

The number of Biology graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 3.95%, from 2.99M in 2022 to 3.11M in 2023.

The industry which employs the most Biology graduates by share is General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals, followed by Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges. This visualization shows the industries that hire those who major in Biology.

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Specialty Locations

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course General Biological Sciences is from the 2 Digit Course Biology.

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States where there are a relatively high population of Biology majors.

Note that the census collects information tied to where people live, not where they work. It is possible that Biology majors live and work in the same place, but it is also possible that they live and work in two different places.

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Diversity

Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Biology in the United States.

The average age of a person in the workforce with a degree in Biology is 41.1.

The most common degree type these workers hold is a Bachelors Degree. Female employees are more likely to hold Biology degrees, and White students are the most common race/ethnicty group awarded degrees in Biology (43,059 students).

Workforce Age

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course General Biological Sciences is from the 2 Digit Course Biology.
41.1
Average Age in 2023
± 0.183 Years
0.182%
1 Year Change
± 0.639%

This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Biology. The most common ages of employees with this major are 30 and 29 years old, which represent 3.54% and 3.41% of the population, respectively.

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Degrees Awarded

The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in General Biological Sciences are Bachelors Degree, Associates Degree, and Masters Degree.

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Workforce Degrees

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course General Biological Sciences is from the 2 Digit Course Biology.

The most common degree types held by the working population in Biology are Bachelors Degree, Professional degree, and Masters Degree.

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Sex Imbalance for Common Institutions

Female (68%)
Most Common Sex with a Degree in this Field

This chart shows the granted degrees by sex at the 5 institutions that graduate the most students in General Biological Sciences.

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Race & Ethnicity by Degrees Awarded

Most Common Race or Ethnicity
  1. White
    43,059 degrees awarded
  2. Hispanic or Latino
    17,623 degrees awarded
  3. Asian
    12,824 degrees awarded

This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in General Biological Sciences for each race & ethnicity. White students earned the largest share of the degrees with this major.

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Race & Ethnicity by Sex

Most Common Race/Ethnicity and Sex Combination
  1. White Female
    25,347 degrees awarded
  2. White Male
    12,521 degrees awarded
  3. Hispanic or Latino Female
    9,791 degrees awarded

This chart illustrates the differences by sex for each race & ethnicity of Bachelors Degree recipients in General Biological Sciences.

White Female students, who earn most of the degrees in this field, are the most common combination of race/ethnicity and sex.

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Global Diversity

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course General Biological Sciences is from the 2 Digit Course Biology.
Most Common Countries of Origin
  1. India
    95,613 degree recipients
  2. China
    54,106 degree recipients
  3. Korea
    26,305 degree recipients
High Relative Number of Students
  1. Saudi Arabia
    3.24 times more than expected
  2. United Arab Emirates
    3.18 times more than expected
  3. Other Asia, not specified
    3.14 times more than expected

There are a relatively high number of people that were born in Saudi Arabia that hold Biology degrees (3.24 times more than expected), and the most common country of origin by total numbers for non-US students earning a degree in this field is India (95,613 degree recipients).

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Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the General Biological Sciences field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. General Biological Sciences majors need many skills, but most especially Reading Comprehension. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that General Biological Sciences majors need more than the average amount of Operation and Control, Repairing, and Equipment Maintenance.

These two visualizations, one a radial chart and one a bar chart, show the same information, a rating of how necessary the following skills are for General Biological Sciences majors. Toggle between "value" and "RCA" to see the absolute rating of that skill (value) and the revealed comparative advantage (RCA), or how much greater or lesser that skill's rating is than the average. The longer the bar or the closer the line comes to the circumference of the circle, the more important that skill is. The importance of Operation and Control is very distinctive for majors, but the Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, and Active Listening are the three most important skills for people in the field.

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Bar Chart

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