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General Biology at Illinois State University

If you plan to study General Biology, consider the program at Illinois State University. Get started with the following essential facts.

Illinois State University sits in Normal, IL.

For the most recent IPEDS reporting year, 132 general biology degrees were awarded at Illinois State University.

Online & Distance Learning at Illinois State University

Many students take online classes at Illinois State University. Among 21,546 students, 1,302 (6%) were enrolled entirely in distance education and 7,853 (36%) took at least some classes online.

General Biology Rankings at Illinois State University

Rankings can help you compare Illinois State University’s General Biology program against peer institutions.

Master’s-Level Rankings

Ranking	Scope	Rank
Best Schools (Quality)	Illinois	#12 of 42
Best Value	Illinois	#23 of 41
Best Schools (Quality)	Great Lakes (Region)	#37 of 164
Best Value	Great Lakes (Region)	#77 of 163
Best Schools (Quality)	Nationwide	#291 of 1,249
Best Value	Nationwide	#649 of 1,237

Doctoral-Level Rankings

Ranking	Scope	Rank
Best Schools (Quality)	Illinois	#12 of 42
Best Value	Illinois	#23 of 41
Best Schools (Quality)	Great Lakes (Region)	#37 of 164
Best Value	Great Lakes (Region)	#77 of 163
Best Schools (Quality)	Nationwide	#291 of 1,249
Best Value	Nationwide	#649 of 1,237

Earnings for General Biology Graduates from Illinois State University

Those who finish Illinois State University’s General Biology program earn the following amounts (per the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard):

Years After Graduation	Median Earnings
1 year	$31,827
2 years	$32,658
3 years	$39,230
4 years	$48,863
5 years	$53,848

How do these earnings stack up against the rest of the school? Four years after graduating, General Biology graduates from Illinois State University take home a median $48,863, compared with $58,604 for all Illinois State University graduates — about 17% lower than the school-wide median.

Median Debt at Graduation

Median student loan debt for General Biology graduates from Illinois State University is $24,672.

Student Demographics & Diversity

Take a look at the composition of General Biology graduates at Illinois State University, by degree type.

Looking at the program as a whole, General Biology graduates at Illinois State University are 69% women (91) and 31% men (41).

General Biology Bachelor’s Program at Illinois State University

Of the 111 bachelor’s general biology degrees awarded at Illinois State University, 72% were women (80) and 28% were men (31).

The following table and chart show the race/ethnicity of General Biology bachelor’s degree recipients at Illinois State University.

Race / Ethnicity	Number of Graduates
White	75
Hispanic / Latino	17
Black / African American	7
Asian	8
Two or More Races	4

Racial-ethnic minorities make up 32% of General Biology bachelor’s degree recipients at Illinois State University, lower than the national average of 47%.*

General Biology Master’s Program at Illinois State University

Of the 14 master’s general biology degrees awarded at Illinois State University, 43% were women (6) and 57% were men (8).

The following table and chart show the race/ethnicity of General Biology master’s degree recipients at Illinois State University.

Race / Ethnicity	Number of Graduates
White	8
Hispanic / Latino	1
International (Nonresident)	5

Racial-ethnic minorities make up 7% of General Biology master’s degree recipients at Illinois State University, lower than the national average of 41%.*

General Biology Doctoral Program at Illinois State University

Of the 7 doctoral general biology degrees awarded at Illinois State University, 71% were women (5) and 29% were men (2).

The following table and chart show the race/ethnicity of General Biology doctoral degree recipients at Illinois State University.

Race / Ethnicity	Number of Graduates
White	6
International (Nonresident)	1

*The racial-ethnic minorities figure is the total number of graduates minus White, international (nonresident), and unknown-race graduates.

More Specific General Biology Concentrations at Illinois State University

The General Biology program at Illinois State University offers more specialized concentrations:

Concentration	Graduates
Biology Studies	132

Best-Paid Careers for General Biology Graduates

Graduates of the General Biology program at Illinois State University work across a variety of fields. Here are the highest-paying careers for General Biology graduates, ordered by median annual salary:

Occupation	Nationwide Median Wage
Water Resource Specialists	$179,716
Natural Sciences Managers	$132,227
Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists	$111,314
Clinical Research Coordinators	$110,931
Food Science Technicians	$100,898
Biological Technicians	$100,160
Molecular and Cellular Biologists	$100,077
Life Scientists, All Other	$97,541
Bioinformatics Scientists	$92,484
Forensic Science Technicians	$85,117

References

• IPEDS — Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System
• U.S. Department of Education — College Scorecard
• O*NET Online (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
• National Center for Education Statistics

More about our data sources and methodologies.