Computational Biology

Types of Degrees Computational Biology Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many computational biology graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Doctor’s Degree	106
Master’s Degree	74
Graduate Certificate	7

What Computational Biology Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to computational biology and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Computational Biology Majors

Computational Biology majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Skills for Computational Biology Majors

A major in computational biology prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Abilities for Computational Biology Majors

A major in computational biology will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:

• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

What Can You Do With a Computational Biology Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with computational biology:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Bioinformatics Scientists	8.0%	$79,590
Biological Science Professors	15.1%	$82,550
Clinical Research Coordinators	9.9%	$123,860
Data Warehousing Specialists	9.3%	$90,270
Database Architects	9.3%	$90,270
Mathematical Science Occupations	9.1%	NA
Natural Sciences Managers	9.9%	$123,860
Water Resource Specialists	9.9%	$123,860

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Computational Biology?

Roughly 50% of the graduates are women, and 50% are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of computational biology majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	15
Black or African American	2
Hispanic or Latino	2
White	17
International Students	32
Other Races/Ethnicities	6

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Computational Biology. About 43.2% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Computational Biology

Some careers associated with computational biology require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for computational biology careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	1.7%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	1.8%
Some College Courses	0.5%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	2.8%
Bachelor’s Degree	43.6%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	2.0%
Master’s Degree	18.7%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	0.6%
Doctoral Degree	14.7%
Post-Doctoral Training	13.8%

Online Computational Biology Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	0	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	0	0
Bachelor’s Degree	1	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	14	0
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	19	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Computational Biology

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to computational biology.

Major	Number of Grads
Biostatistics	1,610
Bioinformatics	1,245
Biomathematics	199
Biometry/Biometrics	132

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By Pixabay under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.