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Neurobiology & Neurosciences

Instructional content for this group of programs is defined in codes 26.1501 - 26.1599.

Types of Degrees Neurobiology & Neurosciences Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Neurobiology & Neurosciences have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	10
Associate’s Degree	4
Bachelor’s Degree	11,287
Master’s Degree	654
Doctor’s Degree	864

What Neurobiology & Neurosciences Majors Need to Know

Studies in Neurobiology & Neurosciences emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Neurobiology & Neurosciences graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Neurobiology & Neurosciences emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Biology — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Chemistry — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills built by a Neurobiology & Neurosciences program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Neurobiology & Neurosciences careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Neurobiology & Neurosciences graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Working with Computers	4.4 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.4 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.1 / 7
Processing Information	4.1 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Neurobiology & Neurosciences professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
The MathWorks MATLAB	Analytical or scientific software	✓
SAS	Analytical or scientific software	—
R	Object or component oriented development software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
IBM SPSS Statistics	Analytical or scientific software	—
Python	Object or component oriented development software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Neurobiology & Neurosciences graduates include:

• Research Coordinator
• Clinical Trials Manager
• Clinical Project Manager
• Scientist
• Research Scientist
• Clinical Research Coordinator
• Clinical Data Coordinator
• Clinical Research Administrator
• Clinical Research Manager
• Oncology Clinical Research Coordinator
• Clinical Trial Coordinator
• Clinical Research Director
• Postdoctoral Researcher
• Clinical Trial Manager
• Clinical Coordinator

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Neurobiology & Neurosciences graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	32.1%
Post-doctoral training	19.8%
Master’s degree	18.4%
Doctoral degree	16.4%
Postsecondary certificate	3.6%
Some college courses	2.9%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	2.8%
High school diploma or equivalent	2.2%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.1%
Post-master’s certificate	0.9%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Neurobiology & Neurosciences?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 69.1% of Neurobiology & Neurosciences degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	8,862	69.1%
Men	3,957	30.9%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Neurobiology & Neurosciences graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	5,959	46.5%
Asian	2,783	21.7%
Hispanic or Latino	1,574	12.3%
Black or African American	786	6.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native	16	0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	11	0.1%
Two or More Races	645	5.0%
Race Unknown	301	2.3%
International Students	744	5.8%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Neurobiology & Neurosciences Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Neurobiology & Neurosciences graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$31,154
4 years	$54,347
5 years	$68,598

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $68,598 — roughly 120% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Neurobiology & Neurosciences Programs

Fully online options is tracked by IPEDS for Neurobiology & Neurosciences. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Bachelor’s	2	4
Master’s	2	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Neurobiology & Neurosciences Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Neurobiology & Neurosciences graduates earn a median of $54,347 four years after completion — roughly 43% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Biological Biomedical Sciences	179,083
Biology, General	101,585
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology	13,820
Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences	11,175
Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology	9,295
Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences	6,355
Microbiological Sciences and Immunology	4,711
Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other	4,612
Biotechnology	3,869
Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology	3,638
Zoology/Animal Biology	3,408
Genetics	1,733

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.