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Other Biological Sciences

Instructional content is defined in code 26.9999.

Types of Degrees Other Biological Sciences Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Other Biological Sciences can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	96
Associate’s Degree	639
Bachelor’s Degree	1,461
Master’s Degree	2,107
Doctor’s Degree	309

What Other Biological Sciences Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Other Biological Sciences emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Biology — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Chemistry — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Other Biological Sciences 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 / 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

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Other Biological Sciences careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 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, Other Biological Sciences 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 Other Biological Sciences professionals:

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

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Other Biological Sciences graduates include:

• Research Coordinator
• Clinical Trials Manager
• Clinical Project Manager
• Clinical Research Director
• Clinical Coordinator
• Clinical Research Administrator
• Clinical Data Coordinator
• Clinical Trial Manager
• Postdoctoral Fellow
• Postdoctoral Associate
• Postdoctoral Researcher
• Postdoctoral Research Fellow
• Clinical Research Monitor
• Oncology Clinical Research Coordinator
• Clinical Trial Coordinator

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Other Biological Sciences graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	33.1%
Post-doctoral training	20.0%
Master’s degree	17.7%
Doctoral degree	15.6%
Postsecondary certificate	3.9%
Some college courses	3.1%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	3.0%
High school diploma or equivalent	2.4%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.8%
Post-master’s certificate	0.5%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Other Biological Sciences?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 70.5% of Other Biological Sciences degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	3,253	70.5%
Men	1,359	29.5%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Other Biological Sciences graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	1,777	38.5%
Asian	632	13.7%
Hispanic or Latino	990	21.5%
Black or African American	469	10.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native	43	0.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	11	0.2%
Two or More Races	194	4.2%
Race Unknown	124	2.7%
International Students	372	8.1%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Other Biological Sciences Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Other Biological Sciences graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$39,648
4 years	$61,237
5 years	$71,149

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $71,149 — roughly 79% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Other Biological Sciences Programs

Distance learning is tracked by IPEDS for Other Biological Sciences. 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
Associate’s	1	1
Bachelor’s	3	2
Master’s	6	7

^{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 Other Biological Sciences Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Other Biological Sciences graduates earn a median of $61,237 four years after completion — roughly 61% 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
Neurobiology and Neurosciences	12,819
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
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.