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Pharmacology & Toxicology

Types of Degrees Pharmacology & Toxicology Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Pharmacology & Toxicology may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	220
Master’s Degree	540
Doctor’s Degree	384

What Pharmacology & Toxicology Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Pharmacology & Toxicology emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

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

Skills

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

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Pharmacology & Toxicology careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Pharmacology & Toxicology graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.4 / 7
Working with Computers	4.4 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.2 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.1 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.1 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Pharmacology & Toxicology professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
SAS	Analytical or scientific software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
IBM SPSS Statistics	Analytical or scientific software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Geographic information system GIS software	Geographic information system	—
Desire2Learn LMS software	Computer based training software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Pharmacology & Toxicology graduates include:

• Professor
• Instructor
• College Faculty Member
• Adjunct Instructor
• College Professor
• University Faculty Member
• Lecturer
• Assistant Professor
• Faculty Member
• Associate Professor
• Optometry Teacher
• Hygiene Teacher
• Therapy Teacher
• Nutrition Educator
• Veterinary Medicine Teacher

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	32.2%
Doctoral degree	21.6%
Bachelor’s degree	19.0%
Post-doctoral training	17.6%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	3.8%
Postsecondary certificate	2.7%
High school diploma or equivalent	0.9%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.8%
Some college courses	0.7%
Post-master’s certificate	0.5%
First professional degree	0.1%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Pharmacology & Toxicology?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 65.5% of Pharmacology & Toxicology degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	749	65.5%
Men	395	34.5%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	440	38.5%
Asian	138	12.1%
Hispanic or Latino	122	10.7%
Black or African American	81	7.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native	2	0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	2	0.2%
Two or More Races	49	4.3%
Race Unknown	39	3.4%
International Students	271	23.7%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Pharmacology & Toxicology Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Pharmacology & Toxicology graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$58,787
4 years	$74,178
5 years	$91,829

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $91,829 — roughly 56% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Pharmacology & Toxicology Programs

Online study are documented by IPEDS for Pharmacology & Toxicology. 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	1	1
Master’s	1	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 Pharmacology & Toxicology Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Pharmacology & Toxicology graduates earn a median of $74,178 four years after completion — roughly 95% 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
Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other	4,612
Biotechnology	3,869
Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology	3,638
Zoology/Animal Biology	3,408

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.