Zoology

Types of Degrees Zoology Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many zoology graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	298
Doctor’s Degree	187
Graduate Certificate	4

What Zoology Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, zoology majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Zoology Majors

Zoology 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.
• Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• 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.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Skills for Zoology Majors

When studying zoology, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• 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.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Abilities for Zoology Majors

As you progress with your zoology degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:

• 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.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

What Can You Do With a Zoology Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with zoology:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Biological Science Professors	15.1%	$82,550
Clinical Research Coordinators	9.9%	$123,860
Molecular and Cellular Biologists	8.0%	$79,590
Natural Sciences Managers	9.9%	$123,860
Water Resource Specialists	9.9%	$123,860
Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists	7.7%	$63,420

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Zoology?

The major attracts more women than men. About 61% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	11
Black or African American	5
Hispanic or Latino	26
White	213
International Students	24
Other Races/Ethnicities	19

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Zoology, too. About 8.1% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• China
• India
• Nepal
• Canada
• Brazil

How Much Do Zoology Majors Make?

Master’s Degree Starting Salary

The median early-career salary of zoology students with a master’s degree is $30,757 a year according to 2019-2020 data from the U.S. Department of Education. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $28,143 (25th percentile) and $33,372 (75th percentile).

It is possible that some of these people may have taken positions that were not related to zoology.

Salaries According to BLS

Zoology majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $67,760 to $97,340 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Zoology

Some degrees associated with zoology may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. 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 zoology careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	0.5%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	1.5%
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)	1.3%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	1.8%
Bachelor’s Degree	37.3%
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.	2.6%
Master’s Degree	22.7%
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.	1.0%
Doctoral Degree	18.2%
Post-Doctoral Training	13.1%

Online Zoology Programs

In 2020-2021, 118 schools offered a zoology program of some type. 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)	2	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	10	1
Bachelor’s Degree	3	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	81	3
Post-Master’s	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	75	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Zoology Worth It?

The median salary for a zoology grad is $83,600 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 110% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $874,000 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Zoology

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

Major	Number of Grads
General Biology	8,920
Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology	3,221
Physiology & Pathology Sciences	2,488
Biomathematics & Bioinformatics	2,290
Biochemistry, Biophysics & Molecular Biology	1,964
Biological & Biomedical Sciences (Other)	1,922
Biotechnology	1,567
Cell Biology & Anatomical Sciences	1,509
Microbiological Sciences & Immunology	1,244
Neurobiology & Neurosciences	1,241
Pharmacology & Toxicology	825
Genetics	717
Botany/Plant Biology	371
Molecular Medicine	83

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

More about our data sources and methodologies.