Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Types of Degrees Biological & Biomedical Sciences Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many biological and biomedical sciences graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	137,084
Master’s Degree	19,635
Associate Degree	9,221
Doctor’s Degree	7,594
Basic Certificate	2,227
Graduate Certificate	1,622
Undergraduate Certificate	395

What Biological & Biomedical Sciences Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to biological and biomedical sciences were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Biological & Biomedical Sciences Majors

Biological and Biomedical Sciences 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.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

Skills for Biological & Biomedical Sciences Majors

A major in biological and biomedical sciences 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 Biological & Biomedical Sciences Majors

As a biological and biomedical sciences major, you will find yourself needing the following abilities:

• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• 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 Biological & Biomedical Sciences Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with biological and biomedical sciences:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Biochemists and Biophysicists	11.4%	$93,280
Bioinformatics Scientists	8.0%	$79,590
Biological Science Professors	15.1%	$82,550
Biological Scientists	8.0%	$79,590
Biostatisticians	33.9%	$87,780
Clinical Data Managers	33.9%	$87,780
Clinical Research Coordinators	9.9%	$123,860
Computer and Information Research Scientists	19.0%	$118,370
Data Warehousing Specialists	9.3%	$90,270
Database Architects	9.3%	$90,270
Epidemiologists	8.2%	$69,660
Exercise Physiologists	13.2%	$49,270
Geneticists	8.0%	$79,590
Health Specialties Professors	25.9%	$97,370
Life Scientists	9.0%	$78,190
Mathematical Science Occupations	9.1%	NA
Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists	13.4%	$84,810
Microbiologists	8.2%	$71,650
Molecular and Cellular Biologists	8.0%	$79,590
Natural Sciences Managers	9.9%	$123,860
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	7.5%	$60,320
Software Developers, Applications	30.7%	$103,620
Statisticians	33.9%	$87,780
Water Resource Specialists	9.9%	$123,860
Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists	7.7%	$63,420

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Biological & Biomedical Sciences?

This major is dominated by women with about 66% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of biological and biomedical sciences majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	19,741
Black or African American	11,161
Hispanic or Latino	22,219
White	69,309
International Students	4,579
Other Races/Ethnicities	10,075

Geographic Diversity

Biological & Biomedical Sciences appeals to people across the globe. About 3.3% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Biological & Biomedical Sciences Majors Make?

Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary

The median starting salary of students who graduated in 2017-2019 with a bachelor’s degree in biological and biomedical sciences was $27,868 per year. These stats come from the U.S. Department of Education. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $24,183 (25th percentile) and $31,556 (75th percentile).

It’s important to note that just because the people reporting these salaries have a degree in biological and biomedical sciences, it does not mean that they are working in a job related to their degree.

Salaries According to BLS

Biological and Biomedical Sciences majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $75,690 to $105,940 (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 Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Some careers associated with biological and biomedical sciences require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

Find out what the typical degree level is for biological and biomedical sciences careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	0.2%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	0.7%
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)	0.8%
Some College Courses	0.4%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	1.6%
Bachelor’s Degree	35.9%
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.	3.7%
Master’s Degree	25.1%
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.	1.1%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	0.2%
Doctoral Degree	16.7%
Post-Doctoral Training	13.9%

Online Biological & Biomedical Sciences Programs

In 2020-2021, 1,891 schools offered a biological and biomedical sciences 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)	52	3
Certificate (2-4 Years)	4	0
Associate’s Degree	494	23
Bachelor’s Degree	243	35
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	2,270	55
Post-Master’s	74	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	1,818	4
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	12	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Biological & Biomedical Sciences Worth It?

The median salary for a biological and biomedical sciences grad is $92,600 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 132% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $1,054,000 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Biological & Biomedical Sciences

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to biological and biomedical sciences.

Major	Number of Grads
Computer & Information Sciences	254,454
Engineering	198,468
Engineering Technologies	85,188
Mathematics & Statistics	52,396
Physical Sciences	50,306
Agriculture & Agriculture Operations	49,899
Natural Resources & Conservation	30,503
Architecture & Related Services	17,325
Communications Technologies & Support	14,826
Science Technologies / Technicians	6,451

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 Kelly White under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.