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Bioinformatics

Types of Degrees Bioinformatics Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Bioinformatics may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	1
Bachelor’s Degree	364
Master’s Degree	802
Doctor’s Degree	169

What Bioinformatics Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Bioinformatics emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Computers and Electronics — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills emphasized by a Bioinformatics program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

Abilities

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

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Bioinformatics graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Working with Computers	4.7 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Processing Information	4.3 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.0 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.0 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Bioinformatics professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Oracle Java	Object or component oriented development software	✓
Linux	Operating system software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Structured query language SQL	Data base user interface and query software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	✓
Amazon Web Services AWS software	Data base user interface and query software	✓
JavaScript	Web platform development software	✓
Microsoft Azure software	Development environment software	✓
Python	Object or component oriented development software	✓
Perl	Object or component oriented development software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Bioinformatics graduates include:

• Systems Engineer
• Security Engineer
• Cloud Engineer
• Network Engineer
• IT Architect (Information Technology Architect)
• Machine Learning Engineer
• Engineer
• Firmware Engineer
• Web Site Project Manager
• Data Analyst
• Business Consultant
• Security Analyst
• Network Security Engineer
• Security Architect
• Cybersecurity Hardware Engineer

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	50.4%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	13.5%
Postsecondary certificate	11.0%
Master’s degree	9.4%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	5.6%
Some college courses	4.7%
High school diploma or equivalent	2.0%
Post-master’s certificate	1.5%
Less than a high school diploma	0.8%
Doctoral degree	0.8%
Post-doctoral training	0.2%
First professional degree	0.1%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Bioinformatics?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 53.1% women and 46.9% men among Bioinformatics graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	710	53.1%
Men	626	46.9%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Bioinformatics graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	404	30.2%
Asian	277	20.7%
Hispanic or Latino	98	7.3%
Black or African American	60	4.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native	2	0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	0.1%
Two or More Races	45	3.4%
Race Unknown	54	4.0%
International Students	395	29.6%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Bioinformatics Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Bioinformatics 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	$82,809
4 years	$104,458
5 years	$123,442

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $123,442 — roughly 49% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Bioinformatics Programs

Distance learning are documented by IPEDS for Bioinformatics. 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	2
Master’s	5	6

^{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 Bioinformatics Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Bioinformatics graduates earn a median of $104,458 four years after completion — roughly 175% 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	CIP Code
Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology	26.11
Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology, Other	26.1199
Biometry/Biometrics	26.1101
Biostatistics	26.1102
Computational Biology	26.1104

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.