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Biotechnology

Types of Degrees Biotechnology Majors Are Earning

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

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	40
Associate’s Degree	138
Bachelor’s Degree	1,002
Master’s Degree	2,666
Doctor’s Degree	23

What Biotechnology Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Biotechnology 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 developed in a Biotechnology 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

Innate abilities most relevant to Biotechnology 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, Biotechnology 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 Biotechnology professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation 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 Biotechnology graduates include:

• Research Coordinator
• Clinical Project Manager
• Clinical Trials Manager
• Clinical Research Monitor
• Clinical Study Manager
• Postdoctoral Associate
• Oncology Clinical Research Coordinator
• Clinical Research Coordinator
• Clinical Research Director
• Clinical Trial Manager
• Postdoctoral Researcher
• Clinical Manager
• Clinical Program Manager
• Clinical Data Coordinator
• Clinical Trial Coordinator

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Biotechnology 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 Biotechnology?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 65.2% of Biotechnology degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	2,524	65.2%
Men	1,345	34.8%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	1,383	35.7%
Asian	497	12.8%
Hispanic or Latino	483	12.5%
Black or African American	339	8.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	15	0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	2	0.1%
Two or More Races	156	4.0%
Race Unknown	200	5.2%
International Students	794	20.5%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Biotechnology Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Biotechnology 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	$70,910
4 years	$79,108
5 years	$94,080

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $94,080 — roughly 33% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Biotechnology Programs

Online study is tracked by IPEDS for Biotechnology. 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	4
Master’s	9	4

^{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 Biotechnology Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Biotechnology graduates earn a median of $79,108 four years after completion — roughly 108% 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
Biological Biomedical Sciences	26
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology	26.02
Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other	26.99
BIOLOGICAL AND BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES	26.00
Biology, General	26.01
Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology	26.11
Botany/Plant Biology	26.03
Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences	26.04
Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology	26.13
Genetics	26.08
Microbiological Sciences and Immunology	26.05
Molecular Medicine	26.14

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.