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General Biology

Types of Degrees General Biology Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing General Biology may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	140
Associate’s Degree	7,983
Bachelor’s Degree	83,045
Master’s Degree	8,526
Doctor’s Degree	1,891

What General Biology Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in General Biology emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Mathematics — 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 built by a General Biology program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Abilities

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

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, General Biology graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.2 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7
Processing Information	4.0 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.0 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by General Biology professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite 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	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
The MathWorks MATLAB	Analytical or scientific software	✓
IBM SPSS Statistics	Analytical or scientific software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for General Biology graduates include:

• Biology Teacher
• Clinical Project Manager
• Research Coordinator
• Clinical Trials Manager
• Seed Analyst
• Dairy Technologist
• Biotechnician
• Research Scientist
• Scientist
• Theater Teacher
• Music Instructor
• History Teacher
• After School Teacher
• Sewing Teacher
• Singing Teacher

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	38.4%
Master’s degree	15.0%
Post-doctoral training	13.1%
Doctoral degree	12.9%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	5.1%
High school diploma or equivalent	4.3%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	3.8%
Postsecondary certificate	3.0%
Some college courses	2.5%
Post-master’s certificate	1.8%
Less than a high school diploma	0.2%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in General Biology?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 68.3% of General Biology degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	69,345	68.3%
Men	32,240	31.7%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	46,866	46.1%
Asian	14,094	13.9%
Hispanic or Latino	19,724	19.4%
Black or African American	9,659	9.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native	349	0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	160	0.2%
Two or More Races	4,590	4.5%
Race Unknown	2,297	2.3%
International Students	3,846	3.8%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do General Biology Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of General Biology 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	$32,888
4 years	$49,148
5 years	$62,034

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $62,034 — roughly 89% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online General Biology Programs

Distance learning is reported by IPEDS for General Biology. 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
Associate’s	26	21
Bachelor’s	25	40
Master’s	19	36
Doctoral (Research)	1	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 General Biology Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, General Biology graduates earn a median of $49,148 four years after completion — roughly 29% 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
Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology	26.11
Biotechnology	26.12
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.