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General Biomedical Sciences

Types of Degrees General Biomedical Sciences Majors Are Earning

People majoring in General Biomedical Sciences have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	111
Associate’s Degree	98
Bachelor’s Degree	6,493
Master’s Degree	4,252
Doctor’s Degree	804

What General Biomedical Sciences Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in General Biomedical Sciences emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Biology — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 6.3 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Chemistry — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills built by a General Biomedical Sciences program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Science — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to General Biomedical Sciences careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, General Biomedical Sciences graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Processing Information	4.5 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.4 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.4 / 7
Working with Computers	4.4 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.3 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by General Biomedical Sciences professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Statistical software	Analytical or scientific software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
SAS	Analytical or scientific software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Geographic information system GIS software	Geographic information system	—
IBM SPSS Statistics	Analytical or scientific software	—
National Instruments LabVIEW	Development environment software	—
Spreadsheet software	Spreadsheet software	—
The MathWorks MATLAB	Analytical or scientific software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for General Biomedical Sciences graduates include:

• Research Specialist
• Protozoology Teacher
• Embryology Teacher
• Biology Assistant Professor
• College Faculty Member
• Adjunct Biology Professor
• Genetics Teacher
• Arboriculture Teacher
• College Professor
• Adjunct Biology Instructor
• Plant Physiology Teacher
• Physiology Instructor
• Morphology Teacher
• Science Professor
• Microbiology Professor

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	30.1%
Post-doctoral training	22.7%
Master’s degree	20.4%
Bachelor’s degree	18.6%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	4.9%
Post-master’s certificate	1.4%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	0.6%
High school diploma or equivalent	0.5%
Some college courses	0.5%
Postsecondary certificate	0.3%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in General Biomedical Sciences?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 67.4% of General Biomedical Sciences degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	7,925	67.4%
Men	3,833	32.6%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	5,155	43.8%
Asian	1,721	14.6%
Hispanic or Latino	2,165	18.4%
Black or African American	1,021	8.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native	37	0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	9	0.1%
Two or More Races	529	4.5%
Race Unknown	266	2.3%
International Students	855	7.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do General Biomedical Sciences Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of General Biomedical Sciences 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 Biomedical Sciences Programs

Distance learning are documented by IPEDS for General Biomedical Sciences. 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	3	0
Bachelor’s	3	5
Master’s	6	14
Doctoral (Research)	1	2

^{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 Biomedical Sciences Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, General Biomedical Sciences 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
Biology, General	26.01
Biology/Biological Sciences, General	26.0101
Biochemistry	26.0202
Cell/Cellular and Molecular Biology	26.0406
Medical Microbiology and Bacteriology	26.0503
Microbiology and Immunology	26.0508
Molecular Biology	26.0204
Aerospace Physiology and Medicine	26.0912
Anatomy	26.0403
Aquatic Biology/Limnology	26.1304
Biomechanics	26.0913
Biophysics	26.0203

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.