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Immunology

Types of Degrees Immunology Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Immunology can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	31
Master’s Degree	26
Doctor’s Degree	163

What Immunology Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Immunology emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Biology — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Chemistry — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Immunology program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 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 Immunology careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Immunology graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.4 / 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	4.2 / 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 Immunology professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
The MathWorks MATLAB	Analytical or scientific software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
R	Object or component oriented development 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 Immunology graduates include:

• Scientist
• Clinical Project Manager
• Research Coordinator
• Clinical Trials Manager
• Research Scientist
• Clinical Research Director
• Postdoctoral Associate
• Clinical Manager
• Clinical Research Manager
• Postdoctoral Fellow
• Clinical Program Coordinator
• Clinical Coordinator
• Clinical Program Manager
• Oncology Clinical Research Coordinator
• Clinical Research Nurse Coordinator

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	34.0%
Post-doctoral training	19.0%
Master’s degree	17.8%
Doctoral degree	15.6%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	3.3%
Postsecondary certificate	3.3%
Some college courses	2.6%
High school diploma or equivalent	2.0%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.4%
Post-master’s certificate	0.9%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Immunology?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 60.5% of Immunology degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	133	60.5%
Men	87	39.5%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	88	40.0%
Asian	52	23.6%
Hispanic or Latino	22	10.0%
Black or African American	4	1.8%
Two or More Races	8	3.6%
Race Unknown	5	2.3%
International Students	41	18.6%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Immunology Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Immunology 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	$39,180
4 years	$52,367
5 years	$65,002

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $65,002 — roughly 66% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Immunology Programs

Distance learning is tracked by IPEDS for Immunology. 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
Master’s	1	0

^{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 Immunology Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Immunology graduates earn a median of $52,367 four years after completion — roughly 38% 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
Microbiological Sciences and Immunology	26.05
Infectious Disease and Global Health	26.0509
Medical Microbiology and Bacteriology	26.0503
Microbiological Sciences and Immunology, Other	26.0599
Microbiology and Immunology	26.0508
Microbiology, General	26.0502
Mycology	26.0506
Parasitology	26.0505
Virology	26.0504
Anatomy	26.0403
Cell/Cellular and Molecular Biology	26.0406
Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences, Other	26.0499

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.