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Neurosciences

Types of Degrees Neurosciences Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Neurosciences have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	10
Associate’s Degree	4
Bachelor’s Degree	10,180
Master’s Degree	598
Doctor’s Degree	765

What Neurosciences Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

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

• Biology — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Chemistry — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

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

Skills

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

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Neurosciences careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Neurosciences graduates report doing:

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

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Neurosciences professionals:

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

• Clinical Trials Manager
• Clinical Project Manager
• Research Coordinator
• Clinical Research Manager
• Clinical Research Coordinator
• Postdoctoral Research Fellow
• Postdoctoral Fellow
• Clinical Program Manager
• Clinical Study Manager
• Postdoctoral Researcher
• Oncology Clinical Research Coordinator
• Clinical Research Administrator
• Clinical Trial Coordinator
• Postdoctoral Associate
• Clinical Program Coordinator

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	35.0%
Master’s degree	19.1%
Post-doctoral training	17.7%
Doctoral degree	14.0%
Postsecondary certificate	3.5%
Some college courses	2.9%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	2.7%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.4%
High school diploma or equivalent	2.2%
Post-master’s certificate	0.5%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Neurosciences?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 69.3% of Neurosciences degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	8,008	69.3%
Men	3,549	30.7%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	5,499	47.6%
Asian	2,378	20.6%
Hispanic or Latino	1,405	12.2%
Black or African American	745	6.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native	16	0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	9	0.1%
Two or More Races	576	5.0%
Race Unknown	273	2.4%
International Students	656	5.7%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Neurosciences Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Neurosciences 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	$31,154
4 years	$54,347
5 years	$68,598

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $68,598 — roughly 120% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Neurosciences Programs

Fully online options is reported by IPEDS for Neurosciences. 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	2	4
Master’s	2	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 Neurosciences Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Neurosciences graduates earn a median of $54,347 four years after completion — roughly 43% 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
Neurobiology and Neurosciences	26.15
Neuroanatomy	26.1502
Neurobiology and Anatomy	26.1503
Neurobiology and Behavior	26.1504
Neurobiology and Neurosciences, Other	26.1599
Biology/Biological Sciences, General	26.0101
Cell/Cellular and Molecular Biology	26.0406
Computational Biology	26.1104
Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography	26.1302
Medical Microbiology and Bacteriology	26.0503
Microbiology and Immunology	26.0508
Molecular Biology	26.0204

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.