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General Physiology

Types of Degrees General Physiology Majors Are Earning

Those studying General Physiology may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	76
Bachelor’s Degree	1,829
Master’s Degree	781
Doctor’s Degree	130

What General Physiology Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in General Physiology emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Biology — Importance 4.9 / 5; level 6.6 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• Chemistry — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills developed in a General Physiology program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Science — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Active Learning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Abilities

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

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.4 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.

Common Job Activities

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

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.6 / 7
Working with Computers	4.5 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.4 / 7
Processing Information	4.4 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.4 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.3 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.3 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by General Physiology professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
National Instruments LabVIEW	Development environment software	—
Spreadsheet software	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Statistical software	Analytical or scientific software	—
The MathWorks MATLAB	Analytical or scientific software	—
SAS	Analytical or scientific software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
IBM SPSS Statistics	Analytical or scientific software	—
Blackboard Learn	Computer based training software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for General Physiology graduates include:

• Helminthology Teacher
• Mammalogy Teacher
• Arboriculture Teacher
• Embryology Teacher
• Zoology Teacher
• Human Anatomy Teacher
• Biology Instructor
• Ornithology Teacher
• Microbiology Instructor
• Biological Sciences Instructor
• Associate Professor
• Taxonomy Teacher
• Anatomy Professor
• Cytology Teacher
• Professor

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	44.6%
Post-doctoral training	34.2%
Master’s degree	15.7%
Bachelor’s degree	2.6%
Post-master’s certificate	2.1%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	0.9%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in General Physiology?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 67.8% of General Physiology degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	1,910	67.8%
Men	906	32.2%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	1,349	47.9%
Asian	567	20.1%
Hispanic or Latino	404	14.3%
Black or African American	154	5.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native	11	0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	6	0.2%
Two or More Races	156	5.5%
Race Unknown	55	2.0%
International Students	114	4.0%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do General Physiology Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of General Physiology graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$32,024
4 years	$53,598
5 years	$65,802

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $65,802 — roughly 105% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online General Physiology Programs

Distance learning are documented by IPEDS for General Physiology. 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	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 Physiology Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, General Physiology graduates earn a median of $53,598 four years after completion — roughly 41% 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
Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences	26.09
Aerospace Physiology and Medicine	26.0912
Biomechanics	26.0913
Cardiovascular Science	26.0907
Cell Physiology	26.0903
Endocrinology	26.0904
Exercise Physiology and Kinesiology	26.0908
Molecular Physiology	26.0902
Oncology and Cancer Biology	26.0911
Pathology/Experimental Pathology	26.0910
Physiology, Pathology, and Related Sciences, Other	26.0999
Reproductive Biology	26.0905

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.