Zoology

Types of Degrees Zoology Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many zoology graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	2,630
Master’s Degree	329
Doctor’s Degree	221
Associate Degree	41
Graduate Certificate	13
Basic Certificate	10
Undergraduate Certificate	2

What Zoology Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to zoology and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Zoology Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Skills for Zoology Majors

When studying zoology, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Abilities for Zoology Majors

A major in zoology will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:

• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

What Can You Do With a Zoology Major?

People with a zoology degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Biological Science Professors	15.1%	$82,550
Clinical Research Coordinators	9.9%	$123,860
Molecular and Cellular Biologists	8.0%	$79,590
Natural Sciences Managers	9.9%	$123,860
Water Resource Specialists	9.9%	$123,860
Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists	7.7%	$63,420

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Zoology?

This is a less frequently chosen undergraduate major. Only 2,450 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in zoology in 2021, making it rank #126 in popularity. The major attracts more women than men. About 70% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of zoology majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	156
Black or African American	67
Hispanic or Latino	308
White	1,877
International Students	33
Other Races/Ethnicities	189

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Zoology. About 1.3% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Zoology

Some degrees associated with zoology may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

Find out what the typical degree level is for zoology careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	0.5%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	1.5%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	1.3%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	1.8%
Bachelor’s Degree	37.3%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	2.6%
Master’s Degree	22.7%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	1.0%
Doctoral Degree	18.2%
Post-Doctoral Training	13.1%

Online Zoology Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	3	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	10	1
Bachelor’s Degree	4	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	76	4
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	72	1
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Zoology

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to zoology.

Major	Number of Grads
General Biology	103,883
Biochemistry, Biophysics & Molecular Biology	14,354
Neurobiology & Neurosciences	12,903
Physiology & Pathology Sciences	10,453
Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology	9,123
Cell Biology & Anatomical Sciences	6,274
Microbiological Sciences & Immunology	4,815
Biological & Biomedical Sciences (Other)	4,637
Biotechnology	3,836
Biomathematics & Bioinformatics	3,505
Genetics	1,703
Pharmacology & Toxicology	1,179
Botany/Plant Biology	743
Molecular Medicine	130

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020

More about our data sources and methodologies.