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Biological & Physical Sciences

Types of Degrees Biological & Physical Sciences Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Biological & Physical Sciences may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	40
Associate’s Degree	23,421
Bachelor’s Degree	2,352
Master’s Degree	2,126
Doctor’s Degree	94

What Biological & Physical Sciences Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Biological & Physical Sciences emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Administrative — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills built by a Biological & Physical Sciences program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Biological & Physical Sciences careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Biological & Physical Sciences graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.3 / 7
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.1 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.1 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.0 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.9 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Biological & Physical Sciences professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Google Meet	Video conferencing software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft SharePoint	Document management software	—
R	Object or component oriented development software	✓
IBM SPSS Statistics	Analytical or scientific software	—
StataCorp Stata	Analytical or scientific software	—
Microsoft Project	Project management software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Biological & Physical Sciences graduates include:

• Science Teacher
• Teacher
• Military Science Instructor
• Medical Secretary Teacher
• Flight Simulator Teacher
• College Instructor
• Braille Teacher
• Project Management Professor
• Humanities Teacher
• Foreign Student Adviser Teacher
• Urban Planning Teacher
• Associate Professor
• Interdisciplinary Professor
• Metal Crafts Teacher
• Flight Teacher

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	63.6%
Master’s degree	8.3%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	4.9%
Postsecondary certificate	4.4%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	3.6%
Some college courses	3.5%
Post-doctoral training	3.4%
Post-master’s certificate	3.4%
High school diploma or equivalent	2.7%
Doctoral degree	2.2%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Biological & Physical Sciences?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 62% of Biological & Physical Sciences degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	17,371	62.0%
Men	10,662	38.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Biological & Physical Sciences graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	8,809	31.4%
Asian	4,424	15.8%
Hispanic or Latino	10,568	37.7%
Black or African American	1,446	5.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native	60	0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	75	0.3%
Two or More Races	1,292	4.6%
Race Unknown	665	2.4%
International Students	694	2.5%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Biological & Physical Sciences Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Biological & Physical Sciences 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	$36,503
4 years	$45,280
5 years	$54,313

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $54,313 — roughly 49% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Biological & Physical Sciences Programs

Online study is tracked by IPEDS for Biological & Physical 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	13	11
Bachelor’s	3	6
Master’s	2	5

^{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 Biological & Physical Sciences Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Biological & Physical Sciences graduates earn a median of $45,280 four years after completion — roughly 19% 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
Biological and Physical Sciences	30.01
Anthrozoology	30.3401
Cognitive Science, General	30.2501
Cognitive Science, Other	30.2599
Computational Science	30.3001
Data Science, General	30.7001
Data Science, Other	30.7099
Earth Systems Science	30.3801
Environmental Geosciences	30.4101

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.