Biotechnology

Stem Major

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Total Degrees​
Awarded in 2023
3,836
declining 9.63%
Median In-State​
Public Tuition
$7,632
declining 0.418%
Median Out-of-State​
Private Tuition
$39,954
growing 5.14%
Average Wage
$125,220
growing 2.36%
People in Workforce
3.11M
growing 3.95%
Average Employee Age
41.1
declining 0.182%

About

In 2023, the locations with the highest concentration of Biotechnology degree recipients are Baltimore, MD, Boston, MA, and Lake Arbor, MD. In 2023, the locations with a relatively high number of Biotechnology degree recipients are Barranquitas, PR, Baltimore, MD, and Guayama, PR. The most common degree awarded to students studying Biotechnology is a masters degree.

Institutions

Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Biotechnology and the types of students that study this field. Gaston College awards the most degrees in Biotechnology in the US, having also the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Biotechnology, followed by Morehouse School of Medicine.

Tuition costs for Biotechnology majors are, on average, $7,632 for in-state public colleges, and $39,954 for out of state private colleges.

The most common sector, by number of institutions, that offers Biotechnology programs are Public, 4-year or above institutions (125 total). The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded, is Public, 4-year or above (1,617 completions).

Institutions

Institution with the Most Degrees Awarded in Biotechnology (2023)
  1. 531 degrees awarded
  2. 470 degrees awarded
  3. 181 degrees awarded

The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded in Biotechnology, is Public, 4-year or above (1,617 completions in 2023).

The following chart shows the share of universities that offer Biotechnology programs, by the total number of completions, colored and grouped by their sector.

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Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

$7,632
Median In-State Public
$39,954
Median Out of State Private

Gaston College has the most Biotechnology degree recipients, with 531 degrees awarded in 2023.

The following bar chart shows the state tuition for the top 5 institutions with the most degrees awarded in Biotechnology.

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Specialized Colleges

Out of all institutions that offer Biotechnology programs and have at least 5 graduates in those programs, Gaston College has the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Biotechnology, with 22%.

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Degrees Awarded by County

Counties with the Most Degrees Awarded in Biotechnology
  1. 531 degrees awarded
  2. 470 degrees awarded
  3. 187 degrees awarded

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest number of degrees awarded in Biotechnology by year.

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Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Biology graduates and on wages and locations for those in the field.

The average salary for Biology majors is $125,220 and the most common occupations are Physicians, Postsecondary teachers, and Other Physical Scientists.

The industry that employs the most Biology majors is General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals, though the highest paying industry, by average wage, is Offices of physicians.

Yearly Income for Common Jobs

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Biotechnology is from the 2 Digit Course Biology.
$125,220
Average Wage in Workforce
± $1,921
2.36%
1 Year Growth
± 2.15%

The average salary for Biology majors is $125,220 and the most common occupations are Physicians, Postsecondary teachers, and Other Physical Scientists.

This chart shows the average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Biology majors.

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Highest Paying Locations

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Biotechnology is from the 2 Digit Course Biology.

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States colored by the average salary of Biology majors.

Note that the census collects information tied to where people live, not where they work. It is possible that Biology majors live and work in the same place, but it is also possible that they live and work in two different places.

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Most Common

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Biotechnology is from the 2 Digit Course Biology.

The most common occupations for Biology majors, by number of employees, are Physicians, Postsecondary teachers, and Other Physical Scientists.

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Most Specialized

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Biotechnology is from the 2 Digit Course Biology.

Compared to other majors, there are an unusually high number of Biology majors working as Podiatrists, Biological scientists, and Optometrists.

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Highest Paid

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Biotechnology is from the 2 Digit Course Biology.

The highest paid occupations by median income for Biology majors are Surgeons, Physicians, and Chief executives & legislators.

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Occupations by Share

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Biotechnology is from the 2 Digit Course Biology.
3.11M
2023 Workforce
± 42,876
3.95%
1 Year Growth
± 1.89%

The number of Biology graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 3.95%, from 2.99M in 2022 to 3.11M in 2023.

The largest single share of Biology graduates go on to work as Physicians (13.9%). This chart shows the various jobs filled by those with a major in Biology by share of the total number of graduates.

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Most Common

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Biotechnology is from the 2 Digit Course Biology.
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Highest Paid

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Biotechnology is from the 2 Digit Course Biology.
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Industries by Share

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Biotechnology is from the 2 Digit Course Biology.
3.11M
2023 Workforce
± 42,876
3.95%
1 Year Growth
± 1.89%

The number of Biology graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 3.95%, from 2.99M in 2022 to 3.11M in 2023.

The industry which employs the most Biology graduates by share is General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals, followed by Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges. This visualization shows the industries that hire those who major in Biology.

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Specialty Locations

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Biotechnology is from the 2 Digit Course Biology.

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States where there are a relatively high population of Biology majors.

Note that the census collects information tied to where people live, not where they work. It is possible that Biology majors live and work in the same place, but it is also possible that they live and work in two different places.

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Diversity

Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Biology in the United States.

The average age of a person in the workforce with a degree in Biology is 41.1.

The most common degree type these workers hold is a Masters Degree. Female employees are more likely to hold Biology degrees, and White students are the most common race/ethnicty group awarded degrees in Biology (1,519 students).

Workforce Age

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Biotechnology is from the 2 Digit Course Biology.
41.1
Average Age in 2023
± 0.183 Years
0.182%
1 Year Change
± 0.639%

This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Biology. The most common ages of employees with this major are 30 and 29 years old, which represent 3.54% and 3.41% of the population, respectively.

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Degrees Awarded

The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Biotechnology are Masters Degree, Bachelors Degree, and Certificate of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years.

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Workforce Degrees

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Biotechnology is from the 2 Digit Course Biology.

The most common degree types held by the working population in Biology are Bachelors Degree, Professional degree, and Masters Degree.

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Sex Imbalance for Common Institutions

Female (65.1%)
Most Common Sex with a Degree in this Field

This chart shows the granted degrees by sex at the 5 institutions that graduate the most students in Biotechnology.

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Race & Ethnicity by Degrees Awarded

Most Common Race or Ethnicity
  1. White
    1,519 degrees awarded
  2. Non-resident Alien
    632 degrees awarded
  3. Hispanic or Latino
    556 degrees awarded

This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Biotechnology for each race & ethnicity. White students earned the largest share of the degrees with this major.

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Race & Ethnicity by Sex

Most Common Race/Ethnicity and Sex Combination
  1. Non-resident Alien Female
    350 degrees awarded
  2. White Female
    336 degrees awarded
  3. White Male
    247 degrees awarded

This chart illustrates the differences by sex for each race & ethnicity of Masters Degree recipients in Biotechnology.

Non-resident Alien Female students, who earn most of the degrees in this field, are the most common combination of race/ethnicity and sex.

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Global Diversity

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Biotechnology is from the 2 Digit Course Biology.
Most Common Countries of Origin
  1. India
    95,613 degree recipients
  2. China
    54,106 degree recipients
  3. Korea
    26,305 degree recipients
High Relative Number of Students
  1. Saudi Arabia
    3.24 times more than expected
  2. United Arab Emirates
    3.18 times more than expected
  3. Other Asia, not specified
    3.14 times more than expected

There are a relatively high number of people that were born in Saudi Arabia that hold Biology degrees (3.24 times more than expected), and the most common country of origin by total numbers for non-US students earning a degree in this field is India (95,613 degree recipients).

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Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Biotechnology field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Biotechnology majors need many skills, but most especially Reading Comprehension. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Biotechnology majors need more than the average amount of Management of Material Resources, Management of Financial Resources, and Science.

These two visualizations, one a radial chart and one a bar chart, show the same information, a rating of how necessary the following skills are for Biotechnology majors. Toggle between "value" and "RCA" to see the absolute rating of that skill (value) and the revealed comparative advantage (RCA), or how much greater or lesser that skill's rating is than the average. The longer the bar or the closer the line comes to the circumference of the circle, the more important that skill is. The importance of Management of Material Resources is very distinctive for majors, but the Reading Comprehension, Writing, and Critical Thinking are the three most important skills for people in the field.

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Bar Chart

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