Molecular Biology

Stem Major

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Total Degrees
Awarded in 2020

1,424

growing 8.21%

Median In-State
Public Tuition

$8,704

growing 3.02%

Median Out-of-State
Private Tuition

$47,044

growing 4.01%

Average Wage

$108,792

growing 0.626%

People in Workforce

2.84M

growing 4.1%

Average Employee Age

41.2

declining 0.766%

About

The locations with the highest concentration of Molecular Biology degree recipients are Ann Arbor, MI, Princeton, NJ, and Boston, MA. The locations with a relatively high number of Molecular Biology degree recipients are Goshen, IN, Princeton, NJ, and Hamilton, NY. The most common degree awarded to students studying Molecular Biology is a bachelors degree.

Biology Biochemistry, Biophysics, & Molecular Biology

Institutions

Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Molecular Biology and the types of students that study this field. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor awards the most degrees in Molecular Biology in the US, but Goshen College and Princeton University have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Molecular Biology.

Tuition costs for Molecular Biology majors are, on average, $8,704 for in-state public colleges, and $47,044 for out of state private colleges.

The most common sector, by number of institutions, that offers Molecular Biology programs are Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above institutions (56 total). The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded, is Public, 4-year or above (748 completions).

Institutions

Institution with the Most Degrees Awarded in Molecular Biology

The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded in Molecular Biology, is Public, 4-year or above (748 completions).

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

Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

$8,704

Median In-State Public

$47,044

Median Out of State Private

University of Michigan-Ann Arbor has the most Molecular Biology degree recipients, with 200 degrees awarded in 2020.

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

Specialized Colleges

Highest Concentration Institution

Goshen College
6.45%
Princeton University
4.71%
Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Bayamon
3.85%

Out of all institutions that offer Molecular Biology programs and have at least 5 graduates in those programs, Goshen College has the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Molecular Biology, with 6.45%.

Degrees Awarded by County

Counties with the Most Degrees Awarded in Molecular Biology

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

Growth in Awarded Degrees

Counties with the Fastest Growing Number of Degrees Awarded

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest growth in degrees awarded for Molecular Biology.

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 $108,792 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.

Wages

Yearly Income for Common Jobs

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

$108,792

Average Wage in Workforce

± $1,771

0.626%

1 Year Growth

± 2.32%

The average salary for Biology majors is $108,792 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.

Highest Paying Locations

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

Highest Paying Pumas

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.

Occupations

Most Common

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

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

Most Specialized

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

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

Highest Paid

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

The highest paid occupations by median income for Biology majors are Surgeons, Actuaries, and Physicians.

Occupations by Share

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

2.84M

2019 Workforce

± 40,983

4.1%

1 Year Growth

± 1.98%

The number of Biology graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 4.1%, from 2.73M in 2018 to 2.84M in 2019.

The largest single share of Biology graduates go on to work as Physicians (14.9%). This chart shows the various jobs filled by those with a major in Biology by share of the total number of graduates.

Industries

Most Common

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

The most common industries that employ Biology majors, by number of employees, are General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals, Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, and Offices of physicians.

Highest Paid

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

The highest paying industries of Biology majors, by average wage, are Offices of physicians, Sugar & confectionery products, and Offices of dentists.

Industries by Share

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

2.84M

2019 Workforce

± 40,983

4.1%

1 Year Growth

± 1.98%

The number of Biology graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 4.1%, from 2.73M in 2018 to 2.84M in 2019.

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.

Specialty Locations

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

PUMAS with a relatively high number of Biology majors

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

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 41.2.

The most common degree type these workers hold is a Bachelors Degree. Female employees are more likely to hold Biology degrees, and White students are the most common race/ethnicty group awarded degrees in Biology (719 students).

Workforce Age

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

41.2

Average Age in 2019

± 0.194 Years

0.766%

1 Year Change

± 0.675%

This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Biology. The most common ages of employees with this major are 29 and 30 years old, which represent 3.55% and 3.44% of the population, respectively.

Degrees Awarded

The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Molecular Biology are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Research Doctorate.

Workforce Degrees

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Molecular Biology 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.

Sex Imbalance for Common Institutions

Female (58.1%)

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 Molecular Biology.

Race & Ethnicity by Degrees Awarded

Most Common Race or Ethnicity

White
719 degrees awarded
Asian
236 degrees awarded
Hispanic or Latino
172 degrees awarded

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

Race & Ethnicity by Sex

Most Common Race/Ethnicity and Sex Combination

White Female
299 degrees awarded
White Male
239 degrees awarded
Asian Female
117 degrees awarded

This chart illustrates the differences by sex for each race & ethnicity of Bachelors Degree recipients in Molecular Biology. White Female students, who earn most of the degrees in this field, are the most common combination of race/ethnicity and sex.

Global Diversity

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

Most Common Countries of Origin

India
93,719 degree recipients
China
52,039 degree recipients
Korea
24,142 degree recipients

High Relative Number of Students

Other Europe, not specified
5.25 times more than expected
Other Asia, not specified
4.49 times more than expected
Zambia
4.41 times more than expected

There are a relatively high number of people that were born in Other Europe, not specified that hold Biology degrees (5.25 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 (93,719 degree recipients).

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Molecular Biology field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Molecular Biology majors need many skills, but most especially Reading Comprehension. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Molecular Biology majors need more than the average amount of Quality Control Analysis, Programming, 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 Molecular Biology 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 Quality Control Analysis is very distinctive for majors, but the Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, and Writing are the three most important skills for people in the field.