Biology Bachelor’s Career Outcomes and Demand
Biology maintained a large degree pipeline, broader-field earnings rose after completion, and bachelor’s-entry career demand varied.
Assess the biology bachelor’s pipeline against career outcomes and demand. Use IPEDS degree trends, College Scorecard field earnings, ACS and NSCG degree-to-job alignment, CIP–SOC links, BLS wages and projections, and observed AI use. Separate careers reachable with a bachelor’s degree from those typically requiring advanced education. Create one chart and state what the combined data can and cannot show.
Biology has a large degree pipeline and several career routes
“Biology bachelor’s” maps most closely to Biology/Biological Sciences, General.
IPEDS reported 70,491 bachelor’s degrees in 2014–15 and 76,178 in 2019–20.
Under the newer classification, awards reached 81,123 in 2021–22 and 77,624 in 2023–24.
IPEDS changed field classifications in 2020–21. Therefore, the full sequence is not one definition-constant trend.
Earnings rise after completion
College Scorecard reports median earnings of $27,489 one year after completion. The covered cohort included 62,861 students across 829 colleges.
Median earnings reached $59,075 four years after completion.
These figures cover a broader biology field. They are not outcomes for general-biology programs alone.
Bachelor’s-entry careers show varied demand
The career links show jobs that general biology can prepare students for. They do not track graduates’ actual destinations.
Biological technicians have 9,100 projected annual openings for 2024–34. Their May 2025 median wage is $57,510.
Forensic science technicians have 2,900 annual openings and 12.8% projected growth for 2024–34.
Natural sciences managers have the highest May 2025 median wage shown, at $167,220.
Advanced education opens different careers
Postsecondary biological science teachers typically need a doctoral or professional degree.
This career has 5,400 projected annual openings and 7.3% projected growth for 2024–34.
A biology bachelor’s can support entry into science work. It is not the usual final preparation for every research or faculty career.
AI use is not a demand forecast
Observed Claude use was 0.0599 for biological technicians. It was 0.2914 for postsecondary biological science teachers.
These values measure observed AI use. They do not predict automation, displacement, or future employment.
What the combined data can show
The sources show degree production, broader-field earnings, career connections, wages, and projected demand.
They distinguish bachelor’s-entry careers from careers that typically require advanced education.
They cannot show individual graduate destinations, employer shortages, program quality, or AI’s future employment effects.
Biology-linked careers: wages, growth, and annual openings, 2024–34
Bubble scatterplot of seven careers linked to general biology. Forensic science technicians have the fastest projected growth at 12.8%. Natural sciences managers have the highest May 2025 median wage at $167,220. Secondary school teachers have the largest bubble, representing 66,200 average annual openings. Six careers are bachelor’s-entry. Postsecondary biological science teaching typically requires a doctoral or professional degree. Structural links describe preparation, not graduate placement
| Occupation Title | May 2025 median wage | Projected employment growth, 2024–34 | Average annual openings, 2024–34 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biological Science Teachers, Postsecondary | $84,620 | 7.3% | 5,400 |
| Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | $72,040 | -1.6% | 66,200 |
| Biological Technicians | $57,510 | 3.5% | 9,100 |
| Natural Sciences Managers | $167,220 | 3.7% | 8,500 |
| Biological Scientists, All Other | $98,920 | 1.2% | 4,800 |
| Forensic Science Technicians | $72,060 | 12.8% | 2,900 |
| Life Scientists, All Other | $93,750 | 3.7% | 400 |