Alabama·Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations·SOC 19-1029

Best Biological Scientist, All Other programs in Alabama, ranked by enrollment

All biological scientists not listed.

24 schools in Alabama run programs that feed this job, graduating 1,732 people a year. The job pays a median of $87,260 in Alabama across about 340 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledBotanistBiologistScientistBioinformaticistMedical GeneticistResearch ScientistMolecular BiologistBioinformatics Scientist
Graduates / yr
1,732
in Alabama
Median pay · Alabama
$87,260
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
340
people employed
Schools
24
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
48%
across those schools
Median net price
$21,604
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Alabama that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.

Biological And Biomedical Sciences
CIP 26.01
Biology
1,162graduates / yr
24 schools · 1 specialization · 67.1% of pipeline
Grad earnings $32,152
Biological And Biomedical Sciences
CIP 26.15
Neurobiology and Neurosciences
148graduates / yr
4 schools · 2 specializations · 8.6% of pipeline
Grad earnings $31,687
Biological And Biomedical Sciences
CIP 26.13
Ecology
82graduates / yr
4 schools · 4 specializations · 4.7% of pipeline
Grad earnings $29,460
Biological And Biomedical Sciences
CIP 26.12
Biotechnology
81graduates / yr
3 schools · 1 specialization · 4.7% of pipeline
Grad earnings $49,023
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
CIP 30.19
Nutrition Sciences
73graduates / yr
2 schools · 1 specialization · 4.2% of pipeline
Grad earnings $30,508
Biological And Biomedical Sciences
CIP 26.08
Genetics
65graduates / yr
2 schools · 1 specialization · 3.8% of pipeline
Grad earnings $31,800
Biological And Biomedical Sciences
CIP 26.05
Microbiological Sciences and Immunology
48graduates / yr
1 schools · 2 specializations · 2.8% of pipeline
Grad earnings $38,383
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
CIP 30.32
Marine Sciences
19graduates / yr
1 schools · 1 specialization · 1.1% of pipeline
Grad earnings $27,337
Biological And Biomedical Sciences
CIP 26.09
Physiology
17graduates / yr
1 schools · 1 specialization · 1.0% of pipeline
Grad earnings $31,146
Biological And Biomedical Sciences
CIP 26.99
Biological and Biomedical Sciences
12graduates / yr
2 schools · 1 specialization · 0.7% of pipeline
Grad earnings $31,278
Biological And Biomedical Sciences
CIP 26.04
Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences
8graduates / yr
1 schools · 2 specializations · 0.5% of pipeline
Grad earnings $35,393
Biological And Biomedical Sciences
CIP 26.11
Biomathematics
8graduates / yr
1 schools · 2 specializations · 0.5% of pipeline
Grad earnings $72,338
Biological And Biomedical Sciences
CIP 26.02
Biochemistry
6graduates / yr
1 schools · 1 specialization · 0.3% of pipeline
Grad earnings $38,243
Psychology
CIP 42.27
Research and Experimental Psychology
3graduates / yr
1 schools · 1 specialization · 0.2% of pipeline
Grad earnings $34,454

21 programs in Alabama that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Alabama (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Alabama page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
CIP 26.0101In Alabama
1,162
67.1%
24$32,152$25,000
2
CIP 26.1501In Alabama
140
8.1%
4$31,687$22,936
3
CIP 26.1201In Alabama
81
4.7%
3$49,023$21,309
4
CIP 30.1901In Alabama
73
4.2%
2$30,508$24,586
5
CIP 26.0801In Alabama
65
3.8%
2$31,800$21,424
6
CIP 26.1302In Alabama
37
2.1%
4$29,460$23,480
7
CIP 26.0503In Alabama
33
1.9%
1$38,383$22,065
8
CIP 26.1307In Alabama
21
1.2%
1$29,460$23,480
9
CIP 30.3201In Alabama
19
1.1%
1$27,337$22,400
10
CIP 26.0910In Alabama
17
1.0%
1$31,146$23,384
11
CIP 26.0507In Alabama
15
0.9%
1$38,383$22,065
12
CIP 26.1304In Alabama
15
0.9%
1$29,460$23,480
13
CIP 26.9999In Alabama
12
0.7%
2$31,278$23,000
14
CIP 26.1305In Alabama
9
0.5%
1$29,460$23,480
15
CIP 26.1503In Alabama
8
0.5%
1$31,687$22,936
16
CIP 26.1104In Alabama
7
0.4%
1$72,338$18,500
17
CIP 26.0299In Alabama
6
0.3%
1$38,243$23,014
18
CIP 26.0401In Alabama
5
0.3%
1$35,393$19,961
19
CIP 26.0407In Alabama
3
0.2%
1$35,393$19,961
20
CIP 42.2706In Alabama
3
0.2%
1$34,454$21,878
21
CIP 26.1102In Alabama
1
0.1%
1$72,338$18,500

Top 24 schools in Alabama

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 13 of the 24 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham, AL Public · 11 feeder programs
415Biology/Biological Sciences, General$28,12764%88%
2The University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, AL Public · 3 feeder programs
275Biology/Biological Sciences, General$29,84873%77%
3Auburn University
Auburn, AL Public · 9 feeder programs
234Biology/Biological Sciences, General$22,13282%46%
4University of South Alabama
Mobile, AL Public · 3 feeder programs
109Biology/Biological Sciences, General$25,95053%71%
5University of Alabama in Huntsville
Huntsville, AL Public · 2 feeder programs
94Biology/Biological Sciences, General$36,77564%69%
6Jacksonville State University
Jacksonville, AL Public · 1 feeder programs
90Biology/Biological Sciences, General$33,23655%78%
7Alabama A & M University
Normal, AL Public · 1 feeder programs
69Biology/Biological Sciences, General$29,09824%58%
8Alabama State University
Montgomery, AL Public · 1 feeder programs
66Biology/Biological Sciences, General$30,17430%98%
9Troy University
Troy, AL Public · 3 feeder programs
56Biology/Biological Sciences, General$30,05750%96%
10University of North Alabama
Florence, AL Public · 1 feeder programs
52Biology/Biological Sciences, General$30,59355%87%
11Miles College
Fairfield, AL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
42Biology/Biological Sciences, General16%$16,735
12Tuskegee University
Tuskegee, AL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
34Biology/Biological Sciences, General$14,10255%$33,31349%
13University of West Alabama
Livingston, AL Public · 2 feeder programs
33Conservation Biology35%43%
14Auburn University at Montgomery
Montgomery, AL Public · 1 feeder programs
29Biology/Biological Sciences, General$31,38533%92%
15Samford University
Birmingham, AL Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
27Biology/Biological Sciences, General77%$28,16082%
16Oakwood University
Huntsville, AL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
21Biology/Biological Sciences, General45%$23,87045%
17Athens State University
Athens, AL Public · 1 feeder programs
20Biology/Biological Sciences, General$36,907
18Huntingdon College
Montgomery, AL Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs
20Biology/Biological Sciences, General48%$21,60469%
19Spring Hill College
Mobile, AL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
18Biology/Biological Sciences, General52%$14,11977%
20Stillman College
Tuscaloosa, AL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
11Biology/Biological Sciences, General25%$13,15162%
21University of Montevallo
Montevallo, AL Public · 1 feeder programs
9Biology/Biological Sciences, General54%54%
22Talladega College
Talladega, AL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
4Biology/Biological Sciences, General31%$15,80785%
23Faulkner University
Montgomery, AL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
3Biology/Biological Sciences, General37%$25,80173%
24University of Mobile
Mobile, AL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
1Biology/Biological Sciences, General57%$19,81778%

All 24 schools in Alabama

Every school in Alabama with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.

All schools in Alabama that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
University of Alabama at BirminghamBirminghamPublic41511
The University of AlabamaTuscaloosaPublic2753
Auburn UniversityAuburnPublic2349
University of South AlabamaMobilePublic1093
University of Alabama in HuntsvilleHuntsvillePublic942
Jacksonville State UniversityJacksonvillePublic901
Alabama A & M UniversityNormalPublic691
Alabama State UniversityMontgomeryPublic661
Troy UniversityTroyPublic563
University of North AlabamaFlorencePublic521
Miles CollegeFairfieldPrivate not-for-profit421
Tuskegee UniversityTuskegeePrivate not-for-profit341
University of West AlabamaLivingstonPublic332
Auburn University at MontgomeryMontgomeryPublic291
Samford UniversityBirminghamPrivate not-for-profit273

What biological scientists, all other earn in Alabama

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual in Alabama
$87,260
Mean annual
$90,010
Jobs in state
340
What the range looks like
10th pct$61,620Median$87,26090th pct$116,900
Versus the national median
-11.8%

U.S. median $98,920. Alabama pays below the national figure.

Job concentration
0.44×

1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.

Metro areas in Alabama

Birmingham, AL
$99,630median
80 jobs
Mobile, AL
$97,470median
50 jobs
Huntsville, AL
$82,990median
70 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+1.2%
Little or no change
Openings per year
4,800
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
800
63,700 → 64,500
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree

Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.

How to get in

The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Biological Scientists, All Other page.

How to become a Biological Scientist, All Other

Job zone 5 of 5 · SVP 8.0 and above
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree

Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).

Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.

Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.

Top skills

ScienceReading ComprehensionWritingCritical ThinkingActive ListeningSpeaking

The same job in other states

Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.

Related careers in Alabama

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 25 majors mapped to Biological Scientists, All Other24 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 26.0101Biology/Biological Sciences, General
  • 26.0204Molecular Biology
  • 26.0207Structural Biology
  • 26.0208Photobiology(no graduates reported)
  • 26.0209Radiation Biology/Radiobiology
  • 26.0210Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
  • 26.0299Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology, Other
  • 26.0301Botany/Plant Biology
  • 26.0305Plant Pathology/Phytopathology
  • 26.0307Plant Physiology
  • 26.0308Plant Molecular Biology
  • 26.0399Botany/Plant Biology, Other
  • 26.0401Cell/Cellular Biology and Histology
  • 26.0403Anatomy
  • 26.0404Developmental Biology and Embryology
  • 26.0406Cell/Cellular and Molecular Biology
  • 26.0407Cell Biology and Anatomy
  • 26.0499Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences, Other
  • 26.0503Medical Microbiology and Bacteriology
  • 26.0504Virology
  • 26.0505Parasitology
  • 26.0506Mycology
  • 26.0507Immunology
  • 26.0508Microbiology and Immunology
  • 26.0509Infectious Disease and Global Health

Common questions

Answers for people weighing biological scientists, all other programs in Alabama.

What degree do you need to become a Biological Scientist, All Other?+

Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Biology/Biological Sciences, General, which awarded 1,162 degrees in Alabama in 2024-25, 67.1% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Biological Scientist, All Other?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 21 programs to this occupation. The largest are Biology, Neurobiology and Neurosciences, Ecology, Biotechnology, plus 10 more. Together they graduate about 1,732 people a year in Alabama.

How much do biological scientists, all other earn in Alabama?+

The median is $87,260 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 11.8% below the U.S. median of $98,920. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Is demand for biological scientists, all other growing?+

BLS projects a +1.2% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, little or no change, with roughly 4,800 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career in Alabama?+

24 institutions in Alabama reported graduates from at least one of the 21 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

What other job titles do biological scientists, all other work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Botanist, Biologist, Scientist, Bioinformaticist, Medical Geneticist, Research Scientist among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 19-1029.

About the data on this page

Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).

  • BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics

    May 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.

  • IPEDS Completions

    2024-25 (provisional)

    Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.

  • College Scorecard, Field of Study

    2020-21 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.

    Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA

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