Best Medical Scientist programs in Alabama, ranked by enrollment
Conduct research dealing with the understanding of human diseases and the improvement of human health.
9 schools in Alabama run programs that feed this job, graduating 1,402 people a year. The job pays a median of $68,490 in Alabama across about — jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
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.
20 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.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 26.0102In Alabama → | 743 | 53.0% | 6 | $32,152 | $25,000 |
| 2 | CIP 26.0908In Alabama → | 418 | 29.8% | 4 | $31,146 | $23,384 |
| 3 | CIP 51.2010In Alabama → | 87 | 6.2% | 1 | $48,728 | $23,761 |
| 4 | CIP 26.0503In Alabama → | 33 | 2.4% | 1 | $38,383 | $22,065 |
| 5 | CIP 26.0911In Alabama → | 19 | 1.4% | 1 | $31,146 | $23,384 |
| 6 | CIP 26.0910In Alabama → | 17 | 1.2% | 1 | $31,146 | $23,384 |
| 7 | CIP 26.0507In Alabama → | 15 | 1.1% | 1 | $38,383 | $22,065 |
| 8 | CIP 26.0806In Alabama → | 14 | 1.0% | 1 | $31,800 | $21,424 |
| 9 | CIP 26.0202In Alabama → | 11 | 0.8% | 4 | $38,243 | $23,014 |
| 10 | CIP 26.0909In Alabama → | 8 | 0.6% | 1 | $31,146 | $23,384 |
| 11 | CIP 26.1503In Alabama → | 8 | 0.6% | 1 | $31,687 | $22,936 |
| 12 | CIP 26.0401In Alabama → | 5 | 0.4% | 1 | $35,393 | $19,961 |
| 13 | CIP 26.0205In Alabama → | 4 | 0.3% | 1 | $38,243 | $23,014 |
| 14 | CIP 51.2003In Alabama → | 4 | 0.3% | 1 | $48,728 | $23,761 |
| 15 | CIP 51.2202In Alabama → | 4 | 0.3% | 1 | $36,762 | $25,076 |
| 16 | CIP 26.0407In Alabama → | 3 | 0.2% | 1 | $35,393 | $19,961 |
| 17 | CIP 26.1309In Alabama → | 3 | 0.2% | 1 | $29,460 | $23,480 |
| 18 | CIP 30.1101In Alabama → | 3 | 0.2% | 1 | $37,623 | $25,986 |
| 19 | CIP 26.0902In Alabama → | 2 | 0.1% | 1 | $31,146 | $23,384 |
| 20 | CIP 26.1102In Alabama → | 1 | 0.1% | 1 | $72,338 | $18,500 |
Top 9 schools in Alabama
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 3 of the 9 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auburn University Auburn, AL Public · 4 feeder programs | 697 | Biomedical Sciences, General | $22,132 | 82% | — | 46% |
| 2 | University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, AL Public · 14 feeder programs | 375 | Biomedical Sciences, General | $28,127 | 64% | — | 88% |
| 3 | University of South Alabama Mobile, AL Public · 3 feeder programs | 191 | Exercise Physiology and Kinesiology | — | 53% | — | 71% |
| 4 | Samford University Birmingham, AL Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 92 | Pharmaceutical Sciences | — | 77% | $28,160 | 82% |
| 5 | Oakwood University Huntsville, AL Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 21 | Biomedical Sciences, General | — | 45% | $23,870 | 45% |
| 6 | Troy University Troy, AL Public · 2 feeder programs | 16 | Exercise Physiology and Kinesiology | — | 50% | — | 96% |
| 7 | Huntingdon College Montgomery, AL Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 4 | Cell Biology and Anatomy | — | 48% | $21,604 | 69% |
| 8 | Tuskegee University Tuskegee, AL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Biomedical Sciences, General | $14,102 | 55% | $33,313 | 49% |
| 9 | Spring Hill College Mobile, AL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Biochemistry | — | 52% | $14,119 | 77% |
All 9 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.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auburn University | Auburn | Public | 697 | 4 |
| University of Alabama at Birmingham | Birmingham | Public | 375 | 14 |
| University of South Alabama | Mobile | Public | 191 | 3 |
| Samford University | Birmingham | Private not-for-profit | 92 | 2 |
| Oakwood University | Huntsville | Private not-for-profit | 21 | 2 |
| Troy University | Troy | Public | 16 | 2 |
| Huntingdon College | Montgomery | Private not-for-profit | 4 | 2 |
| Tuskegee University | Tuskegee | Private not-for-profit | 4 | 1 |
| Spring Hill College | Mobile | Private not-for-profit | 2 | 1 |
What medical scientists earn in Alabama
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $103,410. Alabama pays below the national figure.
Metro areas in Alabama
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
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 Medical Scientists page.
How to become a Medical Scientist
Job zone 5 of 5 · SVP 8.0 and above- Typical entry education
- Doctoral or professional 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
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 Medical Scientists25 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 26.0102Biomedical Sciences, General
- 26.0202Biochemistry
- 26.0203Biophysics
- 26.0204Molecular Biology
- 26.0205Molecular Biochemistry
- 26.0401Cell/Cellular Biology and Histology
- 26.0403Anatomy
- 26.0404Developmental Biology and Embryology
- 26.0406Cell/Cellular and Molecular Biology
- 26.0407Cell Biology and Anatomy
- 26.0503Medical Microbiology and Bacteriology
- 26.0504Virology
- 26.0505Parasitology
- 26.0507Immunology
- 26.0508Microbiology and Immunology
- 26.0509Infectious Disease and Global Health
- 26.0806Human/Medical Genetics
- 26.0901Physiology, General
- 26.0902Molecular Physiology
- 26.0903Cell Physiology
- 26.0904Endocrinology
- 26.0905Reproductive Biology
- 26.0907Cardiovascular Science
- 26.0908Exercise Physiology and Kinesiology
- 26.0909Vision Science/Physiological Optics
Common questions
Answers for people weighing medical scientists programs in Alabama.
What degree do you need to become a Medical Scientist?+
Doctoral or professional degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Biomedical Sciences, General, which awarded 743 degrees in Alabama in 2024-25, 53.0% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Medical Scientist?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 20 programs to this occupation. The largest are Biology, Physiology, Pharmacy, Microbiological Sciences and Immunology, plus 8 more. Together they graduate about 1,402 people a year in Alabama.
How much do medical scientists earn in Alabama?+
The median is $68,490 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 33.8% below the U.S. median of $103,410. 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 medical scientists growing?+
BLS projects a +8.7% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, much faster than average, with roughly 9,600 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Alabama?+
9 institutions in Alabama reported graduates from at least one of the 20 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 medical scientists work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Scientist, Study Director, Research Scientist, Clinical Research Scientist among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 19-1042.
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 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected 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 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, 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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