Best Zoologist programs in California, ranked by enrollment
Study the origins, behavior, diseases, genetics, and life processes of animals and wildlife. May specialize in wildlife research and management.
20 schools in California run programs that feed this job, graduating 1,051 people a year. The job pays a median of $98,530 in California across about 2,210 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in California that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
10 programs in California that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in California (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 California page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 26.1302In California → | 353 | 33.6% | 8 | $29,460 | $23,480 |
| 2 | CIP 30.3201In California → | 211 | 20.1% | 7 | $27,337 | $22,400 |
| 3 | Zoology/Animal Biologymain feeder CIP 26.0701In California → | 171 | 16.3% | 4 | $28,266 | $24,393 |
| 4 | CIP 03.0601In California → | 150 | 14.3% | 2 | $28,750 | $24,798 |
| 5 | CIP 26.1301In California → | 72 | 6.9% | 4 | $29,460 | $23,480 |
| 6 | Entomologymain feeder CIP 26.0702In California → | 40 | 3.8% | 2 | $28,266 | $24,393 |
| 7 | CIP 26.1303In California → | 21 | 2.0% | 5 | $29,460 | $23,480 |
| 8 | CIP 26.1305In California → | 20 | 1.9% | 2 | $29,460 | $23,480 |
| 9 | Animal Behavior and Ethologymain feeder CIP 26.0708In California → | 9 | 0.9% | 1 | $28,266 | $24,393 |
| 10 | Animal Physiologymain feeder CIP 26.0707In California → | 4 | 0.4% | 1 | $28,266 | $24,393 |
Top 20 schools in California
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 8 of the 20 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of California - Davis Davis, CA Public · 6 feeder programs | 256 | Zoology/Animal Biology | — | 86% | — | 42% |
| 2 | University of California - San Diego La Jolla, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 171 | Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography | $31,088 | 86% | — | 27% |
| 3 | California State Polytechnic University - Humboldt Arcata, CA Public · 3 feeder programs | 119 | Wildlife, Fish and Wildlands Science and Management | $26,325 | 49% | — | 98% |
| 4 | California State University - Monterey Bay Seaside, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 115 | Marine Sciences | $27,268 | 59% | — | 97% |
| 5 | University of California - Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 95 | Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography | $25,810 | 75% | — | 66% |
| 6 | California State University - Long Beach Long Beach, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 67 | Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography | $35,436 | 69% | — | 46% |
| 7 | University of California - Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA Public · 3 feeder programs | 45 | Zoology/Animal Biology | $37,633 | 83% | — | 33% |
| 8 | University of California - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 41 | Ecology | $18,728 | 93% | — | 9% |
| 9 | University of California - Riverside Riverside, CA Public · 3 feeder programs | 32 | Entomology | — | 76% | — | 76% |
| 10 | California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 27 | Marine Sciences | $27,337 | 86% | — | 31% |
| 11 | California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Pomona, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 19 | Environmental Biology | — | 68% | — | 75% |
| 12 | San Jose State University San Jose, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 14 | Marine Sciences | — | 69% | — | 85% |
| 13 | University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 12 | Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography | — | 92% | $26,873 | 10% |
| 14 | San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 10 | Marine Sciences | — | 50% | — | 96% |
| 15 | Norco College Norco, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 9 | Evolutionary Biology | — | 42% | — | — |
| 16 | San Diego State University San Diego, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 8 | Evolutionary Biology | — | 76% | — | 36% |
| 17 | Cerritos College Norwalk, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Zoology/Animal Biology | — | 31% | — | — |
| 18 | The Master's University and Seminary Santa Clarita, CA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Animal Physiology | — | 68% | $30,641 | 84% |
| 19 | College of Marin Kentfield, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Evolutionary Biology | — | 39% | — | — |
| 20 | Mount Saint Mary's University Los Angeles, CA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Environmental Biology | — | 53% | $25,892 | 73% |
All 20 schools in California
Every school in California 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of California - Davis | Davis | Public | 256 | 6 |
| University of California - San Diego | La Jolla | Public | 171 | 1 |
| California State Polytechnic University - Humboldt | Arcata | Public | 119 | 3 |
| California State University - Monterey Bay | Seaside | Public | 115 | 1 |
| University of California - Santa Cruz | Santa Cruz | Public | 95 | 2 |
| California State University - Long Beach | Long Beach | Public | 67 | 1 |
| University of California - Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara | Public | 45 | 3 |
| University of California - Los Angeles | Los Angeles | Public | 41 | 2 |
| University of California - Riverside | Riverside | Public | 32 | 3 |
| California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo | San Luis Obispo | Public | 27 | 1 |
| California State Polytechnic University - Pomona | Pomona | Public | 19 | 1 |
| San Jose State University | San Jose | Public | 14 | 2 |
| University of Southern California | Los Angeles | Private not-for-profit | 12 | 2 |
| San Francisco State University | San Francisco | Public | 10 | 1 |
| Norco College | Norco | Public | 9 | 1 |
What zoologists and wildlife biologists earn in California
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $76,780. California pays above the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in California
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 Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists page.
How to become a Zoologist
Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational 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 California
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 12 majors mapped to Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists12 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 03.0601Wildlife, Fish and Wildlands Science and Management
- 26.0701Zoology/Animal Biology
- 26.0702Entomology
- 26.0707Animal Physiology
- 26.0708Animal Behavior and Ethology
- 26.0709Wildlife Biology
- 26.0799Zoology/Animal Biology, Other
- 26.1301Ecology
- 26.1302Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography
- 26.1303Evolutionary Biology
- 26.1305Environmental Biology
- 30.3201Marine Sciences
Common questions
Answers for people weighing zoologists and wildlife biologists programs in California.
What degree do you need to become a Zoologist?+
Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography, which awarded 353 degrees in California in 2024-25, 33.6% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Zoologist?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 10 programs to this occupation. The largest are Ecology, Zoology/Animal Biology, Marine Sciences, Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management. Together they graduate about 1,051 people a year in California.
How much do zoologists and wildlife biologists earn in California?+
The median is $98,530 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 28.3% above the U.S. median of $76,780. 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 zoologists and wildlife biologists growing?+
BLS projects a +1.6% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, little or no change, with roughly 1,400 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in California?+
20 institutions in California reported graduates from at least one of the 10 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 zoologists and wildlife biologists work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Wildlife Biologist, Fisheries Biologist, Conservation Biologist, Fish and Wildlife Biologist among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 19-1023.
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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