Florida·Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations·SOC 19-1021

Best Biochemist programs in Florida, ranked by enrollment

Study the chemical composition or physical principles of living cells and organisms, their electrical and mechanical energy, and related phenomena.

15 schools in Florida run programs that feed this job, graduating 346 people a year. The job pays a median of $157,390 in Florida across about 370 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledScientistBiochemistBiophysics ResearcherAnalytical Research ChemistChemistBiophysicistToxicologistBiological Chemist
Graduates / yr
346
in Florida
Median pay · Florida
$157,390
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
370
people employed
Schools
15
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
68%
across those schools
Median net price
$31,022
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Florida that lead to this job

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

3 programs in Florida that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Florida (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 Florida page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
Biochemistrymain feeder
CIP 26.0202In Florida
271
78.3%
11$38,243$23,014
2
CIP 26.0210In Florida
68
19.7%
6$38,243$23,014
3
CIP 26.0206In Florida
7
2.0%
1$38,243$23,014

Top 15 schools in Florida

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 2 of the 15 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 Miami
Coral Gables, FL Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
96Biochemistry$21,66684%$26,58919%
2Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL Public · 2 feeder programs
83Biochemistry$31,07486%24%
3Florida International University
Miami, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
47Biochemistry74%55%
4Nova Southeastern University
Fort Lauderdale, FL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
22Biochemistry and Molecular Biology63%$31,67273%
5Rollins College
Winter Park, FL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
20Biochemistry and Molecular Biology75%$31,43848%
6University of Florida
Gainesville, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
16Biochemistry and Molecular Biology91%24%
7The University of Tampa
Tampa, FL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
14Biochemistry64%$33,07040%
8Ave Maria University
Ave Maria, FL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
10Biochemistry54%$22,23541%
9Florida Gulf Coast University
Fort Myers, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
10Biochemistry57%63%
10Florida Institute of Technology
Melbourne, FL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
9Biochemistry64%$33,58558%
11Eckerd College
Saint Petersburg, FL Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
5Biochemistry66%$31,02276%
12Florida Southern College
Lakeland, FL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
5Biochemistry and Molecular Biology71%$28,32564%
13Stetson University
DeLand, FL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
4Biochemistry62%$21,94872%
14Southeastern University
Lakeland, FL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
3Biochemistry43%$29,91553%
15University of North Florida
Jacksonville, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
2Biochemistry69%53%

All 15 schools in Florida

Every school in Florida 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 Florida that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
University of MiamiCoral GablesPrivate not-for-profit962
Florida State UniversityTallahasseePublic832
Florida International UniversityMiamiPublic471
Nova Southeastern UniversityFort LauderdalePrivate not-for-profit221
Rollins CollegeWinter ParkPrivate not-for-profit201
University of FloridaGainesvillePublic161
The University of TampaTampaPrivate not-for-profit141
Ave Maria UniversityAve MariaPrivate not-for-profit101
Florida Gulf Coast UniversityFort MyersPublic101
Florida Institute of TechnologyMelbournePrivate not-for-profit91
Eckerd CollegeSaint PetersburgPrivate not-for-profit52
Florida Southern CollegeLakelandPrivate not-for-profit51
Stetson UniversityDeLandPrivate not-for-profit41
Southeastern UniversityLakelandPrivate not-for-profit31
University of North FloridaJacksonvillePublic21

What biochemists and biophysicists earn in Florida

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

Median annual in Florida
$157,390
Mean annual
$157,820
Jobs in state
370
What the range looks like
10th pct$63,950Median$157,39090th pct$279,970
Versus the national median
+23.5%

U.S. median $127,410. Florida pays above the national figure.

Job concentration
0.17×

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

Metro areas in Florida

Jacksonville, FL
$174,880median
40 jobs
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
$145,550median
50 jobs
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL
$98,320median
40 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+5.8%
Faster than average
Openings per year
2,900
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
2,100
35,600 → 37,600
Typical entry education
Doctoral or professional 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 Biochemists and Biophysicists page.

How to become a Biochemist

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

ScienceReading ComprehensionCritical ThinkingWritingActive LearningActive Listening

The same job in other states

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

Related careers in Florida

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 9 majors mapped to Biochemists and Biophysicists9 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 26.0202Biochemistry
  • 26.0203Biophysics
  • 26.0205Molecular Biochemistry
  • 26.0206Molecular Biophysics
  • 26.0207Structural Biology
  • 26.0210Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
  • 26.0499Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences, Other
  • 26.0913Biomechanics
  • 51.2003Pharmaceutics and Drug Design

Common questions

Answers for people weighing biochemists and biophysicists programs in Florida.

What degree do you need to become a Biochemist?+

Doctoral or professional degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Biochemistry, which awarded 271 degrees in Florida in 2024-25, 78.3% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Biochemist?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 3 programs to this occupation. The largest are Biochemistry. Together they graduate about 346 people a year in Florida.

How much do biochemists and biophysicists earn in Florida?+

The median is $157,390 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 23.5% above the U.S. median of $127,410. 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 biochemists and biophysicists growing?+

BLS projects a +5.8% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, faster than average, with roughly 2,900 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

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

15 institutions in Florida reported graduates from at least one of the 3 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 biochemists and biophysicists work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Scientist, Biochemist, Biophysics Researcher, Analytical Research Chemist among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 19-1021.

Programs in FloridaBiochemistry

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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