Best Natural Sciences Manager programs in Illinois, ranked by enrollment
Plan, direct, or coordinate activities in such fields as life sciences, physical sciences, mathematics, statistics, and research and development in these.
96 schools in Illinois run programs that feed this job, graduating 13,861 people a year. The job pays a median of $159,670 in Illinois across about 2,810 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Illinois that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
75 programs in Illinois that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Illinois (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 Illinois page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Biological and Physical Sciencesmain feeder CIP 30.0101In Illinois → | 4,443 | 32.1% | 49 | $28,446 | $11,000 |
| 2 | CIP 26.0101In Illinois → | 2,284 | 16.5% | 48 | $32,152 | $25,000 |
| 3 | CIP 27.0101In Illinois → | 869 | 6.3% | 46 | $48,772 | $21,544 |
| 4 | CIP 40.0501In Illinois → | 701 | 5.1% | 39 | $42,620 | $23,900 |
| 5 | CIP 30.7001In Illinois → | 610 | 4.4% | 10 | — | — |
| 6 | CIP 27.0501In Illinois → | 548 | 4.0% | 9 | $59,718 | $20,150 |
| 7 | CIP 27.0305In Illinois → | 466 | 3.4% | 6 | $60,930 | $21,143 |
| 8 | CIP 40.0801In Illinois → | 456 | 3.3% | 27 | $47,156 | $23,490 |
| 9 | CIP 26.1501In Illinois → | 421 | 3.0% | 16 | $31,687 | $22,936 |
| 10 | CIP 26.0406In Illinois → | 305 | 2.2% | 3 | $35,393 | $19,961 |
| 11 | CIP 30.0801In Illinois → | 289 | 2.1% | 9 | $89,651 | $23,175 |
| 12 | CIP 30.3301In Illinois → | 283 | 2.0% | 8 | $37,223 | $20,968 |
| 13 | CIP 26.9999In Illinois → | 225 | 1.6% | 5 | $31,278 | $23,000 |
| 14 | CIP 26.0202In Illinois → | 219 | 1.6% | 22 | $38,243 | $23,014 |
| 15 | CIP 27.0599In Illinois → | 145 | 1.0% | 1 | $59,718 | $20,150 |
| 16 | CIP 40.0601In Illinois → | 127 | 0.9% | 10 | $39,678 | $24,864 |
| 17 | CIP 14.1201In Illinois → | 125 | 0.9% | 6 | $57,457 | $24,706 |
| 18 | Biotechnologymain feeder CIP 26.1201In Illinois → | 119 | 0.9% | 5 | $49,023 | $21,309 |
| 19 | CIP 30.2501In Illinois → | 104 | 0.8% | 3 | $41,362 | $17,750 |
| 20 | CIP 26.0701In Illinois → | 81 | 0.6% | 2 | $28,266 | $24,393 |
| 21 | CIP 30.1901In Illinois → | 70 | 0.5% | 6 | $30,508 | $24,586 |
| 22 | CIP 40.0201In Illinois → | 70 | 0.5% | 3 | $39,728 | $24,678 |
| 23 | CIP 27.0301In Illinois → | 67 | 0.5% | 7 | $60,930 | $21,143 |
| 24 | CIP 26.0499In Illinois → | 50 | 0.4% | 1 | $35,393 | $19,961 |
| 25 | CIP 26.1504In Illinois → | 50 | 0.4% | 1 | $31,687 | $22,936 |
| 26 | CIP 40.0401In Illinois → | 48 | 0.3% | 3 | $41,430 | $25,500 |
| 27 | CIP 26.1599In Illinois → | 47 | 0.3% | 1 | $31,687 | $22,936 |
| 28 | CIP 27.0304In Illinois → | 45 | 0.3% | 1 | $60,930 | $21,143 |
| 29 | CIP 40.0809In Illinois → | 45 | 0.3% | 1 | $47,156 | $23,490 |
| 30 | CIP 51.1401In Illinois → | 41 | 0.3% | 3 | $223,926 | $16,250 |
| 31 | CIP 30.4401In Illinois → | 38 | 0.3% | 3 | — | — |
| 32 | CIP 14.3701In Illinois → | 36 | 0.3% | 3 | $92,531 | $15,000 |
| 33 | CIP 40.0599In Illinois → | 35 | 0.3% | 2 | $42,620 | $23,900 |
| 34 | CIP 40.0202In Illinois → | 27 | 0.2% | 3 | $39,728 | $24,678 |
| 35 | CIP 26.0210In Illinois → | 26 | 0.2% | 4 | $38,243 | $23,014 |
| 36 | CIP 26.0203In Illinois → | 22 | 0.2% | 4 | $38,243 | $23,014 |
| 37 | CIP 26.0502In Illinois → | 22 | 0.2% | 4 | $38,383 | $22,065 |
| 38 | CIP 26.1503In Illinois → | 20 | 0.1% | 2 | $31,687 | $22,936 |
| 39 | CIP 26.0205In Illinois → | 19 | 0.1% | 2 | $38,243 | $23,014 |
| 40 | CIP 26.0399In Illinois → | 18 | 0.1% | 1 | $33,009 | $21,975 |
| 41 | CIP 26.0508In Illinois → | 17 | 0.1% | 2 | $38,383 | $22,065 |
| 42 | CIP 40.0502In Illinois → | 17 | 0.1% | 2 | $42,620 | $23,900 |
| 43 | Natural Sciencesmain feeder CIP 30.1801In Illinois → | 16 | 0.1% | 2 | $29,587 | $21,610 |
| 44 | CIP 26.1102In Illinois → | 16 | 0.1% | 2 | $72,338 | $18,500 |
| 45 | CIP 26.0507In Illinois → | 14 | 0.1% | 1 | $38,383 | $22,065 |
| 46 | CIP 40.0699In Illinois → | 14 | 0.1% | 2 | $39,678 | $24,864 |
| 47 | CIP 26.0301In Illinois → | 13 | 0.1% | 2 | $33,009 | $21,975 |
| 48 | CIP 40.0603In Illinois → | 13 | 0.1% | 1 | $39,678 | $24,864 |
| 49 | CIP 26.1310In Illinois → | 11 | 0.1% | 1 | $29,460 | $23,480 |
| 50 | CIP 26.0802In Illinois → | 10 | 0.1% | 1 | $31,800 | $21,424 |
| 51 | CIP 40.0404In Illinois → | 10 | 0.1% | 1 | $41,430 | $25,500 |
| 52 | CIP 26.0702In Illinois → | 9 | 0.1% | 1 | $28,266 | $24,393 |
| 53 | CIP 27.0601In Illinois → | 9 | 0.1% | 1 | — | — |
| 54 | CIP 26.1001In Illinois → | 8 | 0.1% | 3 | $39,202 | $18,000 |
| 55 | CIP 30.1001In Illinois → | 8 | 0.1% | 2 | $43,343 | $22,125 |
| 56 | CIP 26.1301In Illinois → | 7 | 0.1% | 2 | $29,460 | $23,480 |
| 57 | CIP 40.9999In Illinois → | 6 | 0.0% | 2 | $47,513 | $24,000 |
| 58 | CIP 54.0104In Illinois → | 6 | 0.0% | 1 | $31,217 | $24,000 |
| 59 | CIP 26.0299In Illinois → | 5 | 0.0% | 1 | $38,243 | $23,014 |
| 60 | CIP 26.0401In Illinois → | 5 | 0.0% | 1 | $35,393 | $19,961 |
| 61 | CIP 26.0403In Illinois → | 4 | 0.0% | 1 | $35,393 | $19,961 |
| 62 | CIP 26.0599In Illinois → | 4 | 0.0% | 1 | $38,383 | $22,065 |
| 63 | CIP 26.1303In Illinois → | 4 | 0.0% | 1 | $29,460 | $23,480 |
| 64 | CIP 26.1199In Illinois → | 3 | 0.0% | 1 | $72,338 | $18,500 |
| 65 | CIP 27.9999In Illinois → | 3 | 0.0% | 2 | $59,063 | $21,500 |
| 66 | CIP 40.0605In Illinois → | 3 | 0.0% | 1 | $39,678 | $24,864 |
| 67 | CIP 40.0810In Illinois → | 2 | 0.0% | 1 | $47,156 | $23,490 |
| 68 | Science, Technology and Societymain feeder CIP 30.1501In Illinois → | 1 | 0.0% | 1 | $44,736 | $18,593 |
| 69 | CIP 27.0303In Illinois → | 1 | 0.0% | 1 | $60,930 | $21,143 |
| 70 | CIP 27.0399In Illinois → | 1 | 0.0% | 1 | $60,930 | $21,143 |
| 71 | CIP 27.0503In Illinois → | 1 | 0.0% | 1 | $59,718 | $20,150 |
| 72 | CIP 40.0509In Illinois → | 1 | 0.0% | 1 | $42,620 | $23,900 |
| 73 | CIP 40.0510In Illinois → | 1 | 0.0% | 1 | $42,620 | $23,900 |
| 74 | CIP 40.0511In Illinois → | 1 | 0.0% | 1 | $42,620 | $23,900 |
| 75 | CIP 40.1002In Illinois → | 1 | 0.0% | 1 | $72,216 | $24,750 |
Top 25 schools in Illinois
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 47 of the 96 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign Champaign, IL Public · 31 feeder programs | 2,353 | Statistics, General | $68,636 | 85% | — | 42% |
| 2 | University of Chicago Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 25 feeder programs | 1,096 | Mathematics, General | $100,421 | 96% | $13,333 | 4% |
| 3 | University of Illinois Chicago Chicago, IL Public · 18 feeder programs | 983 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $28,768 | 62% | — | 77% |
| 4 | Northwestern University Evanston, IL Private not-for-profit · 22 feeder programs | 817 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 95% | $14,799 | 8% |
| 5 | Loyola University Chicago Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 19 feeder programs | 505 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $31,964 | 73% | $33,454 | 82% |
| 6 | DePaul University Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 14 feeder programs | 422 | Data Science, General | — | 68% | $28,141 | 76% |
| 7 | William Rainey Harper College Palatine, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 413 | Biological and Physical Sciences | $27,081 | 48% | — | — |
| 8 | Illinois State University Normal, IL Public · 10 feeder programs | 274 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $36,337 | 65% | — | 88% |
| 9 | Waubonsee Community College Sugar Grove, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 273 | Biological and Physical Sciences | $24,939 | 39% | — | — |
| 10 | Moraine Valley Community College Palos Hills, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 267 | Biological and Physical Sciences | $23,128 | 40% | — | — |
| 11 | College of DuPage Glen Ellyn, IL Public · 2 feeder programs | 249 | Biological and Physical Sciences | $22,654 | 25% | — | — |
| 12 | Northern Illinois University Dekalb, IL Public · 10 feeder programs | 234 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $38,137 | 49% | — | 70% |
| 13 | Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 17 feeder programs | 221 | Mathematics and Computer Science | — | 75% | $19,899 | 55% |
| 14 | Lewis University Romeoville, IL Private not-for-profit · 6 feeder programs | 220 | Data Science, General | — | 67% | $17,632 | 71% |
| 15 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Edwardsville, IL Public · 6 feeder programs | 211 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $38,067 | 57% | — | 97% |
| 16 | Southern Illinois University - Carbondale Carbondale, IL Public · 12 feeder programs | 189 | Zoology/Animal Biology | $23,366 | 62% | — | 87% |
| 17 | Elgin Community College Elgin, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 187 | Biological and Physical Sciences | — | 41% | — | — |
| 18 | Kishwaukee College Malta, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 179 | Biological and Physical Sciences | $24,070 | 45% | — | — |
| 19 | Triton College River Grove, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 179 | Biological and Physical Sciences | $29,069 | 29% | — | — |
| 20 | Rock Valley College Rockford, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 176 | Biological and Physical Sciences | $21,956 | 37% | — | — |
| 21 | City Colleges of Chicago - Harold Washington College Chicago, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 167 | Biological and Physical Sciences | $27,451 | 26% | — | — |
| 22 | McHenry County College Crystal Lake, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 167 | Biological and Physical Sciences | $28,614 | 37% | — | — |
| 23 | College of Lake County Grayslake, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 155 | Biological and Physical Sciences | $37,724 | 37% | — | — |
| 24 | Joliet Junior College Joliet, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 147 | Biological and Physical Sciences | $30,509 | 21% | — | — |
| 25 | Western Illinois University Macomb, IL Public · 8 feeder programs | 144 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $34,052 | 45% | — | 71% |
All 96 schools in Illinois
Every school in Illinois 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 Illinois Urbana - Champaign | Champaign | Public | 2,353 | 31 |
| University of Chicago | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 1,096 | 25 |
| University of Illinois Chicago | Chicago | Public | 983 | 18 |
| Northwestern University | Evanston | Private not-for-profit | 817 | 22 |
| Loyola University Chicago | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 505 | 19 |
| DePaul University | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 422 | 14 |
| William Rainey Harper College | Palatine | Public | 413 | 1 |
| Illinois State University | Normal | Public | 274 | 10 |
| Waubonsee Community College | Sugar Grove | Public | 273 | 1 |
| Moraine Valley Community College | Palos Hills | Public | 267 | 1 |
| College of DuPage | Glen Ellyn | Public | 249 | 2 |
| Northern Illinois University | Dekalb | Public | 234 | 10 |
| Illinois Institute of Technology | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 221 | 17 |
| Lewis University | Romeoville | Private not-for-profit | 220 | 6 |
| Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | Edwardsville | Public | 211 | 6 |
What natural sciences managers earn in Illinois
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $167,220. Illinois pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Illinois
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 Natural Sciences Managers page.
How to become a Natural Sciences Manager
Job zone 5 of 5 · SVP 8.0 and above- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
- Work experience needed
- 5 years or more
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 Illinois
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 25 majors mapped to Natural Sciences Managers24 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 14.1201Engineering Physics/Applied Physics
- 14.3701Operations Research
- 26.0101Biology/Biological Sciences, General
- 26.0202Biochemistry
- 26.0203Biophysics
- 26.0204Molecular Biology
- 26.0205Molecular Biochemistry
- 26.0206Molecular Biophysics
- 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
- 26.0399Botany/Plant Biology, Other
- 26.0401Cell/Cellular Biology and Histology
- 26.0403Anatomy
- 26.0406Cell/Cellular and Molecular Biology
- 26.0499Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences, Other
- 26.0502Microbiology, General
- 26.0503Medical Microbiology and Bacteriology
- 26.0504Virology
- 26.0505Parasitology
Common questions
Answers for people weighing natural sciences managers programs in Illinois.
What degree do you need to become a Natural Sciences Manager?+
Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Biological and Physical Sciences, which awarded 4,443 degrees in Illinois in 2024-25, 32.1% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Natural Sciences Manager?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 75 programs to this occupation. The largest are Biological and Physical Sciences, Biology, Mathematics, Chemistry, plus 35 more. Together they graduate about 13,861 people a year in Illinois.
How much do natural sciences managers earn in Illinois?+
The median is $159,670 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 4.5% below the U.S. median of $167,220. 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 natural sciences managers growing?+
BLS projects a +3.7% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 8,500 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Illinois?+
96 institutions in Illinois reported graduates from at least one of the 75 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 natural sciences managers work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Research Coordinator, Clinical Trial Manager, Water Resources Planner, Clinical Program Manager, Natural Sciences Manager, Clinical Research Coordinator among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 11-9121.
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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