Best Life Scientist, All Other programs in Kentucky, ranked by enrollment
All life scientists not listed.
26 schools in Kentucky run programs that feed this job, graduating 975 people a year. The job pays a median of $75,670 in Kentucky across about 100 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Kentucky that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
5 programs in Kentucky that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Kentucky (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 Kentucky page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 26.0101In Kentucky → | 888 | 91.1% | 25 | $32,152 | $25,000 |
| 2 | CIP 42.2706In Kentucky → | 41 | 4.2% | 2 | $34,454 | $21,878 |
| 3 | CIP 30.1901In Kentucky → | 38 | 3.9% | 1 | $30,508 | $24,586 |
| 4 | CIP 51.2314In Kentucky → | 7 | 0.7% | 1 | $35,966 | $26,323 |
| 5 | CIP 30.1801In Kentucky → | 1 | 0.1% | 1 | $29,587 | $21,610 |
Top 25 schools in Kentucky
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 12 of the 26 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Kentucky Lexington, KY Public · 3 feeder programs | 212 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $31,360 | 71% | — | 93% |
| 2 | University of Louisville Louisville, KY Public · 1 feeder programs | 143 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $27,123 | 61% | — | 79% |
| 3 | Western Kentucky University Bowling Green, KY Public · 1 feeder programs | 112 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $29,945 | 56% | — | 94% |
| 4 | Northern Kentucky University Highland Heights, KY Public · 1 feeder programs | 76 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $38,970 | 52% | — | 68% |
| 5 | Centre College Danville, KY Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 60 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 81% | $18,407 | 54% |
| 6 | Murray State University Murray, KY Public · 1 feeder programs | 46 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $25,914 | 61% | — | 86% |
| 7 | Eastern Kentucky University Richmond, KY Public · 1 feeder programs | 34 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $25,672 | 50% | — | 78% |
| 8 | University of the Cumberlands Williamsburg, KY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 34 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $27,786 | 50% | $11,672 | 99% |
| 9 | Berea College Berea, KY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 33 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $26,744 | 58% | $5,274 | 19% |
| 10 | Transylvania University Lexington, KY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 30 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 71% | $21,881 | 87% |
| 11 | Morehead State University Morehead, KY Public · 1 feeder programs | 22 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $22,572 | 52% | — | 77% |
| 12 | Lindsey Wilson University Columbia, KY Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 21 | Behavioral Neuroscience | — | 44% | $14,471 | — |
| 13 | Alice Lloyd College Pippa Passes, KY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 19 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 39% | $18,384 | 75% |
| 14 | Bellarmine University Louisville, KY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 19 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $29,253 | 64% | $22,542 | 86% |
| 15 | Thomas More University Crestview Hills, KY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 19 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $23,426 | 40% | $18,902 | 90% |
| 16 | Georgetown College Georgetown, KY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 15 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 49% | $12,666 | 91% |
| 17 | Kentucky State University Frankfort, KY Public · 1 feeder programs | 15 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 32% | — | 96% |
| 18 | Midway University Midway, KY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 12 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 41% | $23,658 | 95% |
| 19 | Asbury University Wilmore, KY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 11 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 65% | $19,816 | 63% |
| 20 | Campbellsville University Campbellsville, KY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 10 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 42% | $18,824 | 80% |
| 21 | University of Pikeville Pikeville, KY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 10 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $28,699 | 42% | $13,886 | — |
| 22 | Brescia University Owensboro, KY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 54% | $14,604 | 35% |
| 23 | Union Commonwealth University Barbourville, KY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 32% | $28,386 | 63% |
| 24 | Kentucky Wesleyan College Owensboro, KY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 47% | $36,525 | 72% |
| 25 | Kentucky Christian University Grayson, KY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 37% | $21,713 | 61% |
All 26 schools in Kentucky
Every school in Kentucky 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 Kentucky | Lexington | Public | 212 | 3 |
| University of Louisville | Louisville | Public | 143 | 1 |
| Western Kentucky University | Bowling Green | Public | 112 | 1 |
| Northern Kentucky University | Highland Heights | Public | 76 | 1 |
| Centre College | Danville | Private not-for-profit | 60 | 2 |
| Murray State University | Murray | Public | 46 | 1 |
| Eastern Kentucky University | Richmond | Public | 34 | 1 |
| University of the Cumberlands | Williamsburg | Private not-for-profit | 34 | 1 |
| Berea College | Berea | Private not-for-profit | 33 | 1 |
| Transylvania University | Lexington | Private not-for-profit | 30 | 1 |
| Morehead State University | Morehead | Public | 22 | 1 |
| Lindsey Wilson University | Columbia | Private not-for-profit | 21 | 2 |
| Alice Lloyd College | Pippa Passes | Private not-for-profit | 19 | 1 |
| Bellarmine University | Louisville | Private not-for-profit | 19 | 1 |
| Thomas More University | Crestview Hills | Private not-for-profit | 19 | 1 |
What life scientists, all other earn in Kentucky
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $93,750. Kentucky pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
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 Life Scientists, All Other page.
How to become a Life Scientist, All Other
- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 10 majors mapped to Life Scientists, All Other10 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 26.0101Biology/Biological Sciences, General
- 26.1301Ecology
- 26.1399Ecology, Evolution, Systematics and Population Biology, Other
- 26.9999Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other
- 30.1701Behavioral Sciences
- 30.1801Natural Sciences
- 30.1901Nutrition Sciences
- 30.4301Geobiology
- 42.2706Behavioral Neuroscience
- 51.2314Rehabilitation Science
Common questions
Answers for people weighing life scientists, all other programs in Kentucky.
What degree do you need to become a Life 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 888 degrees in Kentucky in 2024-25, 91.1% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Life Scientist, All Other?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 5 programs to this occupation. The largest are Biology, Research and Experimental Psychology, Nutrition Sciences, Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions, plus 1 more. Together they graduate about 975 people a year in Kentucky.
How much do life scientists, all other earn in Kentucky?+
The median is $75,670 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 19.3% below the U.S. median of $93,750. 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 life scientists, all other growing?+
BLS projects a +3.7% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 400 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Kentucky?+
26 institutions in Kentucky reported graduates from at least one of the 5 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.
Do you need training or experience beyond a degree?+
BLS lists 'None' for related work experience and 'None' for on-the-job training typically needed to reach competency.
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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