Missouri·Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations·SOC 19-1099

Best Life Scientist, All Other programs in Missouri, ranked by enrollment

All life scientists not listed.

48 schools in Missouri run programs that feed this job, graduating 1,964 people a year. The job pays a median of $79,780 in Missouri across about 190 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledOsteologistEmbryologistMorphologistPhysiologistPaleobotanistOlericulturistPhytopathologistPlant Taxonomist
Graduates / yr
1,964
in Missouri
Median pay · Missouri
$79,780
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
190
people employed
Schools
48
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
50%
across those schools
Median net price
$20,482
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Missouri that lead to this job

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

9 programs in Missouri that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Missouri (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 Missouri page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
CIP 26.0101In Missouri
1,669
85.0%
44$32,152$25,000
2
CIP 30.1701In Missouri
117
6.0%
4$36,206$29,240
3
CIP 26.9999In Missouri
62
3.2%
3$31,278$23,000
4
CIP 30.1801In Missouri
43
2.2%
3$29,587$21,610
5
CIP 30.1901In Missouri
32
1.6%
2$30,508$24,586
6
CIP 42.2706In Missouri
19
1.0%
2$34,454$21,878
7
CIP 26.1301In Missouri
12
0.6%
2$29,460$23,480
8
CIP 26.1399In Missouri
5
0.3%
1$29,460$23,480
9
CIP 51.2314In Missouri
5
0.3%
1$35,966$26,323

Top 25 schools in Missouri

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 22 of the 48 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 Missouri - Columbia
Columbia, MO Public · 2 feeder programs
258Biology/Biological Sciences, General$36,73275%78%
2Washington University in St Louis
St. Louis, MO Private not-for-profit · 5 feeder programs
226Behavioral Sciences94%$14,12612%
3University of Missouri - Kansas City
Kansas City, MO Public · 1 feeder programs
191Biology/Biological Sciences, General$40,48355%72%
4Missouri State University - Springfield
Springfield, MO Public · 2 feeder programs
134Biology/Biological Sciences, General$34,71758%91%
5Saint Louis University
Saint Louis, MO Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
117Biology/Biological Sciences, General$34,62080%$24,88675%
6Logan University
Chesterfield, MO Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
115Biology/Biological Sciences, General22%$17,90664%
7Southeast Missouri State University
Cape Girardeau, MO Public · 2 feeder programs
100Biology/Biological Sciences, General$31,42058%74%
8University of Missouri - St Louis
Saint Louis, MO Public · 1 feeder programs
80Biology/Biological Sciences, General$32,40057%63%
9Kansas City University
Kansas City, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
57Biology/Biological Sciences, General
10University of Central Missouri
Warrensburg, MO Public · 1 feeder programs
54Biology/Biological Sciences, General$34,10254%64%
11Truman State University
Kirksville, MO Public · 1 feeder programs
45Biology/Biological Sciences, General$31,43569%84%
12Northwest Missouri State University
Maryville, MO Public · 2 feeder programs
42Biology/Biological Sciences, General$37,98354%86%
13Missouri Southern State University
Joplin, MO Public · 2 feeder programs
41Biology/Biological Sciences, General$31,14942%97%
14Missouri University of Science and Technology
Rolla, MO Public · 1 feeder programs
41Biology/Biological Sciences, General$33,76164%73%
15A T Still University of Health Sciences
Kirksville, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
37Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other
16Maryville University of Saint Louis
Saint Louis, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
36Biology/Biological Sciences, General$29,70366%$24,92195%
17Drury University
Springfield, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
26Biology/Biological Sciences, General$33,69962%$20,48258%
18Rockhurst University
Kansas City, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
25Biology/Biological Sciences, General75%$21,89070%
19Ponce Health Sciences University - St Louis
St. Louis, MO Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
23Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other
20Webster University
Saint Louis, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
22Biology/Biological Sciences, General$32,75764%$25,09086%
21Jefferson College
Hillsboro, MO Public · 1 feeder programs
21Biology/Biological Sciences, General38%
22Central Methodist University - College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Fayette, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
19Biology/Biological Sciences, General$35,41651%$25,58257%
23Harris - Stowe State University
Saint Louis, MO Public · 1 feeder programs
19Biology/Biological Sciences, General$31,99328%
24Lindenwood University
Saint Charles, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
18Biology/Biological Sciences, General$30,48649%$17,43657%
25Missouri Western State University
Saint Joseph, MO Public · 1 feeder programs
18Biology/Biological Sciences, General$40,93639%

All 48 schools in Missouri

Every school in Missouri 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 Missouri that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
University of Missouri - ColumbiaColumbiaPublic2582
Washington University in St LouisSt. LouisPrivate not-for-profit2265
University of Missouri - Kansas CityKansas CityPublic1911
Missouri State University - SpringfieldSpringfieldPublic1342
Saint Louis UniversitySaint LouisPrivate not-for-profit1172
Logan UniversityChesterfieldPrivate not-for-profit1152
Southeast Missouri State UniversityCape GirardeauPublic1002
University of Missouri - St LouisSaint LouisPublic801
Kansas City UniversityKansas CityPrivate not-for-profit571
University of Central MissouriWarrensburgPublic541
Truman State UniversityKirksvillePublic451
Northwest Missouri State UniversityMaryvillePublic422
Missouri Southern State UniversityJoplinPublic412
Missouri University of Science and TechnologyRollaPublic411
A T Still University of Health SciencesKirksvillePrivate not-for-profit371

What life scientists, all other earn in Missouri

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

Median annual in Missouri
$79,780
Mean annual
$88,490
Jobs in state
190
What the range looks like
10th pct$66,720Median$79,78090th pct$113,560
Versus the national median
-14.9%

U.S. median $93,750. Missouri pays below the national figure.

Job concentration
1.32×

Concentrated here: Missouri employs more of this job per worker than the U.S. average.

Metro areas in Missouri

St. Louis, MO-IL
$75,300median
130 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+3.7%
About as fast as average
Openings per year
400
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
300
7,800 → 8,100
Typical entry education
Bachelor's 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 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 Missouri.

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 1,669 degrees in Missouri in 2024-25, 85.0% 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 9 programs to this occupation. The largest are Biology, Behavioral Sciences, Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Natural Sciences, plus 4 more. Together they graduate about 1,964 people a year in Missouri.

How much do life scientists, all other earn in Missouri?+

The median is $79,780 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 14.9% 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 Missouri?+

48 institutions in Missouri reported graduates from at least one of the 9 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 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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