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

Best Biochemist programs in Nebraska, ranked by enrollment

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

9 schools in Nebraska run programs that feed this job, graduating 158 people a year. The job pays a median of $66,910 in Nebraska across about 70 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledScientistBiochemistBiophysics ResearcherAnalytical Research ChemistChemistBiophysicistToxicologistBiological Chemist
Graduates / yr
158
in Nebraska
Median pay · Nebraska
$66,910
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
70
people employed
Schools
9
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
59%
across those schools
Median net price
$22,390
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Nebraska that lead to this job

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

3 programs in Nebraska that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Nebraska (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 Nebraska 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 Nebraska
134
84.8%
7$38,243$23,014
2
CIP 26.0913In Nebraska
22
13.9%
1$31,146$23,384
3
CIP 26.0210In Nebraska
2
1.3%
1$38,243$23,014

Top 9 schools in Nebraska

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 1 of the 9 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 Nebraska - Lincoln
Lincoln, NE Public · 1 feeder programs
86Biochemistry$33,52067%87%
2Creighton University
Omaha, NE Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
24Biochemistry83%$27,35380%
3University of Nebraska at Omaha
Omaha, NE Public · 1 feeder programs
22Biomechanics47%87%
4Nebraska Wesleyan University
Lincoln, NE Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
11Biochemistry66%$22,22580%
5Peru State College
Peru, NE Public · 1 feeder programs
6Biochemistry38%
6Doane University
Crete, NE Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
4Biochemistry57%$25,10398%
7Hastings College
Hastings, NE Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
2Biochemistry49%$20,42472%
8University of Nebraska Medical Center
Omaha, NE Public · 1 feeder programs
2Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
9Concordia University - Nebraska
Seward, NE Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
1Biochemistry65%$22,39086%

All 9 schools in Nebraska

Every school in Nebraska 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 Nebraska that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
University of Nebraska - LincolnLincolnPublic861
Creighton UniversityOmahaPrivate not-for-profit241
University of Nebraska at OmahaOmahaPublic221
Nebraska Wesleyan UniversityLincolnPrivate not-for-profit111
Peru State CollegePeruPublic61
Doane UniversityCretePrivate not-for-profit41
Hastings CollegeHastingsPrivate not-for-profit21
University of Nebraska Medical CenterOmahaPublic21
Concordia University - NebraskaSewardPrivate not-for-profit11

What biochemists and biophysicists earn in Nebraska

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

Median annual in Nebraska
$66,910
Mean annual
$71,550
Jobs in state
70
What the range looks like
10th pct$51,470Median$66,91090th pct$89,240
Versus the national median
-47.5%

U.S. median $127,410. Nebraska pays below the national figure.

Job concentration
0.31×

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

Metro areas in Nebraska, by employment

Lincoln, NE
50jobs

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 Nebraska

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 Nebraska.

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 134 degrees in Nebraska in 2024-25, 84.8% 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, Physiology. Together they graduate about 158 people a year in Nebraska.

How much do biochemists and biophysicists earn in Nebraska?+

The median is $66,910 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 47.5% below 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 Nebraska?+

9 institutions in Nebraska 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 NebraskaBiochemistryBiomechanics

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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