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

Best Biochemist programs in New Jersey, ranked by enrollment

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

17 schools in New Jersey run programs that feed this job, graduating 188 people a year. The job pays a median of $122,620 in New Jersey across about 2,570 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledScientistBiochemistBiophysics ResearcherAnalytical Research ChemistChemistBiophysicistToxicologistBiological Chemist
Graduates / yr
188
in New Jersey
Median pay · New Jersey
$122,620
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
2,570
people employed
Schools
17
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
67%
across those schools
Median net price
$23,094
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in New Jersey that lead to this job

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

4 programs in New Jersey that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in New Jersey (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 New Jersey 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
181
96.3%
16$38,243$23,014
2
Biophysicsmain feeder
3
1.6%
1$38,243$23,014
33
1.6%
1$35,393$19,961
41
0.5%
1$38,243$23,014

Top 17 schools in New Jersey

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 5 of the 17 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Rowan University
Glassboro, NJ Public · 2 feeder programs
34Biochemistry$38,79967%78%
2Rutgers University - New Brunswick
New Brunswick, NJ Public · 2 feeder programs
34Biochemistry$46,12284%58%
3Stevens Institute of Technology
Hoboken, NJ Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
33Biochemistry87%$34,82748%
4Montclair State University
Montclair, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs
19Biochemistry$41,06865%88%
5Stockton University
Galloway, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs
15Biochemistry$40,85569%89%
6New Jersey Institute of Technology
Newark, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs
14Biochemistry73%65%
7Drew University
Madison, NJ Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
8Biochemistry70%$23,09468%
8Seton Hall University
South Orange, NJ Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
7Biochemistry69%$27,37673%
9Ramapo College of New Jersey
Mahwah, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs
5Biochemistry70%71%
10Saint Peter's University
Jersey City, NJ Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
4Biochemistry58%$14,44090%
11Fairleigh Dickinson University - Florham Campus
Madison, NJ Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
3Biochemistry67%$23,57395%
12Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan Campus
Teaneck, NJ Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
3Biochemistry53%$18,05991%
13Princeton University
Princeton, NJ Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
3Biophysics$41,84898%$13,7295%
14Rider University
Lawrenceville, NJ Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
2Biochemistry61%$23,84479%
15William Paterson University of New Jersey
Wayne, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs
2Biochemistry44%90%
16Georgian Court University
Lakewood, NJ Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
1Biochemistry54%$19,50479%
17Saint Elizabeth University
Morristown, NJ Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
1Biochemistry51%$20,61971%

All 17 schools in New Jersey

Every school in New Jersey 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 New Jersey that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Rowan UniversityGlassboroPublic342
Rutgers University - New BrunswickNew BrunswickPublic342
Stevens Institute of TechnologyHobokenPrivate not-for-profit331
Montclair State UniversityMontclairPublic191
Stockton UniversityGallowayPublic151
New Jersey Institute of TechnologyNewarkPublic141
Drew UniversityMadisonPrivate not-for-profit81
Seton Hall UniversitySouth OrangePrivate not-for-profit71
Ramapo College of New JerseyMahwahPublic51
Saint Peter's UniversityJersey CityPrivate not-for-profit41
Fairleigh Dickinson University - Florham CampusMadisonPrivate not-for-profit31
Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan CampusTeaneckPrivate not-for-profit31
Princeton UniversityPrincetonPrivate not-for-profit31
Rider UniversityLawrencevillePrivate not-for-profit21
William Paterson University of New JerseyWaynePublic21

What biochemists and biophysicists earn in New Jersey

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

Median annual in New Jersey
$122,620
Mean annual
$121,470
Jobs in state
2,570
What the range looks like
10th pct$80,070Median$122,62090th pct$162,240
Versus the national median
-3.8%

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

Job concentration
2.75×

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

Metro areas in New Jersey

Trenton-Princeton, NJ
$124,300median
520 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 New Jersey

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 New Jersey.

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 181 degrees in New Jersey in 2024-25, 96.3% 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 4 programs to this occupation. The largest are Biochemistry, Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences. Together they graduate about 188 people a year in New Jersey.

How much do biochemists and biophysicists earn in New Jersey?+

The median is $122,620 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 3.8% 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 New Jersey?+

17 institutions in New Jersey reported graduates from at least one of the 4 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.

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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