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

Best Biochemist programs in New York, ranked by enrollment

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

61 schools in New York run programs that feed this job, graduating 774 people a year. The job pays a median of $101,080 in New York across about 980 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledScientistBiochemistBiophysics ResearcherAnalytical Research ChemistChemistBiophysicistToxicologistBiological Chemist
Graduates / yr
774
in New York
Median pay · New York
$101,080
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
980
people employed
Schools
61
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
70%
across those schools
Median net price
$25,874
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in New York that lead to this job

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

6 programs in New York that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in New York (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 York 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 New York
653
84.4%
58$38,243$23,014
2
CIP 26.0210In New York
51
6.6%
2$38,243$23,014
3
CIP 26.0205In New York
44
5.7%
5$38,243$23,014
4
Biophysicsmain feeder
CIP 26.0203In New York
21
2.7%
4$38,243$23,014
5
CIP 26.0207In New York
3
0.4%
1$38,243$23,014
6
CIP 51.2003In New York
2
0.3%
1$48,728$23,761

Top 25 schools in New York

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 10 of the 61 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, NY Public · 2 feeder programs
108Biochemistry$29,64976%49%
2Binghamton University
Vestal, NY Public · 1 feeder programs
82Biochemistry$41,30582%39%
3New York University
New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
59Biochemistry and Molecular Biology$36,44088%$29,0239%
4Vassar College
Poughkeepsie, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
36Biochemistry$45,59991%$29,10719%
5University at Buffalo
Buffalo, NY Public · 2 feeder programs
32Biochemistry75%74%
6Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
25Biochemistry96%$15,3154%
7Hamilton College
Clinton, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
25Biochemistry91%$20,68014%
8CUNY Graduate School and University Center
New York, NY Public · 1 feeder programs
24Biochemistry68%
9CUNY City College
New York, NY Public · 1 feeder programs
23Biochemistry$44,17557%60%
10University of Rochester
Rochester, NY Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
20Biochemistry85%$25,87440%
11University at Albany
Albany, NY Public · 1 feeder programs
18Biochemistry and Molecular Biology$33,26661%69%
12Colgate University
Hamilton, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
17Biochemistry$44,08991%$22,90314%
13Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
16Biochemistry$22,69384%$28,85146%
14Union College
Schenectady, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
16Biochemistry80%$25,88544%
15Barnard College
New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
15Biochemistry93%$24,6759%
16Pace University
New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
15Molecular Biochemistry60%$29,99476%
17Manhattan University
Riverdale, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
13Biochemistry64%$26,80779%
18Rochester Institute of Technology
Rochester, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
13Biochemistry70%$28,13367%
19St. John Fisher University
Rochester, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
11Molecular Biochemistry74%$25,21366%
20Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Bronx, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
9Biochemistry
21Clarkson University
Potsdam, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
9Molecular Biochemistry75%$27,28177%
22Cornell University
Ithaca, NY Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
9Biochemistry95%$17,6139%
23Long Island University
Brookville, NY Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
9Biochemistry57%$24,63986%
24Weill Medical College of Cornell University
New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
8Biochemistry
25Canisius University
Buffalo, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
7Biochemistry66%$17,35372%

All 61 schools in New York

Every school in New York 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 York that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Stony Brook UniversityStony BrookPublic1082
Binghamton UniversityVestalPublic821
New York UniversityNew YorkPrivate not-for-profit592
Vassar CollegePoughkeepsiePrivate not-for-profit361
University at BuffaloBuffaloPublic322
Columbia University in the City of New YorkNew YorkPrivate not-for-profit252
Hamilton CollegeClintonPrivate not-for-profit251
CUNY Graduate School and University CenterNew YorkPublic241
CUNY City CollegeNew YorkPublic231
University of RochesterRochesterPrivate not-for-profit202
University at AlbanyAlbanyPublic181
Colgate UniversityHamiltonPrivate not-for-profit171
Syracuse UniversitySyracusePrivate not-for-profit161
Union CollegeSchenectadyPrivate not-for-profit161
Barnard CollegeNew YorkPrivate not-for-profit151

What biochemists and biophysicists earn in New York

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

Median annual in New York
$101,080
Mean annual
$108,140
Jobs in state
980
What the range looks like
10th pct$66,140Median$101,08090th pct$165,710
Versus the national median
-20.7%

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

Job concentration
0.46×

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

Metro areas in New York

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$109,620median
2,200 jobs
Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY
$94,510median
90 jobs
Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY
$81,480median
80 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 York

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 York.

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 653 degrees in New York in 2024-25, 84.4% 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 6 programs to this occupation. The largest are Biochemistry, Pharmacy. Together they graduate about 774 people a year in New York.

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

The median is $101,080 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 20.7% 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 York?+

61 institutions in New York reported graduates from at least one of the 6 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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