Best Natural Sciences Manager programs in North Carolina, ranked by enrollment
Plan, direct, or coordinate activities in such fields as life sciences, physical sciences, mathematics, statistics, and research and development in these.
56 schools in North Carolina run programs that feed this job, graduating 8,624 people a year. The job pays a median of $173,870 in North Carolina across about 6,010 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in North Carolina that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
70 programs in North Carolina that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in North Carolina (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 North Carolina page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 26.0101In North Carolina → | 3,519 | 40.8% | 50 | $32,152 | $25,000 |
| 2 | Biotechnologymain feeder CIP 26.1201In North Carolina → | 678 | 7.9% | 8 | $49,023 | $21,309 |
| 3 | CIP 40.0501In North Carolina → | 658 | 7.6% | 35 | $42,620 | $23,900 |
| 4 | CIP 27.0101In North Carolina → | 570 | 6.6% | 39 | $48,772 | $21,544 |
| 5 | CIP 26.1501In North Carolina → | 322 | 3.7% | 4 | $31,687 | $22,936 |
| 6 | CIP 40.0801In North Carolina → | 293 | 3.4% | 17 | $47,156 | $23,490 |
| 7 | CIP 27.0501In North Carolina → | 280 | 3.2% | 5 | $59,718 | $20,150 |
| 8 | CIP 27.0301In North Carolina → | 218 | 2.5% | 5 | $60,930 | $21,143 |
| 9 | CIP 26.0202In North Carolina → | 197 | 2.3% | 18 | $38,243 | $23,014 |
| 10 | CIP 40.0601In North Carolina → | 195 | 2.3% | 9 | $39,678 | $24,864 |
| 11 | CIP 30.7001In North Carolina → | 169 | 2.0% | 10 | — | — |
| 12 | CIP 30.1901In North Carolina → | 159 | 1.8% | 3 | $30,508 | $24,586 |
| 13 | CIP 26.1102In North Carolina → | 144 | 1.7% | 2 | $72,338 | $18,500 |
| 14 | CIP 26.1302In North Carolina → | 118 | 1.4% | 2 | $29,460 | $23,480 |
| 15 | CIP 26.0701In North Carolina → | 79 | 0.9% | 2 | $28,266 | $24,393 |
| 16 | CIP 30.4401In North Carolina → | 79 | 0.9% | 3 | — | — |
| 17 | CIP 40.9999In North Carolina → | 63 | 0.7% | 4 | $47,513 | $24,000 |
| 18 | Science, Technology and Societymain feeder CIP 30.1501In North Carolina → | 52 | 0.6% | 1 | $44,736 | $18,593 |
| 19 | CIP 27.0305In North Carolina → | 51 | 0.6% | 3 | $60,930 | $21,143 |
| 20 | CIP 40.0510In North Carolina → | 49 | 0.6% | 1 | $42,620 | $23,900 |
| 21 | CIP 26.0301In North Carolina → | 44 | 0.5% | 1 | $33,009 | $21,975 |
| 22 | CIP 26.0502In North Carolina → | 43 | 0.5% | 1 | $38,383 | $22,065 |
| 23 | CIP 40.0899In North Carolina → | 42 | 0.5% | 1 | $47,156 | $23,490 |
| 24 | CIP 26.0403In North Carolina → | 40 | 0.5% | 1 | $35,393 | $19,961 |
| 25 | CIP 40.0607In North Carolina → | 38 | 0.4% | 3 | $39,678 | $24,864 |
| 26 | CIP 26.9999In North Carolina → | 34 | 0.4% | 6 | $31,278 | $23,000 |
| 27 | CIP 26.0210In North Carolina → | 32 | 0.4% | 1 | $38,243 | $23,014 |
| 28 | CIP 30.3301In North Carolina → | 27 | 0.3% | 5 | $37,223 | $20,968 |
| 29 | CIP 14.3701In North Carolina → | 25 | 0.3% | 1 | $92,531 | $15,000 |
| 30 | CIP 40.0401In North Carolina → | 24 | 0.3% | 4 | $41,430 | $25,500 |
| 31 | CIP 51.2006In North Carolina → | 24 | 0.3% | 1 | $48,728 | $23,761 |
| 32 | CIP 26.0910In North Carolina → | 22 | 0.3% | 2 | $31,146 | $23,384 |
| 33 | CIP 26.1001In North Carolina → | 20 | 0.2% | 2 | $39,202 | $18,000 |
| 34 | CIP 40.0807In North Carolina → | 19 | 0.2% | 2 | $47,156 | $23,490 |
| 35 | CIP 26.1004In North Carolina → | 18 | 0.2% | 3 | $39,202 | $18,000 |
| 36 | CIP 40.0404In North Carolina → | 17 | 0.2% | 1 | $41,430 | $25,500 |
| 37 | CIP 26.0401In North Carolina → | 16 | 0.2% | 1 | $35,393 | $19,961 |
| 38 | CIP 26.0406In North Carolina → | 15 | 0.2% | 1 | $35,393 | $19,961 |
| 39 | CIP 26.0802In North Carolina → | 15 | 0.2% | 2 | $31,800 | $21,424 |
| 40 | CIP 26.0807In North Carolina → | 15 | 0.2% | 3 | $31,800 | $21,424 |
| 41 | CIP 27.0601In North Carolina → | 14 | 0.2% | 2 | — | — |
| 42 | CIP 26.0204In North Carolina → | 13 | 0.2% | 3 | $38,243 | $23,014 |
| 43 | CIP 26.1301In North Carolina → | 13 | 0.2% | 2 | $29,460 | $23,480 |
| 44 | CIP 40.0699In North Carolina → | 12 | 0.1% | 2 | $39,678 | $24,864 |
| 45 | CIP 26.1199In North Carolina → | 11 | 0.1% | 1 | $72,338 | $18,500 |
| 46 | CIP 27.9999In North Carolina → | 11 | 0.1% | 1 | $59,063 | $21,500 |
| 47 | CIP 52.0210In North Carolina → | 11 | 0.1% | 2 | $43,506 | $25,000 |
| 48 | CIP 26.0503In North Carolina → | 10 | 0.1% | 1 | $38,383 | $22,065 |
| 49 | CIP 26.0702In North Carolina → | 10 | 0.1% | 1 | $28,266 | $24,393 |
| 50 | CIP 30.0801In North Carolina → | 10 | 0.1% | 1 | $89,651 | $23,175 |
| 51 | CIP 51.1401In North Carolina → | 10 | 0.1% | 2 | $223,926 | $16,250 |
| 52 | CIP 26.1401In North Carolina → | 9 | 0.1% | 1 | — | — |
| 53 | CIP 26.0305In North Carolina → | 8 | 0.1% | 1 | $33,009 | $21,975 |
| 54 | CIP 26.0799In North Carolina → | 8 | 0.1% | 1 | $28,266 | $24,393 |
| 55 | CIP 26.0507In North Carolina → | 7 | 0.1% | 1 | $38,383 | $22,065 |
| 56 | CIP 27.0303In North Carolina → | 7 | 0.1% | 1 | $60,930 | $21,143 |
| 57 | CIP 30.3001In North Carolina → | 7 | 0.1% | 2 | $50,745 | $27,000 |
| 58 | CIP 14.1201In North Carolina → | 5 | 0.1% | 2 | $57,457 | $24,706 |
| 59 | CIP 26.1101In North Carolina → | 4 | 0.0% | 1 | $72,338 | $18,500 |
| 60 | CIP 40.0605In North Carolina → | 4 | 0.0% | 1 | $39,678 | $24,864 |
| 61 | CIP 26.0203In North Carolina → | 3 | 0.0% | 3 | $38,243 | $23,014 |
| 62 | CIP 26.0299In North Carolina → | 3 | 0.0% | 1 | $38,243 | $23,014 |
| 63 | Biological and Physical Sciencesmain feeder CIP 30.0101In North Carolina → | 2 | 0.0% | 1 | $28,446 | $11,000 |
| 64 | CIP 26.1399In North Carolina → | 2 | 0.0% | 1 | $29,460 | $23,480 |
| 65 | CIP 27.0399In North Carolina → | 2 | 0.0% | 1 | $60,930 | $21,143 |
| 66 | Natural Sciencesmain feeder CIP 30.1801In North Carolina → | 1 | 0.0% | 1 | $29,587 | $21,610 |
| 67 | Physical Sciences, Generalmain feeder CIP 40.0101In North Carolina → | 1 | 0.0% | 1 | $27,007 | $9,000 |
| 68 | CIP 26.0508In North Carolina → | 1 | 0.0% | 1 | $38,383 | $22,065 |
| 69 | CIP 30.2501In North Carolina → | 1 | 0.0% | 1 | $41,362 | $17,750 |
| 70 | CIP 52.0216In North Carolina → | 1 | 0.0% | 1 | $43,506 | $25,000 |
Top 25 schools in North Carolina
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 29 of the 56 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC Public · 20 feeder programs | 1,484 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $33,471 | 91% | — | 15% |
| 2 | North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, NC Public · 27 feeder programs | 1,395 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $36,157 | 85% | — | 42% |
| 3 | Duke University Durham, NC Private not-for-profit · 32 feeder programs | 841 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $30,939 | 97% | $16,260 | 6% |
| 4 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC Public · 14 feeder programs | 735 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $34,094 | 69% | — | 80% |
| 5 | Gaston College Dallas, NC Public · 1 feeder programs | 512 | Biotechnology | — | 63% | — | — |
| 6 | University of North Carolina Wilmington Wilmington, NC Public · 10 feeder programs | 423 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $32,925 | 71% | — | 64% |
| 7 | Appalachian State University Boone, NC Public · 6 feeder programs | 421 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $29,946 | 75% | — | 90% |
| 8 | East Carolina University Greenville, NC Public · 12 feeder programs | 403 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $38,992 | 63% | — | 89% |
| 9 | University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, NC Public · 13 feeder programs | 381 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $31,922 | 56% | — | 89% |
| 10 | Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC Private not-for-profit · 16 feeder programs | 245 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $30,666 | 89% | $20,914 | 22% |
| 11 | North Carolina A & T State University Greensboro, NC Public · 7 feeder programs | 186 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $31,660 | 57% | — | 50% |
| 12 | Western Carolina University Cullowhee, NC Public · 5 feeder programs | 170 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $28,381 | 60% | — | 82% |
| 13 | Davidson College Davidson, NC Private not-for-profit · 5 feeder programs | 125 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $39,602 | 91% | $16,628 | 13% |
| 14 | University of North Carolina at Pembroke Pembroke, NC Public · 4 feeder programs | 94 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $30,147 | 44% | — | 93% |
| 15 | Elon University Elon, NC Private not-for-profit · 8 feeder programs | 87 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $32,683 | 84% | $33,688 | 66% |
| 16 | High Point University High Point, NC Private not-for-profit · 8 feeder programs | 76 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 74% | $37,072 | 75% |
| 17 | Wake Technical Community College Raleigh, NC Public · 1 feeder programs | 75 | Biotechnology | — | 33% | — | — |
| 18 | Meredith College Raleigh, NC Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 68 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $43,182 | 70% | $19,552 | 74% |
| 19 | Wingate University Wingate, NC Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 68 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $27,729 | 46% | $21,585 | 91% |
| 20 | University of North Carolina Asheville Asheville, NC Public · 5 feeder programs | 67 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $27,943 | 54% | — | 92% |
| 21 | Fayetteville State University Fayetteville, NC Public · 3 feeder programs | 66 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $28,332 | 38% | — | 82% |
| 22 | North Carolina Central University Durham, NC Public · 6 feeder programs | 66 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $30,423 | 42% | — | 87% |
| 23 | Winston - Salem State University Winston-Salem, NC Public · 3 feeder programs | 59 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $30,719 | 47% | — | 78% |
| 24 | Campbell University Buies Creek, NC Private not-for-profit · 5 feeder programs | 56 | Clinical and Industrial Drug Development | $54,919 | 61% | $23,331 | 87% |
| 25 | Cleveland Community College Shelby, NC Public · 1 feeder programs | 44 | Biotechnology | — | 32% | — | — |
All 56 schools in North Carolina
Every school in North Carolina 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 North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill | Public | 1,484 | 20 |
| North Carolina State University at Raleigh | Raleigh | Public | 1,395 | 27 |
| Duke University | Durham | Private not-for-profit | 841 | 32 |
| University of North Carolina at Charlotte | Charlotte | Public | 735 | 14 |
| Gaston College | Dallas | Public | 512 | 1 |
| University of North Carolina Wilmington | Wilmington | Public | 423 | 10 |
| Appalachian State University | Boone | Public | 421 | 6 |
| East Carolina University | Greenville | Public | 403 | 12 |
| University of North Carolina at Greensboro | Greensboro | Public | 381 | 13 |
| Wake Forest University | Winston-Salem | Private not-for-profit | 245 | 16 |
| North Carolina A & T State University | Greensboro | Public | 186 | 7 |
| Western Carolina University | Cullowhee | Public | 170 | 5 |
| Davidson College | Davidson | Private not-for-profit | 125 | 5 |
| University of North Carolina at Pembroke | Pembroke | Public | 94 | 4 |
| Elon University | Elon | Private not-for-profit | 87 | 8 |
What natural sciences managers earn in North Carolina
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $167,220. North Carolina pays above the national figure.
Concentrated here: North Carolina employs more of this job per worker than the U.S. average.
Metro areas in North Carolina
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 Natural Sciences Managers page.
How to become a Natural Sciences Manager
Job zone 5 of 5 · SVP 8.0 and above- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
- Work experience needed
- 5 years or more
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
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in North Carolina
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 25 majors mapped to Natural Sciences Managers24 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 14.1201Engineering Physics/Applied Physics
- 14.3701Operations Research
- 26.0101Biology/Biological Sciences, General
- 26.0202Biochemistry
- 26.0203Biophysics
- 26.0204Molecular Biology
- 26.0205Molecular Biochemistry
- 26.0206Molecular Biophysics
- 26.0207Structural Biology
- 26.0208Photobiology(no graduates reported)
- 26.0209Radiation Biology/Radiobiology
- 26.0210Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
- 26.0299Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology, Other
- 26.0301Botany/Plant Biology
- 26.0305Plant Pathology/Phytopathology
- 26.0307Plant Physiology
- 26.0399Botany/Plant Biology, Other
- 26.0401Cell/Cellular Biology and Histology
- 26.0403Anatomy
- 26.0406Cell/Cellular and Molecular Biology
- 26.0499Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences, Other
- 26.0502Microbiology, General
- 26.0503Medical Microbiology and Bacteriology
- 26.0504Virology
- 26.0505Parasitology
Common questions
Answers for people weighing natural sciences managers programs in North Carolina.
What degree do you need to become a Natural Sciences Manager?+
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 3,519 degrees in North Carolina in 2024-25, 40.8% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Natural Sciences Manager?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 70 programs to this occupation. The largest are Biology, Chemistry, Biotechnology, Mathematics, plus 37 more. Together they graduate about 8,624 people a year in North Carolina.
How much do natural sciences managers earn in North Carolina?+
The median is $173,870 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 4.0% above the U.S. median of $167,220. 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 natural sciences managers growing?+
BLS projects a +3.7% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 8,500 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in North Carolina?+
56 institutions in North Carolina reported graduates from at least one of the 70 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 natural sciences managers work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Research Coordinator, Clinical Trial Manager, Water Resources Planner, Clinical Program Manager, Natural Sciences Manager, Clinical Research Coordinator among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 11-9121.
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
Explore every U.S. college in one conversation
Clema turns plain-language questions into sourced answers across every U.S. institution — earnings, aid, acceptance, graduation, safety, and athletics from IPEDS, College Scorecard, and 10+ federal datasets, built in.
Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card