Best degree programs for Biological Science Teachers, Postsecondary, ranked by enrollment
80 college programs and 1,844 schools train Biological Science Teachers, Postsecondary. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $84,620 median wage, 50,190 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
80 college programs at 1,844 schools train biological science teachers, postsecondary, graduating 184,925 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Biology/Biological Sciences, General. The job pays a median of $84,620 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About biological science teachers, postsecondary
Teach courses in biological sciences. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
80 degree programs that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 26.0101 | 90,079 | 48.7% | 1,660 | $32,152 | $25,000 |
| 2 | CIP 26.0102 | 12,157 | 6.6% | 312 | $32,152 | $25,000 |
| 3 | CIP 26.1501 | 11,787 | 6.4% | 337 | $31,687 | $22,936 |
| 4 | CIP 26.0202 | 10,036 | 5.4% | 593 | $38,243 | $23,014 |
| 5 | CIP 26.0908 | 8,332 | 4.5% | 155 | $31,146 | $23,384 |
| 6 | CIP 30.1901 | 5,478 | 3.0% | 154 | $30,508 | $24,586 |
| 7 | CIP 26.9999 | 4,868 | 2.6% | 131 | $31,278 | $23,000 |
| 8 | CIP 26.0406 | 4,454 | 2.4% | 105 | $35,393 | $19,961 |
| 9 | CIP 26.1201 | 4,383 | 2.4% | 186 | $49,023 | $21,309 |
| 10 | CIP 26.0901 | 3,004 | 1.6% | 70 | $31,146 | $23,384 |
| 11 | CIP 26.1302 | 2,636 | 1.4% | 84 | $29,460 | $23,480 |
| 12 | CIP 26.0502 | 2,497 | 1.4% | 109 | $38,383 | $22,065 |
| 13 | CIP 30.2701 | 2,282 | 1.2% | 33 | $31,690 | $17,312 |
| 14 | CIP 26.0701 | 1,722 | 0.9% | 48 | $28,266 | $24,393 |
| 15 | CIP 26.0210 | 1,607 | 0.9% | 98 | $38,243 | $23,014 |
| 16 | CIP 26.0204 | 1,352 | 0.7% | 75 | $38,243 | $23,014 |
| 17 | CIP 26.1301 | 1,166 | 0.6% | 67 | $29,460 | $23,480 |
| 18 | CIP 13.1316 | 1,021 | 0.6% | 160 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 19 | CIP 26.0503 | 962 | 0.5% | 33 | $38,383 | $22,065 |
| 20 | CIP 26.0403 | 902 | 0.5% | 37 | $35,393 | $19,961 |
| 21 | CIP 26.1310 | 879 | 0.5% | 42 | $29,460 | $23,480 |
| 22 | CIP 26.1503 | 815 | 0.4% | 21 | $31,687 | $22,936 |
| 23 | CIP 26.0801 | 766 | 0.4% | 38 | $31,800 | $21,424 |
| 24 | CIP 13.1322 | 702 | 0.4% | 145 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 25 | CIP 26.0301 | 543 | 0.3% | 39 | $33,009 | $21,975 |
| 26 | CIP 26.1001 | 495 | 0.3% | 53 | $39,202 | $18,000 |
| 27 | CIP 26.0205 | 494 | 0.3% | 18 | $38,243 | $23,014 |
| 28 | CIP 26.1305 | 481 | 0.3% | 51 | $29,460 | $23,480 |
| 29 | CIP 26.0508 | 477 | 0.3% | 38 | $38,383 | $22,065 |
| 30 | CIP 26.0806 | 477 | 0.3% | 40 | $31,800 | $21,424 |
| 31 | CIP 26.0401 | 460 | 0.2% | 21 | $35,393 | $19,961 |
| 32 | CIP 26.0702 | 447 | 0.2% | 36 | $28,266 | $24,393 |
| 33 | CIP 26.0499 | 436 | 0.2% | 20 | $35,393 | $19,961 |
| 34 | CIP 26.1307 | 405 | 0.2% | 37 | $29,460 | $23,480 |
| 35 | CIP 26.1104 | 399 | 0.2% | 29 | $72,338 | $18,500 |
| 36 | CIP 26.1399 | 344 | 0.2% | 17 | $29,460 | $23,480 |
| 37 | CIP 26.0299 | 330 | 0.2% | 21 | $38,243 | $23,014 |
| 38 | CIP 26.1199 | 308 | 0.2% | 21 | $72,338 | $18,500 |
| 39 | CIP 26.0910 | 306 | 0.2% | 36 | $31,146 | $23,384 |
| 40 | CIP 26.0203 | 266 | 0.1% | 52 | $38,243 | $23,014 |
| 41 | CIP 26.1599 | 263 | 0.1% | 11 | $31,687 | $22,936 |
| 42 | CIP 26.0802 | 253 | 0.1% | 16 | $31,800 | $21,424 |
| 43 | CIP 26.0599 | 248 | 0.1% | 13 | $38,383 | $22,065 |
| 44 | CIP 26.0507 | 242 | 0.1% | 26 | $38,383 | $22,065 |
| 45 | CIP 26.0707 | 235 | 0.1% | 9 | $28,266 | $24,393 |
| 46 | CIP 26.0911 | 235 | 0.1% | 31 | $31,146 | $23,384 |
| 47 | CIP 26.1401 | 223 | 0.1% | 12 | — | — |
| 48 | CIP 26.0909 | 219 | 0.1% | 12 | $31,146 | $23,384 |
| 49 | CIP 26.0807 | 210 | 0.1% | 20 | $31,800 | $21,424 |
| 50 | CIP 26.0206 | 207 | 0.1% | 4 | $38,243 | $23,014 |
| 51 | CIP 26.1101 | 205 | 0.1% | 8 | $72,338 | $18,500 |
| 52 | CIP 26.1303 | 192 | 0.1% | 14 | $29,460 | $23,480 |
| 53 | CIP 30.1001 | 183 | 0.1% | 22 | $43,343 | $22,125 |
| 54 | CIP 26.0305 | 176 | 0.1% | 25 | $33,009 | $21,975 |
| 55 | CIP 26.1004 | 173 | 0.1% | 28 | $39,202 | $18,000 |
| 56 | CIP 26.1504 | 169 | 0.1% | 8 | $31,687 | $22,936 |
| 57 | CIP 26.0407 | 134 | 0.1% | 12 | $35,393 | $19,961 |
| 58 | CIP 26.1304 | 126 | 0.1% | 9 | $29,460 | $23,480 |
| 59 | CIP 26.0404 | 103 | 0.1% | 10 | $35,393 | $19,961 |
| 60 | CIP 26.0913 | 70 | 0.0% | 6 | $31,146 | $23,384 |
| 61 | CIP 26.0399 | 61 | 0.0% | 5 | $33,009 | $21,975 |
| 62 | CIP 26.0907 | 61 | 0.0% | 4 | $31,146 | $23,384 |
| 63 | CIP 26.0804 | 57 | 0.0% | 2 | $31,800 | $21,424 |
| 64 | CIP 26.0902 | 44 | 0.0% | 9 | $31,146 | $23,384 |
| 65 | CIP 26.0912 | 40 | 0.0% | 3 | $31,146 | $23,384 |
| 66 | CIP 26.0903 | 32 | 0.0% | 7 | $31,146 | $23,384 |
| 67 | CIP 26.0905 | 31 | 0.0% | 3 | $31,146 | $23,384 |
| 68 | CIP 26.0805 | 27 | 0.0% | 3 | $31,800 | $21,424 |
| 69 | CIP 26.0209 | 25 | 0.0% | 5 | $38,243 | $23,014 |
| 70 | CIP 26.0799 | 25 | 0.0% | 4 | $28,266 | $24,393 |
| 71 | CIP 26.1308 | 24 | 0.0% | 2 | $29,460 | $23,480 |
| 72 | CIP 26.0207 | 17 | 0.0% | 2 | $38,243 | $23,014 |
| 73 | CIP 26.0506 | 14 | 0.0% | 1 | $38,383 | $22,065 |
| 74 | CIP 26.1306 | 10 | 0.0% | 3 | $29,460 | $23,480 |
| 75 | CIP 26.0899 | 8 | 0.0% | 1 | $31,800 | $21,424 |
| 76 | CIP 26.0307 | 7 | 0.0% | 2 | $33,009 | $21,975 |
| 77 | CIP 26.0504 | 7 | 0.0% | 3 | $38,383 | $22,065 |
| 78 | CIP 26.0505 | 6 | 0.0% | 1 | $38,383 | $22,065 |
| 79 | CIP 26.0904 | 6 | 0.0% | 2 | $31,146 | $23,384 |
| 80 | Geobiology CIP 30.4301 | 2 | 0.0% | 1 | — | — |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
What biological science teachers, postsecondary earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $129,150 | 3,610 | 0.61× | 183 | 26,732 |
| Texas | $82,470 | 3,840 | 0.85× | 106 | 14,764 |
| New York | $98,180 | 3,870 | 1.24× | 120 | 12,412 |
| Florida | $57,140 | 2,020 | 0.63× | 47 | 10,643 |
| Pennsylvania | $85,970 | 2,410 | 1.23× | 115 | 7,633 |
| Massachusetts | $105,050 | 2,060 | 1.75× | 67 | 7,214 |
| North Carolina | $77,700 | 1,960 | 1.23× | 56 | 6,594 |
| Ohio | $79,600 | 1,350 | 0.75× | 70 | 5,562 |
| Arizona | $83,030 | — | — | 24 | 5,402 |
| Georgia | $88,020 | 980 | 0.62× | 51 | 5,314 |
| Michigan | $103,620 | 1,460 | 1.03× | 44 | 5,159 |
| Illinois | $99,060 | 2,340 | 1.19× | 53 | 4,624 |
| Virginia | $79,190 | 1,760 | 1.33× | 39 | 4,537 |
| Maryland | $83,500 | 970 | 1.09× | 27 | 4,071 |
| New Jersey | $79,540 | 1,570 | 1.14× | 36 | 3,842 |
| Colorado | $98,680 | 810 | 0.87× | 29 | 3,582 |
| Washington | $97,280 | 960 | 0.84× | 38 | 3,503 |
| Indiana | $83,130 | 1,100 | 1.07× | 45 | 3,495 |
| Wisconsin | $78,920 | 950 | 1.00× | 30 | 3,354 |
| Utah | $81,580 | 300 | 0.54× | 11 | 3,094 |
| Alabama | $77,540 | 1,160 | 1.70× | 24 | 2,957 |
| South Carolina | $82,300 | 750 | 1.00× | 32 | 2,944 |
| Minnesota | $96,880 | 780 | 0.82× | 48 | 2,829 |
| Missouri | $80,970 | 1,060 | 1.12× | 48 | 2,805 |
| Connecticut | $96,470 | 870 | 1.59× | 20 | 2,479 |
| Tennessee | $78,940 | 830 | 0.79× | 39 | 2,338 |
| Louisiana | $79,010 | 390 | 0.63× | 24 | 2,121 |
| Oklahoma | $65,960 | 470 | 0.85× | 45 | 2,072 |
| Oregon | $100,820 | 800 | 1.25× | 26 | 1,828 |
| Mississippi | $66,830 | 580 | 1.54× | 22 | 1,527 |
| Iowa | $78,060 | 540 | 1.08× | 41 | 1,518 |
| Kentucky | $70,630 | 470 | 0.72× | 26 | 1,446 |
| Kansas | $81,300 | 430 | 0.92× | 25 | 1,413 |
| Nebraska | $81,190 | 500 | 1.51× | 22 | 1,202 |
| District of Columbia | $96,830 | 350 | 1.53× | 8 | 1,147 |
| Idaho | $81,620 | 220 | 0.79× | 10 | 1,070 |
| Arkansas | $77,670 | 430 | 1.03× | 23 | 1,046 |
| Rhode Island | $102,300 | 250 | 1.55× | 9 | 1,003 |
| Maine | $84,080 | 270 | 1.30× | 18 | 931 |
| Nevada | $85,040 | 350 | 0.70× | 6 | 837 |
| New Hampshire | $102,410 | 170 | 0.79× | 15 | 773 |
| West Virginia | $67,190 | 220 | 0.97× | 16 | 698 |
| New Mexico | $98,820 | 150 | 0.52× | 15 | 644 |
| Vermont | $82,230 | 170 | 1.78× | 8 | 635 |
| Montana | $100,480 | 110 | 0.69× | 12 | 605 |
| Delawaremoderate | $101,380 | 130 | 0.84× | 4 | 518 |
| South Dakota | $76,570 | 160 | 1.10× | 11 | 495 |
| North Dakota | $90,740 | 170 | 1.21× | 9 | 398 |
| Wyoming | $82,930 | 160 | 1.71× | 6 | 178 |
Skills and tools
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Evaluate and grade students' class work, laboratory work, assignments, and papers.
- Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as molecular biology, marine biology, and botany.
- Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, and course materials and methods of instruction.
- Prepare materials for laboratory activities and course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
- Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
- Supervise students' laboratory work.
- Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.
- Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.
Skills
- Speaking4.3
- Learning Strategies4.1
- Active Learning4.0
- Active Listening4.0
- Reading Comprehension4.0
- Science4.0
- Writing4.0
- Monitoring3.9
Knowledge areas
- Biology5.0
- English Language4.4
- Mathematics4.2
- Chemistry4.1
- Education and Training4.1
- Computers and Electronics3.8
Abilities
- Oral Expression4.6
- Written Expression4.1
- Oral Comprehension4.1
- Written Comprehension4.1
- Speech Clarity4.1
- Inductive Reasoning4.0
Core activities
- Training and Teaching Others4.7
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge4.6
- Working with Computers4.6
- Processing Information4.6
- Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others4.4
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.4
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
How to become a Biological Science Teacher, Postsecondary
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.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 25 majors mapped to Biological Science Teachers, Postsecondary24 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 13.1316Science Teacher Education/General Science Teacher Education
- 13.1322Biology Teacher Education
- 26.0101Biology/Biological Sciences, General
- 26.0102Biomedical 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
- 26.0404Developmental Biology and Embryology
- 26.0406Cell/Cellular and Molecular Biology
- 26.0407Cell Biology and Anatomy
- 26.0499Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences, Other
- 26.0502Microbiology, General
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
What degree do you need to become a Biological Science Teacher, Postsecondary?+
Doctoral or professional 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 90,079 degrees in 2024-25, 48.7% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Biological Science Teacher, Postsecondary?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 80 programs to this occupation. The largest are Biology, Biochemistry, Neurobiology and Neurosciences, Physiology, plus 16 more. Together they graduate about 184,925 people a year.
How much do biological science teachers, postsecondary earn?+
The median is $84,620 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $52,150 at the 10th percentile to $169,900 at the 90th. 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 biological science teachers, postsecondary growing?+
BLS projects a +7.3% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, faster than average, with roughly 5,400 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
1,844 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 80 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 biological science teachers, postsecondary work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Professor, Biology Professor, Biology Instructor, Associate Professor among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 25-1042.
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
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