Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations·SOC 19-1023

Best degree programs for Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists, ranked by enrollment

Q: What degree do you need to become a Zoologist?

Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography, which awarded 2,636 degrees in 2024-25, 24.1% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Q: Which college majors lead to becoming a Zoologist?

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 12 programs to this occupation. The largest are Ecology, Zoology/Animal Biology, Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management, Marine Sciences. Together they graduate about 10,952 people a year.

Q: How much do zoologists and wildlife biologists earn?

The median is $76,780 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $49,100 at the 10th percentile to $126,440 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.

Q: Is demand for zoologists and wildlife biologists growing?

BLS projects a +1.6% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, little or no change, with roughly 1,400 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

Q: How many schools offer programs for this career?

327 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 12 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.

Q: What other job titles do zoologists and wildlife biologists work under?

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Wildlife Biologist, Fisheries Biologist, Conservation Biologist, Fish and Wildlife Biologist among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 19-1023.

12 college programs and 327 schools train Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $76,780 median wage, 18,120 U.S. jobs. Federal data.

12 college programs at 327 schools train zoologists and wildlife biologists, graduating 10,952 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography. The job pays a median of $76,780 (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Graduates / yr

10,952

from every feeder program

Median annual wage

$76,780

BLS OEWS May 2025

Projected growth

+1.6%

Little or no change

Openings / yr

1,400

new plus replacement

Schools

327

with a feeder program

States with jobs

BLS reports wages

About zoologists and wildlife biologists

Study the origins, behavior, diseases, genetics, and life processes of animals and wildlife. May specialize in wildlife research and management. May collect and analyze biological data to determine the environmental effects of present and potential use of land and water habitats.

Also calledWildlife BiologistFisheries BiologistConservation BiologistFish and Wildlife BiologistAquaristZoologistEthologistNaturalistBehavioristLimnologistMammalogistEntomologist

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.

Biological And Biomedical Sciences

CIP 26.13

Ecology

4,475graduates / yr

84 schools · 4 specializations · 40.9% of pipeline

Grad earnings $29,460

Biological And Biomedical Sciences

CIP 26.07

Zoology/Animal Biology

3,344graduates / yr

48 schools · 6 specializations · 30.5% of pipeline

Grad earnings $28,266

Natural Resources And Conservation

CIP 03.06

Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management

2,509graduates / yr

88 schools · 1 specialization · 22.9% of pipeline

Grad earnings $28,750

Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies

CIP 30.32

Marine Sciences

624graduates / yr

39 schools · 1 specialization · 5.7% of pipeline

Grad earnings $27,337

12 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.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#	Program	Graduates / yr	Share of pipeline	Schools	Grad earnings (1 yr)	Median debt
1	Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography CIP 26.1302	2,636	24.1%	84	$29,460	$23,480
2	Wildlife, Fish and Wildlands Science and Management CIP 03.0601	2,509	22.9%	88	$28,750	$24,798
3	Zoology/Animal Biologymain feeder CIP 26.0701	1,722	15.7%	48	$28,266	$24,393
4	Ecology CIP 26.1301	1,166	10.6%	67	$29,460	$23,480
5	Wildlife Biologymain feeder CIP 26.0709	646	5.9%	26	$28,266	$24,393
6	Marine Sciences CIP 30.3201	624	5.7%	39	$27,337	$22,400
7	Environmental Biology CIP 26.1305	481	4.4%	51	$29,460	$23,480
8	Entomologymain feeder CIP 26.0702	447	4.1%	36	$28,266	$24,393
9	Animal Behavior and Ethologymain feeder CIP 26.0708	269	2.5%	12	$28,266	$24,393
10	Animal Physiologymain feeder CIP 26.0707	235	2.1%	9	$28,266	$24,393
11	Evolutionary Biology CIP 26.1303	192	1.8%	14	$29,460	$23,480
12	Zoology/Animal Biology, Othermain feeder CIP 26.0799	25	0.2%	4	$28,266	$24,393

Top 50 schools by graduates into this job

Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#	School	Graduates / yr	Top feeder program	Grad rate	Net price	Acceptance
1	Colorado State University - Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO Public · 4 feeder programs	418	Wildlife Biology	67%	—	89%
2	Oregon State University Corvallis, OR Public · 4 feeder programs	335	Wildlife, Fish and Wildlands Science and Management	70%	—	77%
3	University of Florida Gainesville, FL Public · 5 feeder programs	333	Wildlife, Fish and Wildlands Science and Management	91%	—	24%
4	Unity Environmental University New Gloucester, ME Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	285	Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography	29%	$19,316	—
5	Texas A&M University - College Station College Station, TX Public · 5 feeder programs	280	Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography	84%	—	57%
6	University of California - Davis Davis, CA Public · 6 feeder programs	256	Zoology/Animal Biology	86%	—	42%
7	Michigan State University East Lansing, MI Public · 4 feeder programs	229	Zoology/Animal Biology	81%	—	85%
8	University of Georgia Athens, GA Public · 7 feeder programs	209	Ecology	90%	—	38%
9	Utah State University Logan, UT Public · 4 feeder programs	200	Ecology	59%	—	92%
10	Oklahoma State University - Main Campus Stillwater, OK Public · 3 feeder programs	183	Ecology	68%	—	75%
11	University of Connecticut Storrs, CT Public · 3 feeder programs	183	Animal Physiology	83%	—	52%
12	Eckerd College Saint Petersburg, FL Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	174	Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography	66%	$31,022	76%
13	University of California - San Diego La Jolla, CA Public · 1 feeder programs	171	Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography	86%	—	27%
14	Ohio University - Main Campus Athens, OH Public · 3 feeder programs	159	Zoology/Animal Biology	65%	—	85%
15	University of Maine Orono, ME Public · 6 feeder programs	156	Marine Sciences	55%	—	97%
16	Coastal Carolina University Conway, SC Public · 1 feeder programs	148	Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography	48%	—	75%
17	Ohio State University - Main Campus Columbus, OH Public · 4 feeder programs	135	Zoology/Animal Biology	88%	—	61%
18	University of Miami Coral Gables, FL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	133	Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography	84%	$26,589	19%
19	California State Polytechnic University - Humboldt Arcata, CA Public · 3 feeder programs	119	Wildlife, Fish and Wildlands Science and Management	49%	—	98%
20	California State University - Monterey Bay Seaside, CA Public · 1 feeder programs	115	Marine Sciences	59%	—	97%
21	University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, WI Public · 4 feeder programs	108	Zoology/Animal Biology	90%	—	45%
22	University of Delaware Newark, DE Public · 4 feeder programs	107	Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography	81%	—	71%
23	University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu, HI Public · 3 feeder programs	106	Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography	64%	—	87%
24	University of North Carolina Wilmington Wilmington, NC Public · 1 feeder programs	103	Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography	71%	—	64%
25	University of Rhode Island Kingston, RI Public · 3 feeder programs	103	Wildlife, Fish and Wildlands Science and Management	73%	—	72%
26	Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY Public · 4 feeder programs	100	Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography	76%	—	49%
27	University of California - Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA Public · 2 feeder programs	95	Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography	75%	—	66%
28	University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point Stevens Point, WI Public · 1 feeder programs	92	Wildlife, Fish and Wildlands Science and Management	51%	—	92%
29	Mississippi State University Mississippi State, MS Public · 2 feeder programs	89	Wildlife, Fish and Wildlands Science and Management	67%	—	78%
30	Iowa State University Ames, IA Public · 4 feeder programs	86	Ecology	75%	—	89%
31	University of Maryland - College Park College Park, MD Public · 2 feeder programs	86	Ecology	89%	—	45%
32	SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry Syracuse, NY Public · 2 feeder programs	85	Environmental Biology	66%	—	63%
33	University of New Hampshire - Main Campus Durham, NH Public · 3 feeder programs	82	Wildlife, Fish and Wildlands Science and Management	76%	—	88%
34	Harvard University Cambridge, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	79	Evolutionary Biology	98%	$15,013	4%
35	Delaware Valley University Doylestown, PA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	78	Wildlife, Fish and Wildlands Science and Management	56%	$25,402	93%
36	North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, NC Public · 2 feeder programs	78	Zoology/Animal Biology	85%	—	42%
37	The University of Montana Missoula, MT Public · 2 feeder programs	76	Wildlife, Fish and Wildlands Science and Management	48%	—	96%
38	Miami University - Oxford Oxford, OH Public · 2 feeder programs	73	Zoology/Animal Biology	80%	—	75%
39	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA Public · 2 feeder programs	72	Wildlife, Fish and Wildlands Science and Management	86%	—	55%
40	University of Washington - Seattle Campus Seattle, WA Public · 1 feeder programs	68	Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography	85%	—	39%
41	California State University - Long Beach Long Beach, CA Public · 1 feeder programs	67	Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography	69%	—	46%
42	Texas State University San Marcos, TX Public · 2 feeder programs	67	Wildlife Biology	55%	—	89%
43	West Virginia University Morgantown, WV Public · 1 feeder programs	66	Wildlife, Fish and Wildlands Science and Management	65%	—	89%
44	Tarleton State University Stephenville, TX Public · 1 feeder programs	65	Wildlife, Fish and Wildlands Science and Management	48%	—	90%
45	Clemson University Clemson, SC Public · 3 feeder programs	64	Wildlife, Fish and Wildlands Science and Management	87%	—	38%
46	University of New England Biddeford, ME Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	64	Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography	68%	$34,673	92%
47	University of Vermont Burlington, VT Public · 2 feeder programs	63	Wildlife Biology	79%	—	65%
48	Southern Illinois University - Carbondale Carbondale, IL Public · 1 feeder programs	61	Zoology/Animal Biology	62%	—	87%
49	The University of Tampa Tampa, FL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	60	Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography	64%	$33,070	40%
50	The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Knoxville, TN Public · 2 feeder programs	60	Wildlife, Fish and Wildlands Science and Management	74%	—	42%

What zoologists and wildlife biologists earn

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

Median annual wage

$76,780

Mean annual

$83,020

Median hourly

$36.91/hr

People employed

18,120

What the range looks like

10th pct$49,100Median$76,78090th pct$126,440

Top-paying states

Top-paying metro areas

Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA

$122,170median

30 jobs

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

$104,330median

270 jobs

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA

$129,940median

40 jobs

Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA

$96,450median

720 jobs

San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA

$99,230median

300 jobs

Gulfport-Biloxi, MS

$113,800median

30 jobs

Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD

$99,490median

100 jobs

San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA

$93,500median

250 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34

+1.6%

Little or no change

Openings per year

1,400

new jobs plus replacements

Employment change

300

18,200 → 18,500

Typical entry education

Bachelor's degree

Where the jobs are, state by state

Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.

This occupation state by state: pay, jobs, and schools
State	Median pay	Jobs	Concentration	Schools	Graduates / yr
Florida	$52,750	1,400	1.21×	19	1,088
California	$98,530	2,210	1.04×	20	1,051
Texas	$49,100	580	0.35×	17	644
Maine	$74,490	330	4.48×	7	541
Ohio	$74,550	220	0.34×	14	520
New York	$82,640	370	0.33×	19	505
Colorado	$83,300	730	2.18×	8	503
Oregon	$85,150	1,010	4.41×	5	377
Michigan	$79,150	330	0.65×	9	326
South Carolina	$64,090	250	0.91×	5	321
North Carolina	$64,620	350	0.60×	10	312
Georgia	$66,210	200	0.35×	6	299
Utahmoderate	$73,920	370	1.82×	4	271
Connecticut	$77,300	110	0.53×	7	259
Pennsylvania	$78,540	200	0.28×	13	251
Wisconsinmoderate	$68,370	360	1.04×	4	234
Hawaiimoderate	$84,910	170	2.28×	3	199
Oklahomamoderate	$62,730	120	0.62×	3	194
Washington	$83,780	1,840	4.44×	7	181
Massachusetts	$84,350	470	1.12×	8	179
Maryland	$107,500	250	0.79×	10	157
Virginia	$72,340	290	0.61×	6	141
Illinois	$79,780	250	0.35×	9	138
Mississippimoderate	$88,710	110	0.84×	4	132
Missouri	$76,400	120	0.35×	7	118
Montana	$78,850	430	7.24×	7	117
Minnesota	$68,620	720	2.10×	5	112
Tennessee	$73,570	310	0.81×	7	112
New Jersey	$83,030	90	0.19×	7	105
Alabama	$74,290	290	1.17×	5	102
Iowamoderate	$83,000	90	0.52×	4	100
New Hampshiremoderate	$73,560	40	0.52×	3	92
Idahomoderate	$73,360	380	3.83×	4	87
Arizonamoderate	$66,880	410	1.07×	3	80
Vermontmoderate	$79,620	70	2.00×	3	68
Kansasmoderate	$66,440	160	0.95×	4	65
Wyominglimited	$74,150	320	9.90×	2	63
Alaskamoderate	$90,370	650	17.18×	3	62
Indiana	$54,670	120	0.33×	5	61
New Mexicomoderate	$68,220	170	1.63×	4	52
South Dakotamoderate	$65,890	170	3.24×	3	46
Kentuckymoderate	$61,950	150	0.64×	4	44
Nebraskalimited	$57,890	140	1.19×	2	38
District of Columbialimited	$107,050	140	1.74×	2	34
North Dakotamoderate	$81,330	100	2.09×	4	32
Nevadalimited	$75,180	190	1.04×	1	29
Louisianamoderate	$87,460	50	0.21×	3	17

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

Develop, or make recommendations on, management systems and plans for wildlife populations and habitat, consulting with stakeholders and the public at large to explore options.
Inventory or estimate plant and wildlife populations.
Inform and respond to public regarding wildlife and conservation issues, such as plant identification, hunting ordinances, and nuisance wildlife.
Study animals in their natural habitats, assessing effects of environment and industry on animals, interpreting findings and recommending alternative operating conditions for industry.
Disseminate information by writing reports and scientific papers or journal articles, and by making presentations and giving talks for schools, clubs, interest groups and park interpretive programs.
Study characteristics of animals, such as origin, interrelationships, classification, life histories, diseases, development, genetics, and distribution.
Perform administrative duties, such as fundraising, public relations, budgeting, and supervision of zoo staff.
Check for, and ensure compliance with, environmental laws, and notify law enforcement when violations are identified.

Skills

Reading Comprehension4.0
Active Listening4.0
Critical Thinking4.0
Speaking4.0
Writing3.9
Science3.9
Active Learning3.6
Monitoring3.4

Knowledge areas

Biology4.8
English Language3.8
Customer and Personal Service3.7
Mathematics3.4
Geography3.4
Law and Government3.3

Abilities

Written Comprehension4.0
Oral Expression4.0
Oral Comprehension4.0
Deductive Reasoning4.0
Inductive Reasoning4.0
Written Expression4.0

Core activities

Communicating with People Outside the Organization4.5
Working with Computers4.5
Getting Information4.4
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.4
Making Decisions and Solving Problems4.3
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships4.3

Tools and technology

hotmarks an O*NET hot technology

ESRI ArcGIS softwarehotMicrosoft AccesshotMicrosoft Active Server Pages ASPhotMicrosoft ExcelhotMicrosoft Office softwarehotMicrosoft OutlookhotMicrosoft PowerPointhotMicrosoft ProjecthotMicrosoft WordhotPythonhot

How to get in

How to become a Zoologist

Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0

Typical entry education: Bachelor's degree

Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 12 majors mapped to Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists12 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+

03.0601Wildlife, Fish and Wildlands Science and Management
26.0701Zoology/Animal Biology
26.0702Entomology
26.0707Animal Physiology
26.0708Animal Behavior and Ethology
26.0709Wildlife Biology
26.0799Zoology/Animal Biology, Other
26.1301Ecology
26.1302Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography
26.1303Evolutionary Biology
26.1305Environmental Biology
30.3201Marine Sciences

Related careers

Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.

19-1029

Biological Scientists, All Other

$98,92055,850 jobs+1.2%

19-1031

Conservation Scientists

$73,01025,950 jobs+3.4%

19-2041

Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health

$82,22089,250 jobs+4.4%

33-3031

Fish and Game Wardens

$74,0605,770 jobs-6.0%

19-1013

Soil and Plant Scientists

$78,85015,730 jobs+5.4%

19-2042

Geoscientists

$101,92023,470 jobs+3.2%

Common questions

What degree do you need to become a Zoologist?+

Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography, which awarded 2,636 degrees in 2024-25, 24.1% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Zoologist?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 12 programs to this occupation. The largest are Ecology, Zoology/Animal Biology, Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management, Marine Sciences. Together they graduate about 10,952 people a year.

How much do zoologists and wildlife biologists earn?+

The median is $76,780 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $49,100 at the 10th percentile to $126,440 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 zoologists and wildlife biologists growing?+

BLS projects a +1.6% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, little or no change, with roughly 1,400 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career?+

327 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 12 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 zoologists and wildlife biologists work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Wildlife Biologist, Fisheries Biologist, Conservation Biologist, Fish and Wildlife Biologist among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 19-1023.

↑ Zoom outAll occupations Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations

Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists by stateFlorida California Texas Maine Ohio New York Colorado Oregon Michigan South Carolina North Carolina Georgia

Programs that lead hereEcology Zoology/Animal Biology Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management Marine Sciences

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.
Official source →
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34
Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
Official source →
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)
Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
Official source →
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohorts
Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Official source →
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest available
Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
Official source →
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018
Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
Official source →
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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