Best Life Scientist, All Other programs in Pennsylvania, ranked by enrollment
All life scientists not listed.
113 schools in Pennsylvania run programs that feed this job, graduating 4,981 people a year. The job pays a median of $83,680 in Pennsylvania across about 290 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Pennsylvania that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
9 programs in Pennsylvania that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Pennsylvania (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 Pennsylvania page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 26.0101In Pennsylvania → | 3,801 | 76.3% | 104 | $32,152 | $25,000 |
| 2 | CIP 26.9999In Pennsylvania → | 521 | 10.5% | 10 | $31,278 | $23,000 |
| 3 | CIP 51.2314In Pennsylvania → | 191 | 3.8% | 3 | $35,966 | $26,323 |
| 4 | CIP 30.1701In Pennsylvania → | 185 | 3.7% | 8 | $36,206 | $29,240 |
| 5 | CIP 30.1901In Pennsylvania → | 179 | 3.6% | 9 | $30,508 | $24,586 |
| 6 | CIP 30.1801In Pennsylvania → | 52 | 1.0% | 6 | $29,587 | $21,610 |
| 7 | CIP 26.1301In Pennsylvania → | 29 | 0.6% | 3 | $29,460 | $23,480 |
| 8 | CIP 42.2706In Pennsylvania → | 22 | 0.4% | 2 | $34,454 | $21,878 |
| 9 | CIP 26.1399In Pennsylvania → | 1 | 0.0% | 1 | $29,460 | $23,480 |
Top 25 schools in Pennsylvania
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 53 of the 113 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pennsylvania State University - Main Campus University Park, PA Public · 4 feeder programs | 744 | Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other | $35,324 | 86% | — | 61% |
| 2 | University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA Public · 3 feeder programs | 554 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $33,576 | 85% | — | 58% |
| 3 | University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 255 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $31,055 | 97% | $22,055 | 5% |
| 4 | Temple University Philadelphia, PA Public · 2 feeder programs | 238 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $35,101 | 75% | — | 80% |
| 5 | Drexel University Philadelphia, PA Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 195 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $37,699 | 78% | $36,004 | 79% |
| 6 | Thomas Jefferson University Philadelphia, PA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 116 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 69% | $26,034 | 81% |
| 7 | Villanova University Villanova, PA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 114 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $31,818 | 92% | $33,774 | 27% |
| 8 | West Chester University of Pennsylvania West Chester, PA Public · 1 feeder programs | 108 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 71% | — | 78% |
| 9 | Elizabethtown College Elizabethtown, PA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 82 | Behavioral Sciences | — | 76% | $22,907 | 78% |
| 10 | Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania Bloomsburg, PA Public · 1 feeder programs | 78 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $31,776 | 54% | — | 93% |
| 11 | Millersville University of Pennsylvania Millersville, PA Public · 1 feeder programs | 76 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $38,990 | 58% | — | 86% |
| 12 | Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 68 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $33,767 | 79% | $34,418 | 89% |
| 13 | Franklin and Marshall College Lancaster, PA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 67 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $37,950 | 84% | $27,178 | 28% |
| 14 | Bucknell University Lewisburg, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 65 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $38,765 | 86% | $30,675 | 29% |
| 15 | East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania East Stroudsburg, PA Public · 1 feeder programs | 64 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $43,182 | 43% | — | 92% |
| 16 | Indiana University of Pennsylvania Indiana, PA Public · 1 feeder programs | 64 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $31,928 | 56% | — | 91% |
| 17 | Pennsylvania Western University California, PA Public · 1 feeder programs | 63 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $35,309 | 52% | — | 94% |
| 18 | University of Scranton Scranton, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 58 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $31,251 | 80% | $25,834 | 81% |
| 19 | Pennsylvania State University - Penn State Harrisburg Middletown, PA Public · 2 feeder programs | 57 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 26% | — | 98% |
| 20 | Ursinus College Collegeville, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 57 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $38,360 | 73% | $27,153 | 92% |
| 21 | Arcadia University Glenside, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 51 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $40,110 | 67% | $23,796 | 80% |
| 22 | Lehigh University Bethlehem, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 51 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $45,695 | 88% | $26,912 | 26% |
| 23 | Gannon University Erie, PA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 49 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 66% | $21,409 | 74% |
| 24 | Pennsylvania State University - World Campus University Park, PA Public · 2 feeder programs | 49 | Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other | $35,324 | 34% | — | 91% |
| 25 | Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania Shippensburg, PA Public · 1 feeder programs | 49 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $37,665 | 56% | — | 87% |
All 113 schools in Pennsylvania
Every school in Pennsylvania 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania State University - Main Campus | University Park | Public | 744 | 4 |
| University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus | Pittsburgh | Public | 554 | 3 |
| University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia | Private not-for-profit | 255 | 2 |
| Temple University | Philadelphia | Public | 238 | 2 |
| Drexel University | Philadelphia | Private not-for-profit | 195 | 4 |
| Thomas Jefferson University | Philadelphia | Private not-for-profit | 116 | 3 |
| Villanova University | Villanova | Private not-for-profit | 114 | 2 |
| West Chester University of Pennsylvania | West Chester | Public | 108 | 1 |
| Elizabethtown College | Elizabethtown | Private not-for-profit | 82 | 2 |
| Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania | Bloomsburg | Public | 78 | 1 |
| Millersville University of Pennsylvania | Millersville | Public | 76 | 1 |
| Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia | Philadelphia | Private not-for-profit | 68 | 2 |
| Franklin and Marshall College | Lancaster | Private not-for-profit | 67 | 2 |
| Bucknell University | Lewisburg | Private not-for-profit | 65 | 1 |
| East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania | East Stroudsburg | Public | 64 | 1 |
What life scientists, all other earn in Pennsylvania
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $93,750. Pennsylvania pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Pennsylvania
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 Life Scientists, All Other page.
How to become a Life Scientist, All Other
- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 10 majors mapped to Life Scientists, All Other10 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 26.0101Biology/Biological Sciences, General
- 26.1301Ecology
- 26.1399Ecology, Evolution, Systematics and Population Biology, Other
- 26.9999Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other
- 30.1701Behavioral Sciences
- 30.1801Natural Sciences
- 30.1901Nutrition Sciences
- 30.4301Geobiology
- 42.2706Behavioral Neuroscience
- 51.2314Rehabilitation Science
Common questions
Answers for people weighing life scientists, all other programs in Pennsylvania.
What degree do you need to become a Life Scientist, All Other?+
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 3,801 degrees in Pennsylvania in 2024-25, 76.3% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Life Scientist, All Other?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 9 programs to this occupation. The largest are Biology, Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions, Behavioral Sciences, plus 4 more. Together they graduate about 4,981 people a year in Pennsylvania.
How much do life scientists, all other earn in Pennsylvania?+
The median is $83,680 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 10.7% below the U.S. median of $93,750. 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 life scientists, all other growing?+
BLS projects a +3.7% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 400 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Pennsylvania?+
113 institutions in Pennsylvania reported graduates from at least one of the 9 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.
Do you need training or experience beyond a degree?+
BLS lists 'None' for related work experience and 'None' for on-the-job training typically needed to reach competency.
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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