West Virginia·Management Occupations·SOC 11-9121

Best Natural Sciences Manager programs in West Virginia, ranked by enrollment

Plan, direct, or coordinate activities in such fields as life sciences, physical sciences, mathematics, statistics, and research and development in these.

17 schools in West Virginia run programs that feed this job, graduating 879 people a year. The job pays a median of $138,010 in West Virginia across about 160 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledResearch CoordinatorClinical Trial ManagerWater Resources PlannerClinical Program ManagerNatural Sciences ManagerClinical Research CoordinatorEnvironmental Program ManagerChemical Process Exploration Manager
Graduates / yr
879
in West Virginia
Median pay · West Virginia
$138,010
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
160
people employed
Schools
17
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
44%
across those schools
Median net price
$17,325
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in West Virginia that lead to this job

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

Biological And Biomedical Sciences
CIP 26.01
Biology
405graduates / yr
15 schools · 1 specialization · 46.1% of pipeline
Grad earnings $32,152
Physical Sciences
CIP 40.05
Chemistry
97graduates / yr
9 schools · 2 specializations · 11.1% of pipeline
Grad earnings $42,620
Mathematics And Statistics
CIP 27.01
Mathematics
52graduates / yr
7 schools · 1 specialization · 5.9% of pipeline
Grad earnings $48,772
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
CIP 30.18
Natural Sciences
52graduates / yr
1 schools · 1 specialization · 5.9% of pipeline
Grad earnings $29,587
Physical Sciences
CIP 40.08
Physics
43graduates / yr
3 schools · 1 specialization · 4.9% of pipeline
Grad earnings $47,156
Biological And Biomedical Sciences
CIP 26.15
Neurobiology and Neurosciences
36graduates / yr
1 schools · 1 specialization · 4.1% of pipeline
Grad earnings $31,687
Biological And Biomedical Sciences
CIP 26.02
Biochemistry
33graduates / yr
2 schools · 2 specializations · 3.8% of pipeline
Grad earnings $38,243
Physical Sciences
CIP 40.06
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences
33graduates / yr
3 schools · 1 specialization · 3.8% of pipeline
Grad earnings $39,678
Mathematics And Statistics
CIP 27.03
Applied Mathematics
32graduates / yr
2 schools · 2 specializations · 3.6% of pipeline
Grad earnings $60,930
Biological And Biomedical Sciences
CIP 26.05
Microbiological Sciences and Immunology
31graduates / yr
1 schools · 2 specializations · 3.6% of pipeline
Grad earnings $38,383
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
CIP 30.33
Sustainability Studies
28graduates / yr
2 schools · 1 specialization · 3.2% of pipeline
Grad earnings $37,223
Health Professions And Related Programs
CIP 51.14
Medical Clinical Sciences/Graduate Medical Studies
12graduates / yr
1 schools · 1 specialization · 1.4% of pipeline
Grad earnings $223,926
Biological And Biomedical Sciences
CIP 26.12
Biotechnology
8graduates / yr
1 schools · 1 specialization · 0.9% of pipeline
Grad earnings $49,023
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
CIP 30.01
Biological and Physical Sciences
7graduates / yr
1 schools · 1 specialization · 0.8% of pipeline
Grad earnings $28,446
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
CIP 30.70
Data Science
7graduates / yr
2 schools · 1 specialization · 0.8% of pipeline
Grad earnings
Biological And Biomedical Sciences
CIP 26.11
Biomathematics
1graduates / yr
1 schools · 1 specialization · 0.1% of pipeline
Grad earnings $72,338
Physical Sciences
CIP 40.01
Physical Sciences
1graduates / yr
1 schools · 1 specialization · 0.1% of pipeline
Grad earnings $27,007
Physical Sciences
CIP 40.04
Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology
1graduates / yr
1 schools · 1 specialization · 0.1% of pipeline
Grad earnings $41,430

22 programs in West Virginia that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in West Virginia (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 West Virginia page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1405
46.1%
15$32,152$25,000
293
10.6%
9$42,620$23,900
3
Natural Sciencesmain feeder
52
5.9%
1$29,587$21,610
452
5.9%
7$48,772$21,544
543
4.9%
3$47,156$23,490
636
4.1%
1$31,687$22,936
733
3.8%
3$39,678$24,864
831
3.5%
2$60,930$21,143
928
3.2%
2$38,243$23,014
1028
3.2%
2$37,223$20,968
1120
2.3%
1$38,383$22,065
1212
1.4%
1$223,926$16,250
1311
1.3%
1$38,383$22,065
14
Biotechnologymain feeder
8
0.9%
1$49,023$21,309
157
0.8%
1$28,446$11,000
167
0.8%
2
175
0.6%
1$38,243$23,014
184
0.5%
1$42,620$23,900
191
0.1%
1$27,007$9,000
201
0.1%
1$72,338$18,500
211
0.1%
1$60,930$21,143
221
0.1%
1$41,430$25,500

Top 17 schools in West Virginia

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 7 of the 17 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1West Virginia University
Morgantown, WV Public · 14 feeder programs
389Biology/Biological Sciences, General$25,08665%89%
2Marshall University
Huntington, WV Public · 7 feeder programs
121Biology/Biological Sciences, General$19,95551%96%
3American Public University System
Charles Town, WV Private for-profit · 4 feeder programs
84Natural Sciences57%$10,199
4West Liberty University
West Liberty, WV Public · 2 feeder programs
57Biology/Biological Sciences, General$29,55960%97%
5Shepherd University
Shepherdstown, WV Public · 5 feeder programs
41Biology/Biological Sciences, General$49,16551%97%
6West Virginia State University
Institute, WV Public · 3 feeder programs
31Biology/Biological Sciences, General39%96%
7Concord University
Athens, WV Public · 3 feeder programs
24Biology/Biological Sciences, General$26,39039%93%
8West Virginia Wesleyan College
Buckhannon, WV Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs
20Physics, General57%$17,32593%
9Bethany College
Bethany, WV Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
18Biology/Biological Sciences, General47%$15,78359%
10Fairmont State University
Fairmont, WV Public · 2 feeder programs
18Biology/Biological Sciences, General44%99%
11University of Charleston
Charleston, WV Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
17Biology/Biological Sciences, General$29,18846%$21,93962%
12Salem University
Salem, WV Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
15Biology/Biological Sciences, General20%$14,845
13West Virginia University Institute of Technology
Beckley, WV Public · 1 feeder programs
13Biology/Biological Sciences, General$25,08633%37%
14Glenville State University
Glenville, WV Public · 2 feeder programs
10Biology/Biological Sciences, General34%
15Davis & Elkins College
Elkins, WV Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
9Biology/Biological Sciences, General39%$19,28494%
16Bluefield State University
Bluefield, WV Public · 1 feeder programs
7Biological and Physical Sciences37%97%
17Wheeling University
Wheeling, WV Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
5Biology/Biological Sciences, General23%$18,04263%

All 17 schools in West Virginia

Every school in West Virginia 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 West Virginia that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
West Virginia UniversityMorgantownPublic38914
Marshall UniversityHuntingtonPublic1217
American Public University SystemCharles TownPrivate for-profit844
West Liberty UniversityWest LibertyPublic572
Shepherd UniversityShepherdstownPublic415
West Virginia State UniversityInstitutePublic313
Concord UniversityAthensPublic243
West Virginia Wesleyan CollegeBuckhannonPrivate not-for-profit204
Bethany CollegeBethanyPrivate not-for-profit183
Fairmont State UniversityFairmontPublic182
University of CharlestonCharlestonPrivate not-for-profit172
Salem UniversitySalemPrivate for-profit151
West Virginia University Institute of TechnologyBeckleyPublic131
Glenville State UniversityGlenvillePublic102
Davis & Elkins CollegeElkinsPrivate not-for-profit93

What natural sciences managers earn in West Virginia

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

Median annual in West Virginia
$138,010
Mean annual
$143,790
Jobs in state
160
What the range looks like
10th pct$100,140Median$138,01090th pct$185,220
Versus the national median
-17.5%

U.S. median $167,220. West Virginia pays below the national figure.

Job concentration
0.32×

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

Metro areas in West Virginia

Morgantown, WV
$136,990median
50 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+3.7%
About as fast as average
Openings per year
8,500
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
3,900
104,300 → 108,200
Typical entry education
Bachelor's 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 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

Reading ComprehensionActive ListeningWritingSpeakingCritical ThinkingMonitoring

The same job in other states

Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.

Related careers in West Virginia

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 West Virginia.

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 405 degrees in West Virginia in 2024-25, 46.1% 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 22 programs to this occupation. The largest are Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Natural Sciences, plus 14 more. Together they graduate about 879 people a year in West Virginia.

How much do natural sciences managers earn in West Virginia?+

The median is $138,010 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 17.5% below 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 West Virginia?+

17 institutions in West Virginia reported graduates from at least one of the 22 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 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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