Wisconsin·Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations·SOC 19-1099

Best Life Scientist, All Other programs in Wisconsin, ranked by enrollment

All life scientists not listed.

29 schools in Wisconsin run programs that feed this job, graduating 1,883 people a year. The job pays a median of $85,080 in Wisconsin across about jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledOsteologistEmbryologistMorphologistPhysiologistPaleobotanistOlericulturistPhytopathologistPlant Taxonomist
Graduates / yr
1,883
in Wisconsin
Median pay · Wisconsin
$85,080
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
people employed
Schools
29
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
60%
across those schools
Median net price
$22,601
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Wisconsin that lead to this job

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

6 programs in Wisconsin that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Wisconsin (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 Wisconsin page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
CIP 26.0101In Wisconsin
1,599
84.9%
28$32,152$25,000
2
CIP 51.2314In Wisconsin
150
8.0%
4$35,966$26,323
3
CIP 30.1901In Wisconsin
74
3.9%
4$30,508$24,586
4
CIP 30.1701In Wisconsin
57
3.0%
4$36,206$29,240
5
CIP 30.1801In Wisconsin
2
0.1%
1$29,587$21,610
6
CIP 26.9999In Wisconsin
1
0.1%
1$31,278$23,000

Top 25 schools in Wisconsin

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 19 of the 29 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, WI Public · 2 feeder programs
577Biology/Biological Sciences, General$35,79890%45%
2University of Wisconsin - La Crosse
La Crosse, WI Public · 1 feeder programs
214Biology/Biological Sciences, General$36,82371%76%
3University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh
Oshkosh, WI Public · 3 feeder programs
142Biology/Biological Sciences, General$38,53046%87%
4University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire
Eau Claire, WI Public · 2 feeder programs
137Biology/Biological Sciences, General$34,50764%82%
5University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Milwaukee, WI Public · 3 feeder programs
90Biology/Biological Sciences, General$36,21549%91%
6University of Wisconsin - Platteville
Platteville, WI Public · 1 feeder programs
67Biology/Biological Sciences, General$35,75256%89%
7University of Wisconsin - Whitewater
Whitewater, WI Public · 1 feeder programs
66Biology/Biological Sciences, General$38,33159%86%
8University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point
Stevens Point, WI Public · 3 feeder programs
63Biology/Biological Sciences, General$33,10051%92%
9Marquette University
Milwaukee, WI Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
60Biology/Biological Sciences, General$28,55583%$25,37681%
10Saint Norbert College
De Pere, WI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
58Biology/Biological Sciences, General$31,73471%$23,31986%
11Concordia University - Wisconsin
Mequon, WI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
51Rehabilitation Science68%$24,40978%
12University of Wisconsin - Green Bay
Green Bay, WI Public · 1 feeder programs
43Biology/Biological Sciences, General$29,94748%89%
13Carroll University
Waukesha, WI Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
41Biology/Biological Sciences, General$43,18871%$22,60167%
14University of Wisconsin - Parkside
Kenosha, WI Public · 1 feeder programs
35Biology/Biological Sciences, General$35,99040%75%
15Carthage College
Kenosha, WI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
34Biology/Biological Sciences, General$37,90364%$22,84487%
16University of Wisconsin - River Falls
River Falls, WI Public · 1 feeder programs
28Biology/Biological Sciences, General$34,76257%82%
17Lawrence University
Appleton, WI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
25Biology/Biological Sciences, General77%$19,78864%
18Beloit College
Beloit, WI Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
21Biology/Biological Sciences, General71%$21,38163%
19Edgewood University
Madison, WI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
21Biology/Biological Sciences, General$51,13460%$23,82276%
20University of Wisconsin - Superior
Superior, WI Public · 1 feeder programs
19Biology/Biological Sciences, General$32,16042%93%
21Ripon College
Ripon, WI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
18Biology/Biological Sciences, General$43,25063%$19,26780%
22Mount Mary University
Milwaukee, WI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
15Biology/Biological Sciences, General43%$18,83662%
23Viterbo University
La Crosse, WI Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
14Biology/Biological Sciences, General68%$20,65572%
24Wisconsin Lutheran College
Milwaukee, WI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
14Biology/Biological Sciences, General64%$19,13878%
25Marian University
Fond Du Lac, WI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
9Biology/Biological Sciences, General44%$22,62775%

All 29 schools in Wisconsin

Every school in Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
University of Wisconsin - MadisonMadisonPublic5772
University of Wisconsin - La CrosseLa CrossePublic2141
University of Wisconsin - OshkoshOshkoshPublic1423
University of Wisconsin - Eau ClaireEau ClairePublic1372
University of Wisconsin - MilwaukeeMilwaukeePublic903
University of Wisconsin - PlattevillePlattevillePublic671
University of Wisconsin - WhitewaterWhitewaterPublic661
University of Wisconsin - Stevens PointStevens PointPublic633
Marquette UniversityMilwaukeePrivate not-for-profit602
Saint Norbert CollegeDe PerePrivate not-for-profit581
Concordia University - WisconsinMequonPrivate not-for-profit511
University of Wisconsin - Green BayGreen BayPublic431
Carroll UniversityWaukeshaPrivate not-for-profit412
University of Wisconsin - ParksideKenoshaPublic351
Carthage CollegeKenoshaPrivate not-for-profit341

What life scientists, all other earn in Wisconsin

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

Median annual in Wisconsin
$85,080
Mean annual
$96,060
Jobs in state
What the range looks like
10th pct$67,380Median$85,08090th pct$143,440
Versus the national median
-9.2%

U.S. median $93,750. Wisconsin pays below the national figure.

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
400
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
300
7,800 → 8,100
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 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 Wisconsin.

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 1,599 degrees in Wisconsin in 2024-25, 84.9% 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 6 programs to this occupation. The largest are Biology, Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions, Nutrition Sciences, Behavioral Sciences, plus 2 more. Together they graduate about 1,883 people a year in Wisconsin.

How much do life scientists, all other earn in Wisconsin?+

The median is $85,080 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 9.2% 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 Wisconsin?+

29 institutions in Wisconsin reported graduates from at least one of the 6 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 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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