DOCTORAL DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES
Is a doctoral degree in Biology, General worth it?
Compare cost, debt and earnings across 14 college programs with reportable data.
Personal baseline needed
$108,206 in median year-4 earnings
A credible return for this credential must start with what the student would otherwise earn. The federal data does not provide that personal baseline.
$108,206Median year-4 earnings
$19,788Average institution net-price context
Not availableMedian federal debt
Start with your decision
What do you need to compare?
Outcomes at a glance
$108,206Typical earnings four years after completion
$116,758Average earnings five years after completion
Not availableTypical federal student debt
57thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
499Degrees awarded in 2024–25
14College programs reporting earnings
Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 14 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.
Four useful answers about Biology, General
How much do Biology, General doctoral degree graduates earn?
The national median is $108,206 four years after completion across reportable doctoral degree programs in this federal field.
How much federal debt do graduates have?
A national median federal-debt figure is not reportable for this degree in the current release.
Does the college matter for Biology, General?
Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $96,962 to $150,264 in observed year-4 earnings.
What careers are related to Biology, General?
DegreeVerdict links this field to 10 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.
More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.
Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.
OPEN PROFILE
Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma
- Year-4 earnings
- $55,777
- Federal debt
- $22,505
- Programs in the comparison
- 3
Associate's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $45,194
- Federal debt
- $10,385
- Programs in the comparison
- 53
Bachelor's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $57,546
- Federal debt
- $25,000
- Programs in the comparison
- 1,010
Master's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $71,655
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 58
Doctoral Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $108,206
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 14
Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification)
- Year-4 earnings
- $74,001
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 2
Where the middle half of programs lands
Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.
Median
25th percentile$96,962National median$108,20675th percentile$150,264
14 programs report year‑4 earnings.BEFORE YOU CHOOSE
Compare price, debt and earnings together
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION
Three useful places to start
Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.
PRICE × EARNINGS MAP
Where colleges sit for this exact degree
Move left for a lower annual college-wide net price and up for higher observed year-4 earnings.
$176,414Observed year-4 earnings$70,480
Massachusetts Institute of Technology$20,111 price · $189,144 earningsJohns Hopkins University$18,809 price · $176,414 earningsRutgers University-New Brunswick$24,406 price · $157,286 earningsRutgers University-Newark$19,703 price · $157,286 earningsUniversity of California, San Diego$12,470 price · $129,900 earningsPurdue University-Main Campus$14,600 price · $109,910 earningsHarvard University$19,066 price · $106,501 earningsEmory University$22,585 price · $105,042 earningsUniversity of Notre Dame$26,780 price · $101,099 earningsUniversity of Missouri-Columbia$20,268 price · $91,572 earningsOhio State University-Main Campus$17,339 price · $75,461 earningsTexas A&M University-College Station$21,315 price · $70,480 earnings
$12,470Annual college-wide average net price$24,406
Choose colleges offering this exact degree
Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.
14 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 14 shown
Search every reporting program →
See the spread, not just the national number.
1Massachusetts Institute of Technology$189,1442Johns Hopkins University$176,4143Rutgers University-New Brunswick$157,2864Rutgers University-Newark$157,2865University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School$150,2646University of California, San Diego$129,9007Purdue University-Main Campus$109,9108Harvard University$106,5019Emory University$105,04210University of Notre Dame$101,099Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking
Jobs this degree may lead to
Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.
Pay and projected demand
Related careers do not share one outlook
Bubble size = annual openings2025–35 national projection
Higher median wage ↑
-7%Projected employment growth →15%
Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.
Biological Science Teachers, Postsecondary$84,620 median wage50,190 jobs nationwide+7.3% projected growth through 2035 · 4,700 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$52,150–$169,900 typical wage rangeBiological Technicians$57,510 median wage69,620 jobs nationwide+7.4% projected growth through 2035 · 9,400 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$40,330–$84,940 typical wage rangeNatural Sciences Managers$167,220 median wage108,690 jobs nationwide+8.2% projected growth through 2035 · 9,200 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$79,710–$316,850 typical wage rangeMedical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists$103,410 median wage172,340 jobs nationwide+12.6% projected growth through 2035 · 10,500 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$64,800–$177,780 typical wage rangeBiological Scientists, All Other$98,920 median wage55,850 jobs nationwide+4.7% projected growth through 2035 · 4,300 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$60,430–$168,010 typical wage rangeLife Scientists, All Other$93,750 median wage7,460 jobs nationwide+6.3% projected growth through 2035 · 400 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$58,670–$186,260 typical wage rangeForensic Science Technicians$72,060 median wage19,120 jobs nationwide+13.3% projected growth through 2035 · 2,800 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$48,250–$117,250 typical wage rangeSecondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education$72,040 median wage1,065,210 jobs nationwide-0.2% projected growth through 2035 · 63,500 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$48,780–$107,600 typical wage rangeFood Science Technicians$52,130 median wage14,600 jobs nationwide+4.8% projected growth through 2035 · 3,000 openings a yearTypical entry education: Associate's degree$39,820–$78,820 typical wage rangeAgricultural Technicians$49,630 median wage15,130 jobs nationwide+5.4% projected growth through 2035 · 2,800 openings a yearTypical entry education: Associate's degree$35,980–$76,480 typical wage range
BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.
This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.