Biological and Physical Sciences degree: salary, jobs & colleges

Bachelor's graduates in biological and physical sciences earn a median $63,018 four years after finishing, across 33 U.S. colleges. At ages 25-34, people whose degree is in multi-disciplinary or general science earn $57,869, $4,180 less than all bachelor's holders. The most common job is registered nurses (6%).

Graduates, 4 years out
$63,018

Median across 33 colleges; middle half $56,995–$69,102.

College Scorecard field of study (graduates who received federal aid)

All workers ages 25-34 with this degree
$57,869

Middle half $39,880–$81,859. 2,889 survey respondents.

Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata; field "Multi-Disciplinary Or General Science"; EducationGuide calculation

Compared with
  • All bachelor's, 25-34$62,049
  • High school, 25-34$35,638
  • This degree vs high school+$22,231/yr

Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers not in school

Median federal debt at graduation
$26,000

Median across colleges reporting.

College Scorecard field of study

Jobs biological and physical sciences graduates hold

What employed 25-34-year-olds whose bachelor's is in multi-disciplinary or general science actually do, with U.S. wages and the outlook for each job. The first column comes from the Census survey; wages and growth from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

JobShare of graduatesU.S. median wageJobs growth 2025-35Typical entryInterests
Registered Nurses6%$97,550+5.6%Bachelor's degreeSCI
Other Managers3%————
Elementary And Middle School Teachers3%$64,170-0.4%——
Customer Service Representatives2%$44,770-5.3%High school diploma or equivalentCES
Accountants And Auditors2%$83,680+5.0%Bachelor's degreeCEI
Software Developers2%$135,980+10.2%Bachelor's degreeIC
First-Line Supervisors Of Retail Sales Workers2%$48,520-3.7%High school diploma or equivalentECS
Secretaries And Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, And Executive1%$47,540-6.0%High school diploma or equivalentCES

These 8 jobs account for 22% of employed graduates: people with this degree spread across many kinds of work.

Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata (ages 25-34, bachelor's as highest degree, employed); BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35; O*NET 31.0 interest codes (R realistic, I investigative, A artistic, S social, E enterprising, C conventional).

Biological and Physical Sciences earnings by state

Two views of pay: recent graduates of the state's colleges four years out (College Scorecard), and everyone ages 25-34 living in the state with this field of degree (Census). States show a figure only with at least 3 colleges or 100 survey respondents.

StateGraduates, 4 yrs (colleges)Ages 25-34 (respondents)
California—$71,068 (246)
Florida—$48,881 (174)
Illinois—$62,049 (128)
Michigan—$62,968 (110)
New Jersey—$61,101 (113)
New York$67,310 (4)$58,657 (263)
Pennsylvania$69,102 (13)$61,101 (122)
Texas—$57,721 (315)
Washington$55,612 (4)—

College Scorecard field of study (median of each college's graduates); Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata; EducationGuide calculations.

Colleges where biological and physical sciences graduates earn the most

In the states we cover so far (Florida, Virginia, California): 5 in Florida, 5 in Virginia, 4 in California offer this major. Open a college to see cost to finish and payback for your income.

#CollegeEarnings, 4 yrsMedian debt
1Virginia Commonwealth UniversityVA$61,395$26,975
2New College of FloridaFL$41,759$19,500

College Scorecard field of study. Colleges meeting our core-data standard; online campuses left out.

Biological and Physical Sciences degree questions

How much do Biological and Physical Sciences graduates make?

Biological and Physical Sciences graduates earn a median $63,018 four years after finishing, across 33 U.S. colleges that report it (the middle half of colleges: $56,995 to $69,102; College Scorecard, graduates who received federal aid). Among all workers ages 25-34 whose bachelor's degree is in multi-disciplinary or general science, the median is $57,869 (Census ACS 2020-2024).

Is a Biological and Physical Sciences degree worth it?

At ages 25-34, people with a bachelor's in multi-disciplinary or general science earn a median $57,869: $4,180 less than all bachelor's degree holders ($62,049) and $22,231 more than high school graduates ($35,638). EducationGuide calculation from Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers not in school.

What jobs do Biological and Physical Sciences graduates get?

Among employed 25-34-year-olds whose bachelor's is in multi-disciplinary or general science, the most common jobs are registered nurses (6%), other managers (3%), elementary and middle school teachers (3%). Registered Nurses earn a U.S. median $97,550.

Census field of degree matched to this major by EducationGuide (Biological and Physical Sciences -> Multi-Disciplinary Or General Science).
Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey microdata; Bureau of Labor Statistics; O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0). Method
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Cite this: “Biological and Physical Sciences degree: salary, jobs and colleges,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/degrees/biological-and-physical-sciences.