Clinical and Industrial Drug Development Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Clinical and Industrial Drug Development maps to BLS occupations averaging about $104,066, with roughly 845,410 workers nationwide in those roles. Median in-state published tuition is about $12,102; common paths include Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Industrial Engineers.
Key Statistics
Clinical and Industrial Drug Development: what the data shows
Common questions about clinical and industrial drug development degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a clinical and industrial drug development degree?
A Clinical and Industrial Drug Development program is classified under NCES CIP 51.2006 in the Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration field family (51.20).
A program that focuses on the scientific application of pharmacology, pharmaceutics, and industrial management to the development, production, marketing, and distribution of pharmaceutical products. Includes instruction in industrial microbiology, plasmids, expression vectors, protein chemistry, assay and evaluation, drug synthesis and purification, quality control, industrial management, production security, patent procedures, intellectual property regulations and issues, patent enforcement and defense, and research design and testing
IPEDS counted 15 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.
Types of clinical and industrial drug development degrees and related programs
Other NCES program codes in the 51.20 family with pages on EDsmart Data:
- Clinical, Hospital, and Managed Care Pharmacy (CIP 51.2008)
- Industrial and Physical Pharmacy and Cosmetic Sciences (CIP 51.2009)
- Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry (CIP 51.2004)
- Natural Products Chemistry and Pharmacognosy (CIP 51.2005)
- Pharmaceutical Marketing and Management (CIP 51.2011)
- Pharmaceutical Sciences (CIP 51.2010)
- Pharmaceutics and Drug Design (CIP 51.2003)
- Pharmacoeconomics/Pharmaceutical Economics (CIP 51.2007)
- Pharmacy (CIP 51.2001)
- Pharmacy Administration and Pharmacy Policy and Regulatory Affairs (CIP 51.2002)
How long does it take to get a clinical and industrial drug development degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 51.2006 in our file:
- 15 Bachelor's (8.3% of IPEDS total)—typically four years
- 166 Master's (91.7% of IPEDS total)—one to two years beyond a bachelor's
Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.
What degree do you need?
For Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists (top mapped occupation), O*NET incumbent surveys in our career profile report these education credentials most often: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.
What jobs can you get with a clinical and industrial drug development degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Clinical and Industrial Drug Development to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists | — | — |
| Industrial Engineers | 350,230 | $101,140 |
| Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians | — | — |
| Industrial-Organizational Psychologists | 1,050 | $109,840 |
| Clinical and Counseling Psychologists | 72,190 | $95,830 |
| Industrial Machinery Mechanics | 421,940 | $63,760 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a clinical and industrial drug development degree worth it?
College Scorecard national medians for the Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration bachelor's program family: median debt $34,505, median earnings $116,539 four years after enrollment. Debt-to-earnings proxy: 0.70.
About 6.5% of graduates in this field family were not working and not enrolled one year after completion in Scorecard's national program medians.
Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $12,102 and median net price is $19,216.
We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.
Institutions
Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Clinical and Industrial Drug Development and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$12,102 Median In-State Public
$41,475 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Clinical and Industrial Drug Development majors are, on average, $12,102 for in-state public colleges, and $41,475 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Clinical and Industrial Drug Development programs.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
100,000 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Clinical and Industrial Drug Development from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Clinical and Industrial Drug Development.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas A&M University-College Station | TX | 59,615 |
| 2 | Texas A&M University-College Station | TX | 59,615 |
| 3 | Ivy Tech Community College | IN | 58,267 |
| 4 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | OH | 45,638 |
| 5 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | OH | 45,638 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Clinical and Industrial Drug Development programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Durham Technical Community College | NC | $1,986 |
| 2 | Durham Technical Community College | NC | $1,986 |
| 3 | South Plains College | TX | $2,731 |
| 4 | North Idaho College | ID | $3,396 |
| 5 | Butler Community College | KS | $3,541 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Clinical and Industrial Drug Development programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Durham Technical Community College | NC | $1,664 |
| 2 | Durham Technical Community College | NC | $1,664 |
| 3 | CUNY York College | NY | $4,456 |
| 4 | East Mississippi Community College | MS | $4,608 |
| 5 | Brightpoint Community College | VA | $5,490 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Clinical and Industrial Drug Development programs.
Graduation Rates
Graduation rate data is not available for this degree program.
Graduation/completion rates for Clinical and Industrial Drug Development programs across institutions.
Where students complete this major (IPEDS)
Bachelor's-level completions (IPEDS Completions, award level 5) summed by institution state. State is taken from IPEDS Directory (HD2023) for each reporting institution.
Geographic concentration
The largest number of reported bachelor's completions for Clinical and Industrial Drug Development is in NC (15 completions). That state represents about 100.0% of U.S. bachelor's completions reported for this CIP in the IPEDS file we use.
Among states, the highest concentration relative to all bachelor's degrees awarded in-state is NC (0.01% of that state's bachelor's completions).
Top states by count of bachelor's completions for this CIP (IPEDS).
| State | Bachelor's completions (this CIP) | % of U.S. total (this CIP) | % of state's all bachelor's |
|---|---|---|---|
| NC | 15 | 100.0% | 0.01% |
Related specializations
Other NCES program codes in the 51.20 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.
- Clinical, Hospital, and Managed Care Pharmacy CIP 51.2008
- Industrial and Physical Pharmacy and Cosmetic Sciences CIP 51.2009
- Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry CIP 51.2004
- Natural Products Chemistry and Pharmacognosy CIP 51.2005
- Pharmaceutical Marketing and Management CIP 51.2011
- Pharmaceutical Sciences CIP 51.2010
- Pharmaceutics and Drug Design CIP 51.2003
- Pharmacoeconomics/Pharmaceutical Economics CIP 51.2007
- Pharmacy CIP 51.2001
- Pharmacy Administration and Pharmacy Policy and Regulatory Affairs CIP 51.2002
Degree Levels (IPEDS)
Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 51.2006 in the survey year used in our extract (181 total across levels below).
- 15 Bachelor's (8.3% of IPEDS total)
- 166 Master's (91.7% of IPEDS total)
Source: IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), summed by award level for this CIP.
Careers & Jobs
Occupations linked to this major in our degree→career mapping, with wages and employment from processed BLS career profiles in this repo.
Across these BLS occupations, employment-weighted mean pay is about $104,066. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Clinical and Industrial Drug Development graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists | — | — |
| Industrial Engineers | $130,739 | 350,230 |
| Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians | — | — |
| Industrial-Organizational Psychologists | $141,278 | 1,050 |
| Clinical and Counseling Psychologists | $128,110 | 72,190 |
| Industrial Machinery Mechanics | $77,720 | 421,940 |
Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.
Program outcomes (College Scorecard)
National medians across bachelor's programs in the Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration CIP family (16 programs reporting debt). Not specific to every Clinical and Industrial Drug Development graduate.
- $34,505 median federal loan debt among completers
- $116,539 median earnings four years after enrollment (national program median)
- 0.70 debt-to-earnings ratio (Scorecard proxy)
- 6.5% of graduates not working and not enrolled one year out (program cohort)
Source: College Scorecard program-level outcomes aggregated by 4-digit CIP family.
Employment
Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.
Yearly Income for Common Jobs
$104,066 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Clinical and Industrial Drug Development majors is $104,066.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Clinical and Industrial Drug Development majors.
Occupations by Share
845,410 2023 Workforce
The number of Clinical and Industrial Drug Development graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Clinical and Industrial Drug Development by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Clinical and Industrial Drug Development in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Clinical and Industrial Drug Development.
Age distribution for Clinical and Industrial Drug Development degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
15 Total Degrees Awarded
5 Male (33.33%)
10 Female (66.67%)
Gender distribution of Clinical and Industrial Drug Development degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
10 White (66.67%)
3 Hispanic or Latino (20.00%)
1 Asian (6.67%)
1 Black or African American (6.67%)
Racial and ethnic distribution of Clinical and Industrial Drug Development degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Clinical and Industrial Drug Development are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Clinical and Industrial Drug Development.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Clinical and Industrial Drug Development field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Clinical and Industrial Drug Development majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Clinical and Industrial Drug Development majors.
Skills Bar Chart
This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.
Skill importance ratings for Clinical and Industrial Drug Development majors.
About
A program that focuses on the scientific application of pharmacology, pharmaceutics, and industrial management to the development, production, marketing, and distribution of pharmaceutical products. Includes instruction in industrial microbiology, plasmids, expression vectors, protein chemistry, assay and evaluation, drug synthesis and purification, quality control, industrial management, production security, patent procedures, intellectual property regulations and issues, patent enforcement and defense, and research design and testing
In 2023, 100,000 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Clinical and Industrial Drug Development.
CIP Code
51.2006 - Clinical and Industrial Drug Development
What the data shows
At the program-family level, College Scorecard reports median debt of $34,505 for bachelor's completers and median earnings near $116,539, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.70. Those figures describe national program cohorts in this CIP family—not every individual Clinical and Industrial Drug Development graduate.
Women earned 75.4% of 244 Clinical and Industrial Drug Development completions in the IPEDS file used here.
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $104,066. The largest mapped role by headcount is Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists (N/A U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $12,102 in-state at public colleges and $41,475 at private institutions for programs in this field.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.
All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.