Biotechnology Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Biotechnology maps to BLS occupations averaging about $76,769, with roughly 33,740 workers nationwide in those roles. About 3,869 degrees completed in recent IPEDS counts; median program completion runs near 58%.
Key Statistics
Biotechnology: what the data shows
Common questions about biotechnology degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a biotechnology degree?
A Biotechnology program is classified under NCES CIP 00.2612 in the 00.0026 field family (00.26).
IPEDS counted 3,869 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.
Types of biotechnology degrees and related programs
Other NCES program codes in the 00.26 family with pages on EDsmart Data:
- Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology (CIP 00.2602)
- Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology (CIP 00.2611)
- Botany/Plant Biology (CIP 00.2603)
- Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences (CIP 00.2604)
- Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology (CIP 00.2613)
- Genetics (CIP 00.2608)
- Microbiological Sciences and Immunology (CIP 00.2605)
- Molecular Medicine (CIP 00.2614)
- Neurobiology and Neurosciences (CIP 00.2615)
- Pharmacology and Toxicology (CIP 00.2610)
- Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences (CIP 00.2609)
- Zoology/Animal Biology (CIP 00.2607)
How long does it take to get a biotechnology degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 00.2612 in our file:
- 38 Bachelor's (21.3% of IPEDS total)—typically four years
- 138 Master's (77.5% of IPEDS total)—one to two years beyond a bachelor's
- 2 Doctorate (1.1% of IPEDS total)—varies by program
Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.
What do you learn in biotechnology?
O*NET skill ratings for occupations mapped to this major emphasize Equipment Maintenance, Repairing, Troubleshooting, Operations Monitoring, Quality Control Analysis, Complex Problem Solving, and related competencies. See the Skills section for the full list in our extract.
What degree do you need?
For Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians (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 biotechnology degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Biotechnology 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians | 136,390 | $78,680 |
| Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians | 36,880 | $52,080 |
| Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists | — | — |
| Sound Engineering Technicians | 13,050 | $66,430 |
| Nuclear Medicine Technologists | 16,960 | $97,020 |
| Veterinary Technologists and Technicians | 131,320 | $45,980 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a biotechnology degree worth it?
Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $7,349 and median net price is $13,698.
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 Biotechnology and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$7,349 Median In-State Public
$39,212 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Biotechnology majors are, on average, $7,349 for in-state public colleges, and $39,212 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Biotechnology programs.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
3,869 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Biotechnology from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Biotechnology.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | 64,398 |
| 2 | Texas A&M University-College Station | TX | 59,099 |
| 3 | University of Central Florida | FL | 59,095 |
| 4 | Ivy Tech Community College | IN | 54,926 |
| 5 | Liberty University | VA | 50,059 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Biotechnology programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Berkeley City College | CA | $1,148 |
| 2 | American River College | CA | $1,288 |
| 3 | Central New Mexico Community College | NM | $1,934 |
| 4 | Pitt Community College | NC | $1,972 |
| 5 | Rowan-Cabarrus Community College | NC | $2,064 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Biotechnology programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cleveland Community College | NC | $414 |
| 2 | CUNY Hunter College | NY | $2,446 |
| 3 | Florida State College at Jacksonville | FL | $2,760 |
| 4 | Humacao Community College | PR | $2,879 |
| 5 | Seminole State College of Florida | FL | $3,119 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Biotechnology programs.
Graduation Rates
58.32% Median Graduation Rate (150% of normal time)
58.65% Average Graduation Rate
133 Institutions Reporting
48.25% - 69.94% Interquartile Range
Graduation/completion rates for Biotechnology programs across institutions.
Related specializations
Other NCES program codes in the 00.26 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.
- Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology CIP 00.2602
- Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology CIP 00.2611
- Botany/Plant Biology CIP 00.2603
- Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences CIP 00.2604
- Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology CIP 00.2613
- Genetics CIP 00.2608
- Microbiological Sciences and Immunology CIP 00.2605
- Molecular Medicine CIP 00.2614
- Neurobiology and Neurosciences CIP 00.2615
- Pharmacology and Toxicology CIP 00.2610
- Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences CIP 00.2609
- Zoology/Animal Biology CIP 00.2607
Degree Levels (IPEDS)
Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 00.2612 in the survey year used in our extract (178 total across levels below).
- 38 Bachelor's (21.3% of IPEDS total)
- 138 Master's (77.5% of IPEDS total)
- 2 Doctorate (1.1% 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 $76,769. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Biotechnology graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians | $88,062 | 136,390 |
| Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians | $58,116 | 36,880 |
| Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists | — | — |
| Sound Engineering Technicians | $93,648 | 13,050 |
| Nuclear Medicine Technologists | $154,765 | 16,960 |
| Veterinary Technologists and Technicians | $58,529 | 131,320 |
Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.
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
$77,589 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Biotechnology majors is $77,589.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Biotechnology majors.
Occupations by Share
33,740 2023 Workforce
The number of Biotechnology graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Biotechnology by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Biotechnology in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Biotechnology.
Age distribution for Biotechnology degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
Gender distribution data is not available for this degree program.
Gender distribution of Biotechnology degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
Race and ethnicity distribution data is not available for this degree program.
Racial and ethnic distribution of Biotechnology degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Biotechnology are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Biotechnology.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Biotechnology field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Biotechnology majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Biotechnology 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 Biotechnology majors.
About
Biotechnology
In 2023, 3,869 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Biotechnology.
CIP Code
00.2612 - Biotechnology
What the data shows
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $76,769. The largest mapped role by headcount is Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians (136,390 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $7,349 in-state at public colleges and $39,212 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.