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Major · Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Where biology meets the foundations of human health

Biomedical Sciences, General is a broad undergraduate major covering the biological sciences as they relate to health and medicine — from cellular biology to physiology to the biochemical processes underlying disease. About 6,553 degrees are awarded annually across 174 colleges, predominantly at the bachelor's level. Most of the high-ceiling careers in this field require graduate or doctoral credentials beyond the bachelor's.

Schools offering
174
Annual completions
6,553
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$57k

About this major

Biomedical Sciences, General is defined by its scope as much as its subject matter. The CIP classification describes it as an integrative study of biological issues related to health and medicine — or a program spanning multiple biomedical disciplines without differentiating into one specialty. In practice that means the curriculum typically draws together cell biology, genetics, physiology, biochemistry, microbiology, and anatomy, oriented toward understanding how biological systems function and fail in ways that matter for medicine and health. Laboratory methods are embedded throughout rather than isolated in a few courses.

The typical student in this major is pre-health in some form — pre-med, pre-dental, pre-PA, or pre-pharmacy — though some are drawn to research careers or haven't yet committed to a specific professional direction. The major rewards students who are comfortable holding multiple biological frameworks at once and who want their science coursework to connect explicitly to clinical and medical contexts. It is less suited to students whose interest runs toward ecology, evolutionary biology, or environmental science, which fall outside the biomedical orientation.

Career destinations from the bachelor's split along the same lines as other biological sciences. Biological technician is the primary bachelor's-accessible role, with a median wage of $52,000 and 3.5% projected growth. Medical scientists and biological science postsecondary teachers — both with median wages over $83,000 — require doctoral or professional degrees as the typical credential. About 6,553 degrees are awarded annually across 174 colleges, making this a mid-sized major by completions, concentrated primarily at research universities and institutions with health-sciences programs.

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

Occupation Median wage Job growth Typical education
Medical scientists, except epidemiologists $101k +8.7% Doctoral or professional degree
Biological technicians $52k +3.5% Bachelor's degree
Biological science teachers, postsecondary $83k +7.3% Doctoral or professional degree
Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$57k

Associate's vs Bachelor's — early-career earnings

Associate's

$44k

Bachelor's

$58k

Who this major is for

You may thrive here if you're aiming toward graduate or professional health education and want an undergraduate program that frames biology through the lens of medicine and disease from the start. You may also fit well here if you're drawn to research in clinical or translational science — understanding how biological systems go wrong and how interventions work — and want coursework that prepares you for lab-based roles while you pursue advanced degrees. Students who do well in this major tend to hold comfort with multiple scientific disciplines simultaneously: the curriculum integrates chemistry, biology, and physiology rather than sequencing them as separate tracks. And if you're weighing cost and starting at a community college, the associate's pathway — with median earnings of $44,447 — functions as a legitimate two-year transfer foundation rather than a standalone credential.

Think twice if you're expecting the bachelor's degree alone to deliver strong immediate earnings, because the five-year median for bachelor's completers is $58,010 and the bachelor's-accessible role in the data (biological technician, $52,000) reflects that picture honestly. Think twice also if your biological interest is more ecological, behavioral, or environmental in focus — Biology General covers those areas with far more depth and flexibility across 83,000 completions per year. And if you dislike that the major name doesn't signal a specialty to employers or admissions committees, a named major like Biochemistry or Neuroscience may suit you better; the 'General' designation is accurate — this is a broad, undifferentiated foundation, which is an asset if you're still deciding, and a limitation if you already know your target.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Biomedical Sciences, General

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
University of South Florida Tampa, FL 0 744 744
Texas A&M University-College Station College Station, TX 0 587 587
University of Central Florida Orlando, FL 0 401 401
Auburn University Auburn, AL 0 297 297
Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ 0 224 224
Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette, IN 0 178 178
University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, AL 0 165 165
Colorado State University-Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO 0 161 161
Brigham Young University-Idaho Rexburg, ID 0 160 160
Grand Valley State University Allendale, MI 0 145 145
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Biology/Biological Sciences, General

83,027 completions/yr

Social Sciences, General

14,846 completions/yr

Neuroscience

9,625 completions/yr

Biochemistry

8,736 completions/yr

Animal Sciences, General

6,799 completions/yr

Exercise Physiology and Kinesiology

5,770 completions/yr

Cell/Cellular and Molecular Biology

3,392 completions/yr

Physical Sciences, General

2,589 completions/yr

Considering this direction?

We've taken a hard look at the debt, earnings trajectory, and degree-level tradeoffs for the Biomedical Sciences, General field. Read our verdict before you commit.

Is Biomedical Sciences, General worth it? Read verdict
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What do Biomedical Sciences majors actually study day-to-day?
The major covers the integrative biological sciences relevant to medicine and health — general and cell biology, genetics, physiology, biochemistry, microbiology, and anatomy are standard components. Lab work is built in throughout: you'll develop hands-on experience with techniques used in research and clinical science settings. The curriculum is designed to be broad by definition; the CIP classification explicitly describes it as a program that spans multiple biomedical disciplines without locking into one specialty.
What kinds of jobs do Biomedical Sciences graduates get with just a bachelor's?
The most accessible bachelor's-level role in the data is biological technician, with a median wage of $52,000 and 3.5% projected growth. That sits below the $58,010 median five-year earnings for bachelor's completers in this major, which suggests many graduates are in transitional positions — lab roles, research support, or early graduate school — at the five-year mark. The higher-ceiling roles associated with this major, medical scientists ($100,590) and biological science postsecondary teachers ($83,460), both list doctoral or professional degrees as the typical credential.
Does this major make sense if I plan on medical, dental, or PA school?
Yes, and it's a common path. The biomedical sciences curriculum aligns directly with health-profession school prerequisites — biology sequences, chemistry, physiology, biochemistry — and with the science content tested on the MCAT. It doesn't confer an admissions advantage over Biology or Biochemistry, since health-profession schools focus on prerequisites and GPA rather than major title. The distinction is that this major frames the science explicitly through a health and medicine lens, which some students find more motivating than a general biology or pure chemistry track.
How does this major compare to Biology, Biochemistry, or Neuroscience?
Biology/Biological Sciences General is dramatically larger — about 83,000 completions per year versus 6,553 here — and covers a wider range of biological subfields, including ecology and evolutionary biology that this major de-emphasizes. Biochemistry (about 8,700 completions) goes deeper into chemical mechanisms; Neuroscience (about 9,600) focuses on the nervous system specifically. Biomedical Sciences General sits in the overlap zone: more clinically oriented than general Biology, but less chemically intensive than Biochemistry. If you want flexibility across health-science paths, this works; if you know your target specialty, a named major may serve you better.
What does the associate's degree in this field actually lead to?
Both associate's and bachelor's degrees exist in this major, and the earnings split is meaningful: associate's completers show a median of $44,447 versus $58,010 for bachelor's. The associate's in biomedical sciences is most common as a transfer pathway — students complete two years at a community college, then transfer into a four-year program. It is generally not a terminal credential for the health and research careers this major targets. If you're starting at a community college, the associate's path can be a cost-efficient route to the bachelor's, but it's worth confirming your target school accepts the specific coursework.
What's a realistic earnings picture for this major?
The five-year median for all completers is $57,307; for bachelor's completers specifically it's $58,010. Those numbers sit close to the national bachelor's median but below what the major's listed career destinations suggest at full career maturity — because two of the three careers in the data (medical scientist at $100,590, postsecondary teacher at $83,460) require doctoral credentials that take years to complete. The honest picture: early earnings are modest, the ceiling is contingent on graduate training, and the bachelor's alone positions you for technician-level roles or graduate school entry.