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Major · Biological & Biomedical Sciences

A laboratory science with a bachelor's-to-graduate-school spine

Microbiology, General studies unicellular organisms, viruses, and their ecological and medical interactions — the scientific foundation behind infectious disease research, food safety, industrial fermentation, and clinical diagnostics. About 2,120 bachelor's degrees are awarded each year across 99 colleges, and completers report a five-year earnings median of $64,794. The career list is solid at the bachelor's level: microbiologists at $87,330 and natural sciences managers at $161,180 are both bachelor's-entry, and biological science postsecondary teachers at $83,460 represent the academic path requiring a doctorate.

Schools offering
99
Annual completions
2,120
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$65k

About this major

Microbiology, General is the scientific study of unicellular organisms, viruses, and subcellular genetic systems and their ecological interactions with human beings and other life. The CIP definition covers microbial genetics, cell biology, cell physiology, virology, pathogenic microbiology, environmental microbiology, immunology, biostatistics, bioinformatics, and laboratory methods including microscopy. Typical curricula build from general biology and introductory microbiology into specialized coursework in virology, immunology, medical microbiology, and microbial genetics, with substantial laboratory training in techniques like aseptic culture, PCR, gel electrophoresis, microscopy, flow cytometry, and increasingly sequencing and bioinformatics.

Program scale is moderate. About 2,120 bachelor's degrees are awarded each year across 99 colleges, with no associate's pathway. The top ten shows an unusual geographic mix: Brigham Young University (100 completions), University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez (93), University of Washington-Seattle (88), UC Davis (81), UC Berkeley (80), UPR-Arecibo (73), Oklahoma State University (60), Clemson (59), UC San Diego (57), and the University of Wisconsin-Madison (53). The two Puerto Rican campuses reflect Puerto Rico's long-standing role as a major US pharmaceutical manufacturing hub, and the UC and Pacific Northwest concentrations align with West Coast biotechnology industry clusters. The related-majors data confirms adjacency to Biology/Biological Sciences, General (CIP 26.0101, 83,027 annual completions — the massively larger biology umbrella), Chemistry, General (12,173), Neuroscience (9,625), Biochemistry (8,736), Biomedical Sciences, General (6,553), Cell/Cellular and Molecular Biology (3,392), Nutrition Sciences (3,240), and Human Biology (2,094).

The earnings picture is solid for a science degree with a strong career list. Bachelor's completers report a five-year median of $64,794. The career list shows five destinations with clear credential-tier stratification. Bachelor's-entry: microbiologists (SOC 19-1022) at $87,330 with 4.1% projected growth, biological technicians (SOC 19-4021) at $52,000 with 3.5% growth, and natural sciences managers at $161,180 (typically reached mid-career after 5–10 years of technical work). Associate's-entry: food science technicians at $49,430 with 4.8% growth, which sits below typical microbiology bachelor's destinations. Doctoral-required: biological science teachers, postsecondary at $83,460 with 7.3% growth — the academic path. The gap between the $64,794 five-year median and the $87,330 microbiologist wage reflects the typical early-career progression: new bachelor's graduates enter as biological technicians at industrial, clinical, or public-sector labs (wages $45K–$60K) and advance to the microbiologist title over 2–5 years as laboratory-independent technique proficiency accumulates. Graduates who continue to a master's or PhD reach senior-scientist, regulatory-affairs, and academic research tiers that the bachelor's alone does not open.

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
Natural sciences managers $161k +3.7% Bachelor's degree
Biological technicians $52k +3.5% Bachelor's degree
Biological science teachers, postsecondary $83k +7.3% Doctoral or professional degree
Microbiologists $87k +4.1% Bachelor's degree
Food science technicians $49k +4.8% Associate's 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

$65k

Who this major is for

Students with strong interest in infectious disease, microbial systems, public health, pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, food safety, or clinical diagnostics — and who enjoy laboratory work at the bench level — are the core audience. Comfort with general and organic chemistry (both required for meaningful microbiology coursework), patience for iterative experimental work, and care with sterile technique all indicate strong fit. Students targeting direct industry employment after the bachelor's should prioritize programs with substantial hands-on laboratory coursework, summer research experiences at industry or government labs, and internship pipelines into regional biotech or pharmaceutical employers. Students considering graduate school should build research relationships with faculty early, seek National Science Foundation REU summer research programs, and identify potential subfields (infectious disease, industrial microbiology, environmental microbiology, microbial genetics) that guide graduate-program selection.

Reconsider this major if the primary interest is pre-medical preparation without a specific microbiology focus — Biology, General (83,027 annual completions) preserves more flexibility for med-school applications and broader biology electives. If the draw is molecular mechanisms and pharmaceutical drug discovery, Biochemistry (8,736 completions) is often a better fit with stronger chemistry coursework and closer industry alignment. If the interest is human-systems biology or public health more broadly, Human Biology (2,094 completions) or Nutrition Sciences (3,240) may match better. Students interested in ecology, environmental systems, or conservation biology should consider Ecology (in the Biological Sciences concentration) or Environmental Biology as more specialized alternatives. Finally, weigh the graduate-school likelihood honestly: roughly half of microbiology bachelor's graduates continue to master's or PhD programs, and the full earnings ceiling in research and senior industry roles typically requires that continuation — the bachelor's is a strong foundation but often not the terminal credential for the highest-earning destinations in this field.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Microbiology, General

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

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
Brigham Young University Provo, UT 0 100 100
University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez Mayaguez, PR 0 93 93
University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle, WA 0 88 88
University of California-Davis Davis, CA 0 81 81
University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA 0 80 80
University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo Arecibo, PR 0 73 73
Oklahoma State University-Main Campus Stillwater, OK 0 60 60
Clemson University Clemson, SC 0 59 59
University of California-San Diego La Jolla, CA 0 57 57
University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI 0 53 53
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Biology/Biological Sciences, General

83,027 completions/yr

Chemistry, General

12,173 completions/yr

Neuroscience

9,625 completions/yr

Biochemistry

8,736 completions/yr

Biomedical Sciences, General

6,553 completions/yr

Cell/Cellular and Molecular Biology

3,392 completions/yr

Nutrition Sciences

3,240 completions/yr

Human Biology

2,094 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What is the realistic path from a Microbiology bachelor's to the $87,330 microbiologist wage?
More continuous than it looks from the career list. Typical first-job roles for new microbiology bachelor's graduates are laboratory or biological technician positions at pharmaceutical companies, biotech firms, clinical diagnostic labs, state public-health laboratories, food-safety testing companies, and university research labs — generally paying $45K–$60K and coded under the biological technicians SOC (19-4021, $52,000 median). The microbiologist job title (SOC 19-1022, $87,330 median, 4.1% projected growth) typically requires 2–5 years of progressive technician experience plus demonstrated laboratory-independence in techniques like PCR, cell culture, microscopy, flow cytometry, and sequencing. The $64,794 five-year bachelor's median captures this early-career progression. Graduates who enter pharmaceutical or biotech industry pipelines often reach microbiologist titles faster; graduates in state public-health or clinical-diagnostic roles may advance more slowly but with stronger job stability. A master's degree accelerates the progression and opens senior-scientist and laboratory-manager tracks that would otherwise require extensive experience.
Is a master's or PhD required for meaningful microbiology careers?
Meaningful bachelor's-level careers absolutely exist, but graduate degrees unlock distinctly different tiers. The bachelor's is sufficient for technician work, most industry laboratory positions, food-safety and clinical-diagnostic roles, and entry-level positions at state public-health labs — all legitimate career destinations with the microbiologist title reachable within a few years. A master's is the typical gatekeeper for senior scientist, laboratory supervisor, and regulatory-affairs specialist roles in pharmaceutical and biotech industry; it also opens federal research positions at CDC, NIH, FDA, and USDA that are otherwise restricted to PhD holders. A PhD is required for independent research principal-investigator roles at universities and research institutes, for the postsecondary-teaching path at $83,460 (SOC 25-1042), and for most senior-scientist positions at national labs and pharmaceutical R&D. Roughly half of microbiology bachelor's graduates enter the workforce directly; the other half continue to master's or PhD programs depending on career targets.
Which schools lead the program, and why does the California-and-Puerto-Rico concentration signal anything?
The top-ten is unusual. Brigham Young University (100 completions) and two Puerto Rican campuses — University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez (93) and UPR-Arecibo (73) — account for three of the top spots. UC Davis (81), UC Berkeley (80), UC San Diego (57), and the University of Washington-Seattle (88) reflect West Coast research-university strength in microbiology. Oklahoma State (60), Clemson (59), and the University of Wisconsin-Madison (53) round it out. The mix reflects two patterns. First, UPR's Mayagüez and Arecibo campuses have strong biosciences programs feeding the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry concentrated in Puerto Rico, which remains a major producer of US prescription medications. Second, the UC system and Pacific Northwest institutions sit close to biotechnology and life-science industry hubs (San Diego, Bay Area, Seattle) that hire microbiology bachelor's graduates in substantial volume. BYU's position reflects a large and well-resourced biological sciences undergraduate program. For prospective students, geographic proximity to industry hubs matters for internship access and entry-level hiring.
How does Microbiology compare with Biology, General or Biochemistry?
Biology, General (CIP 26.0101, 83,027 annual completions — nearly 40 times larger than this major) is the broad biological-sciences umbrella, covering everything from molecular biology through ecology across diverse coursework. Biochemistry (26.0202, 8,736 completions) focuses on the chemical processes within living systems, with heavier chemistry coursework and closer ties to pharmaceutical and medical-school pipelines. Microbiology sits at the narrower, more specialized end: all coursework centers on unicellular organisms, viruses, and related microbial systems, with earlier and deeper laboratory training in microbiological techniques than Biology General provides. For students interested in infectious disease, public health, pharmaceutical industry, or food safety, Microbiology is more directly aligned. For students undecided among subfields or applying to medical school, Biology, General preserves more optionality. For students specifically drawn to molecular mechanisms and drug-discovery pipelines, Biochemistry is often a better fit. The career destinations substantially overlap; the difference is in undergraduate laboratory-technique depth and specialized coursework.
What do realistic first-job sectors look like for Microbiology bachelor's graduates?
Five sectors absorb most graduates. Pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies hire microbiologists and biological technicians for drug development, quality control, fermentation and bioprocess operations, and regulatory affairs — wages $50K–$75K entry-level, concentrated in Boston, San Francisco Bay Area, San Diego, Research Triangle, and Puerto Rico. Clinical diagnostic laboratories (hospital systems, reference labs like Quest and LabCorp) hire for clinical microbiology sections performing infectious-disease diagnostics — wages $45K–$60K, geographically distributed. Food and beverage industry (including the brewing and fermentation-products sector) hires for quality control, safety testing, and fermentation oversight — wages $45K–$65K, with concentrations in agricultural states and specialty-food regions. Public-sector roles at state public-health laboratories, CDC, FDA, and USDA hire for surveillance, testing, and regulatory science — wages $50K–$75K with federal benefits. University research labs hire for research-assistant positions often serving as bridges to graduate school at $40K–$50K. The $64,794 five-year bachelor's median reflects this mix weighted toward industry and clinical destinations.