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Major · Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Mapping how the brain generates thought, behavior, and disease

Neuroscience studies the nervous system from molecular machinery to behavior — how neurons fire, circuits form, and dysfunction emerges in disorders like Parkinson's or depression. About 9,625 degrees are awarded annually across 297 colleges, almost entirely at the bachelor's level. It is a pre-professional major for most students: the path to high-earning careers runs through graduate or medical school.

Schools offering
297
Annual completions
9,625
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$65k

About this major

Neuroscience sits at the intersection of biology, chemistry, and psychology — it studies the nervous system as a biological object and tries to explain how cellular machinery produces perception, movement, memory, and disorder. The CIP definition frames it as an interdisciplinary program covering molecular and cellular neuroscience, brain anatomy and physiology, biochemical bases of information processing, behavioral neuroscience, and the biology of neuropsychiatric disorders. In practice, coursework starts with foundational biology and chemistry, moves through neuroanatomy and neurophysiology, and branches into subspecialties like cognitive neuroscience, computational modeling, and clinical neuroscience depending on the program. Lab research is a consistent expectation — most programs build independent research experience into the curriculum through rotations, senior theses, or required research credits.

The major concentrates heavily at the bachelor's level. About 9,625 degrees are awarded per year across 297 colleges, with programs distributed across large research universities — UT Austin graduated 301 neuroscience students in a recent year, Ohio State 274, Binghamton 242. The institutional concentration at research universities is not accidental: access to active neuroscience labs is a defining feature of the stronger programs, and the undergraduate research experience those labs provide is often the most important differentiator for graduate school admissions.

On the career side, the major functions primarily as a pre-professional credential. The four careers most associated with neuroscience completers are biological technicians ($52,000 median), biological scientists ($93,330 median), postsecondary biology teachers ($83,460, doctoral required), and natural sciences managers ($161,180). The technician and early-career scientist roles are accessible at the bachelor's level; the higher tiers require graduate or professional degrees. Five-year earnings for bachelor's completers average about $64,879 — a number that captures a cohort in which many graduates are still in training programs rather than fully in the workforce.

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
Biological scientists, all other $93k +1.2% Bachelor'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

You may thrive here if you are drawn to understanding biological systems at a mechanistic level — specifically how the brain and nervous system generate behavior, learning, and disease. You fit well if you approach coursework empirically, enjoy primary literature, and want to spend time in a research lab as an undergraduate rather than simply absorbing lecture material. You also fit if you are headed toward medical school, a PhD program in neuroscience or a related field, or a research career in the pharmaceutical or biotech industry, and you understand that the bachelor's degree is preparation for that next credential, not an endpoint. The five-year earnings median of $64,879 is honest about where most graduates stand before graduate training pays off.

Think twice if you expect the degree itself to open high-earning career doors without further training — the data shows that most above-median careers in this field list advanced degrees as the typical education. Think twice also if your interest in the brain is primarily clinical or applied and you want to be working with patients within a few years of graduation; paths like pre-nursing, pre-PA, or even psychology may get you there with less detour. And if you are drawn to biology broadly but are undecided about specialization, Biology General (83,027 completions per year) gives you more flexibility to pivot toward medicine, ecology, research, or other life science careers without locking into the nervous system curriculum early.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Neuroscience

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

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX 0 301 301
Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, OH 0 274 274
Binghamton University Vestal, NY 0 242 242
University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI 0 223 223
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA 0 219 219
Michigan State University East Lansing, MI 0 199 199
The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX 0 193 193
Emory University Atlanta, GA 0 170 170
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC 0 166 166
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA 0 163 163
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Biology/Biological Sciences, General

83,027 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

Microbiology, General

2,120 completions/yr

Human Biology

2,094 completions/yr

Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other

2,089 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What do Neuroscience majors actually study day-to-day?
The curriculum starts with foundational biology, chemistry, and calculus, then moves into cellular and molecular neuroscience, neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, and systems-level courses on cognition and behavior. Lab work is central — most programs expect time in research settings by junior year, running experiments, analyzing data, and reading primary literature. Upper-division coursework often includes computational methods and cognitive neuroscience. The CIP definition explicitly includes biochemical bases of information processing, neuropsychiatric disorders, and biomedical engineering applications, so the range is genuinely broad.
What kinds of jobs do Neuroscience graduates end up in right after a bachelor's?
Directly after a bachelor's, the most common destinations are research support roles — biological technicians at a $52,000 median wage and biological scientists at a $93,330 median — or positions in healthcare administration, clinical research coordination, or science communication. The majority of students who want to work at the scientific frontier or in clinical settings go on to graduate school (PhD or MD/PhD) or medical, dental, or physician assistant school. Natural sciences managers earn $161,180, but that role typically requires significant postgraduate experience. The bachelor's alone keeps you in technician or coordinator territory in most research settings.
Do I need a graduate degree to have a career in neuroscience?
For most of what the field calls neuroscience careers — independent research, clinical practice, drug development — yes. The highest-paying career in the data, natural sciences manager at $161,180, lists a bachelor's as the entry credential but in practice requires years of postgraduate experience. Biological science teachers at the postsecondary level, who earn $83,460, require a doctoral degree. If your goal is to work in a lab without a graduate degree, biological technician roles ($52,000 median) are accessible with a bachelor's. The five-year median earnings for bachelor's completers sit at about $64,879 — a figure that reflects a large share of earners still in graduate training or early post-degree positions.
How competitive is the job market for Neuroscience graduates?
Growth projections for the careers most associated with this major are modest: biological scientists at 1.2%, biological technicians at 3.5%, natural sciences managers at 3.7%, and postsecondary biology teachers at 7.3%. None of these are high-growth numbers. With 9,625 completions per year, neuroscience produces a large cohort relative to the number of bachelor's-accessible positions in the field. Competition for research technician roles at universities and pharmaceutical companies is real, especially at well-regarded programs. The bottleneck for graduate school admissions — particularly PhD programs with funding — adds another competitive layer.
Is Neuroscience the right fit, or should I consider a related major?
Neuroscience makes the most sense if your interest is specifically brain and nervous system biology — the mechanisms of cognition, psychiatric disorders, or neural circuits. Biology/Biological Sciences General (83,027 completions per year) is far more versatile as a pre-med or pre-grad platform and gives you more flexibility if you're uncertain about specialization. Biochemistry (8,736 completions) is a stronger fit if molecular mechanisms and drug targets are your main interest. Biomedical Sciences General (6,553 completions) tilts toward clinical and translational research. The career outcomes across these majors overlap substantially, so the choice matters most for curriculum depth and the specific graduate programs you're targeting.
What's a realistic earnings picture after a Neuroscience degree?
Five-year median earnings for bachelor's completers sit at about $64,879. That figure partly reflects the reality that many neuroscience graduates are still in graduate or professional school at the five-year mark, pulling down the median for the cohort as a whole. Graduates who enter the workforce directly can expect biological technician wages around $52,000 or, with some experience, biological scientist roles near $93,330. The ceiling is substantially higher — natural sciences managers earn $161,180 — but reaching that level requires significant experience and typically a graduate degree. Earnings trajectories here are slower to accelerate than in engineering or computer science, with most of the gains coming post-graduate training.