undergradly.
Major · Biological & Biomedical Sciences

A bachelor’s grounded in human-systems science

Physiology, General (CIP 26.0901) is a bachelor’s-only major studying the biochemical, biophysical, and functional dynamics of living systems. About 1,875 students complete it across just 32 institutions, with bachelor’s grads earning $63,025 — and most named higher-paying careers requiring doctoral credentials.

Schools offering
32
Annual completions
1,875
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$62k

About this major

Physiology, General (CIP 26.0901) is a bachelor’s-only major in the biological and biomedical sciences family that studies the functional dynamics, morphology, and biochemical and biophysical processes within organisms and between living systems. The CIP definition organizes coursework around reproduction, growth, hormonal action, vascular and respiratory function, digestion, sensory perception, sensorimotor integration, signal encoding, homeostasis, evolutionary physiology, and disease processes. Most accredited programs require organic chemistry, biochemistry, statistics, and labs in cardiopulmonary, neurophysiological, or endocrine measurement, with a senior research thesis or capstone investigation. The curriculum overlaps heavily with first-year medical-school systems coursework, which is why so many programs in this CIP function as structured pre-medical pathways.

The major fits students drawn to integrative human-systems biology and the medicine-adjacent applied sciences (medical research, clinical exercise physiology, biotech R&D, healthcare pre-professional pathways). It rewards strong organic chemistry and biochemistry preparation, comfort with measurement-heavy lab protocols, and the willingness to commit to graduate or professional school as part of the realistic career path. Day-to-day in undergraduate work mixes lecture courses with laboratory measurement (EKG, pulmonary function, sensorimotor reflex testing), undergraduate research lab placements, and pre-health activities (clinical shadowing, scribe work, EMT certification).

One grounded observation about scale and earnings: 1,875 students complete this CIP across just 32 institutions — a small footprint heavily concentrated at large public research universities. CU Boulder’s Integrative Physiology program leads with 333 completions, with University of Arizona (288), UCLA (207), University of Oregon (194), and University of Washington (123) anchoring the rest of the top tier. Bachelor’s grads earn $63,025; the listed $20,189 associate’s figure reflects a tiny transitional cohort and shouldn’t be read as a real wage signal. The packet names just two BLS occupations — Medical scientists ($100,590, doctoral) and Postsecondary biology teachers ($83,460, doctoral) — and both require graduate credentials. Read the bachelor’s as a launching pad for medical, dental, PA, pharmacy, DPT, or PhD 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 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

$62k

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

Associate's

$20k

Bachelor's

$63k

Who this major is for

Good signs this major fits: you’re drawn to integrative human-systems biology and medicine-adjacent science, you’re committed to graduate or professional school as part of the realistic career path (medical, dental, PA, pharmacy, DPT, or PhD), and you’re comfortable with strong organic chemistry, biochemistry, and laboratory-measurement coursework. CU Boulder’s Integrative Physiology pathway is particularly well-known for pre-med structure, and similar programs at U Arizona, UCLA, U Oregon, and U Washington offer strong undergraduate-research and pre-health-advising infrastructure. The bachelor’s pays $63,025 in the data, with most graduates either in graduate school or building toward it.

Reasons to pause: both named tracked occupations in the data require doctoral credentials, and the bachelor’s alone caps low without graduate or professional school. The bachelor’s-accessible roles — clinical research associate, lab technician, scribe, EMT, biotech sales — pay meaningfully below the $63,025 median for graduates not yet in graduate study. If you’re unsure whether graduate or professional school is in the plan, the broader Biology, General CIP (26.0101) keeps more options open — physiology overlaps medical curriculum but isn’t strictly required for med-school admission. Geographic concentration also matters: this CIP is heavily Western-and-Mountain in distribution, so students elsewhere may need to relocate.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Physiology, 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 Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO 0 333 333
University of Arizona Tucson, AZ 0 288 288
University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA 0 207 207
University of Oregon Eugene, OR 0 194 194
University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle, WA 0 123 123
Boston University Boston, MA 0 109 109
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN 0 99 99
Glendale Community College Glendale, CA 76 0 76
Brigham Young University Provo, UT 0 73 73
Michigan State University East Lansing, MI 0 62 62
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Biochemistry

8,736 completions/yr

Biomedical Sciences, General

6,553 completions/yr

Exercise Physiology and Kinesiology

5,770 completions/yr

Cell/Cellular and Molecular Biology

3,392 completions/yr

Molecular Biology

817 completions/yr

Anatomy

681 completions/yr

Neurobiology and Anatomy

652 completions/yr

Medical Microbiology and Bacteriology

443 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What does a physiology major actually study?
Coursework spans cell physiology, neurophysiology, cardiovascular and respiratory physiology, endocrinology, reproductive physiology, exercise physiology, evolutionary physiology, and disease processes. The CIP definition lists reproduction, growth, hormonal action, vascular function, respiration, digestion, sensory perception, sensorimotor integration, signal encoding, homeostasis, and physical malfunction as core threads. Most programs require organic chemistry, biochemistry, statistics, and labs in cardiopulmonary or neurophysiological measurement.
Is this a pre-med major?
It functions as one for many students. Physiology covers all the medical-school prerequisite content and overlaps significantly with the medical curriculum’s first-year systems courses. CU Boulder’s Integrative Physiology program is famous as a structured pre-med pathway, and large producers like University of Arizona (288 completions) and UCLA (207) operate similarly. If your goal is medical, dental, PA, or graduate-school admission, confirm the program’s pre-health advising and prerequisite coverage.
What jobs do graduates land at the bachelor’s level?
The packet names just two BLS occupations and both require doctorates: Medical scientists ($100,590, 8.7% growth, doctoral) and Postsecondary biology teachers ($83,460, 7.3% growth, doctoral). Realistic bachelor’s entry destinations are clinical research associate at hospitals or pharma firms, lab technician, biomedical research-assistant roles, EMT or scribe positions for pre-meds, and biotech sales specialist. The bachelor’s alone caps low without graduate or professional credentials.
Do I need a PhD to use this major?
For research and academic careers, yes. The named occupations in the data — Medical scientists and postsecondary biology teachers — both require doctorates, and physiology research at universities, NIH, or pharma R&D is doctoral-track. For applied healthcare, a master’s or professional degree is often the realistic pathway: PA school, medical school, dental school, pharmacy school, physical therapy (DPT), or physiology master’s for clinical exercise physiology roles. The bachelor’s alone is a launching pad, not a finish line.
Why is the associate’s wage so low ($20,189)?
Two reasons. First, this CIP is overwhelmingly bachelor’s — only one community college (Glendale CC, 76 completions) appears in the top ten producers. Second, the small associate’s cohort likely reflects students still in the middle of transferring to a four-year program rather than students who completed the credential and entered the workforce. Don’t read the $20,189 as a real associate’s wage signal; it reflects a transitional-cohort artifact.
Where are the strongest programs concentrated?
University of Colorado Boulder (333 completions) leads — its Integrative Physiology program is well-known as a pre-medical pathway. University of Arizona (288), UCLA (207), University of Oregon (194), University of Washington (123), Boston University (109), and University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (99) follow. The mix favors large public research universities with strong pre-med advising and undergraduate-research opportunities. Brigham Young (73) and Michigan State (62) anchor the smaller end.