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Major · Multi-Interdisciplinary Studies

An interdisciplinary bachelor’s for pre-med and global-health work

Human Biology (CIP 30.2701) is an interdisciplinary bachelor’s blending biology, social science, and humanities to study human health and behavior in context. About 2,094 students complete it across just 38 institutions, with bachelor’s grads earning $67,438 — a wage that reflects students who enter the workforce, while many continue to medical or graduate school.

Schools offering
38
Annual completions
2,094
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$67k

About this major

Human Biology (CIP 30.2701) is an interdisciplinary bachelor’s major in the multi-interdisciplinary-studies family that blends biological sciences with social science and humanities to study human health and behavior in context. The CIP definition lists global health and disease, environmental policy, bioethics, and biotechnology as core themes — meaning programs intentionally combine biology coursework with epidemiology, public-health policy, and bioethics rather than pursuing pure natural-sciences depth. Most programs at this CIP cover all the medical-school prerequisites (biology, general and organic chemistry, physics, biochemistry, statistics) inside the major requirements, which is why the program functions as a structured pre-medical pathway at many schools.

The major fits students drawn to the human side of biology — disease ecology, global health, public health policy, biomedical ethics — alongside students preparing for medical, dental, PA, or graduate-school admission. It rewards comfort with both quantitative and qualitative reasoning, the patience for long-form thesis or research projects, and the willingness to commit to graduate or professional school as part of the realistic career path. Day-to-day, undergraduate work mixes lab and lecture science with seminar-style social-science coursework and capstone projects on contemporary health-and-society topics.

One grounded observation about scale and outcomes: 2,094 students complete this CIP across just 38 institutions — a small footprint dominated by elite private universities (Stanford, Cornell, USC) and large public research universities (UCLA, University of Washington, UC Irvine). CUNY Hunter alone produces 414 completions, the largest urban-public pre-med pipeline in this CIP. Bachelor’s grads earn $67,438 five years out, and most named BLS occupations (Biological science postsecondary teachers at $83,460 doctoral; Anthropologists at $64,910 master’s; Social science postsecondary teachers at $75,040 doctoral) require graduate credentials. The headline figures — Natural sciences managers at $161,180 and Biological scientists all other at $93,330 — are residual or mid-career catch-all categories, not realistic bachelor’s entry points. Read this CIP as a launching pad: most graduates continue to medical, dental, PA, public-health, 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
Natural sciences managers $161k +3.7% Bachelor's degree
Biological science teachers, postsecondary $83k +7.3% Doctoral or professional degree
Biological scientists, all other $93k +1.2% Bachelor's degree
Social scientists and related workers, all other $100k -1.7% Bachelor's degree
Social sciences teachers, postsecondary, all other $75k +1.7% Doctoral or professional degree
Anthropologists and archeologists $65k +3.7% Master'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

$67k

Who this major is for

Good signs this major fits: you’re drawn to the human and societal dimensions of biology — disease ecology, public health, bioethics, global-health policy — and want a structured pathway to medical, dental, PA, or graduate school, you’re comfortable with both quantitative biology and qualitative social-science work, and you can commit to graduate or professional school as part of the realistic career path. Stanford’s and CUNY Hunter’s programs are particularly strong for pre-med advising, and elite-private and large-public schools dominate the top of the CIP. The bachelor’s pays $67,438 five years out, with most graduates either in graduate school or building toward it.

Reasons to pause: most named careers in the data require master’s or doctoral credentials. Treat the headline wages — Natural sciences managers at $161,180, Biological scientists all other at $93,330 — as residual or mid-career catch-alls, not realistic bachelor’s entry-level destinations. If you want pure bench science or research, the standard Biology, General (CIP 26.0101) bachelor’s offers deeper natural-sciences depth. If you’re unsure whether graduate or professional school is in the plan, the cost of a private bachelor’s in this CIP without a follow-on credential is hard to justify. Confirm pre-health advising and prerequisite coverage with any program before enrolling.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Human Biology

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

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
CUNY Hunter College New York, NY 0 414 414
University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA 0 278 278
University at Albany Albany, NY 0 233 233
University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA 0 232 232
Stanford University Stanford, CA 0 133 133
University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle, WA 0 127 127
University of California-Irvine Irvine, CA 0 119 119
University of Kansas Lawrence, KS 0 100 100
Cornell University Ithaca, NY 0 96 96
National University San Diego, CA 71 0 71
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

Cell/Cellular and Molecular Biology

3,392 completions/yr

Nutrition Sciences

3,240 completions/yr

Learning Sciences

2,959 completions/yr

Microbiology, General

2,120 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What does a human biology major actually study?
Coursework spans introductory biology, anatomy and physiology, genetics, biochemistry, and microbiology on the science side; epidemiology, public health, bioethics, and global-health policy on the social-science side; and contemporary topics like biotechnology, environmental policy, and disease epidemiology. The CIP definition emphasizes interdisciplinary coverage — programs intentionally combine biology with humanities and social sciences to address contemporary biology-and-society issues.
Is this a pre-med major?
It functions as one for many students. Stanford’s Human Biology program is famous as a structured pre-med pathway, and CUNY Hunter and USC run similarly large pre-health programs in this CIP. Programs typically include all the medical-school prerequisites (biology, chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, biochemistry, statistics) embedded in the curriculum. If your goal is medical, dental, PA, or nursing school, confirm the program’s prerequisite coverage and pre-health advising before enrolling.
What jobs do graduates land at the bachelor’s level?
The packet names six BLS occupations, but the realistic bachelor’s-accessible roles are Biological scientists, all other ($93,330 — but this is a residual catch-all SOC code, so treat the wage cautiously) and entry-level positions like clinical research associate, public-health program coordinator, lab technician, biotech sales specialist, and patient-care or scribe roles for pre-med applicants. Higher-paying tracked occupations require graduate credentials.
Do I need a master’s or PhD?
For most of the named careers in the data, yes. Postsecondary biology and social-science teaching require doctorates ($83,460 and $75,040 respectively); Anthropologists and archeologists require a master’s ($64,910); and Medical doctor, dental, PA, and nursing pathways all require professional graduate degrees. The bachelor’s opens the door to entry-level bench, research-assistant, and public-health-coordinator work — but the wage ceiling at the bachelor’s level is real for this discipline.
How does this compare to a standard Biology, General (CIP 26.0101) major?
Biology, General (26.0101, 83,027 completions) is the much larger standard biology bachelor’s with a deeper natural-sciences focus and less social-science breadth. Human Biology (30.2701, 2,094 completions) is the interdisciplinary alternative — narrower science depth but stronger framing in epidemiology, public health, and bioethics. For pure bench science or research, Biology General is the safer pick. For pre-med, public health, or biology-and-society work, Human Biology fits well.
Where are the strongest programs concentrated?
CUNY Hunter College leads with 414 completions — a large urban-public pre-med pipeline. USC (278), University at Albany (233), UCLA (232), Stanford (133), University of Washington (127), UC Irvine (119), and Cornell (96) follow. The mix combines elite private universities (Stanford, Cornell, USC) with strong public research universities. Stanford’s program is particularly well-known as a pre-med pathway with structured advising.