by our College Data Analytics TeamEnvironmental Biology was the 599th most popular major in the 2020-2021 school year. Colleges in the United States reported awarding 466 degrees in this year alone. This is a difference of 24 over the prior year, a growth of 5.2%.
This year's Best Environmental Biology Schools ranking compares 39 of them to identify the best overall programs in the country. Explore this or one of our many other custom environmental microbiology rankings further below.
Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems is a required skill for environmental microbiology majors. Required skills include understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents and using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
environmental biology degree applicants generally need have finished high school or their GED. Many schools may also have GPA and SAT/ACT score minimums that must be met. In addition to these basic environmental biology program qualifications, to serve in some environmental microbiology careers, special certification may be required outside of your degree.
There are many different environmental microbiology degree levels. You can spend many years getting as high as a in environmental biology to something that takes less time like a . Depending on the environmental biology degree you choose, obtaining your diploma can take anwhere from 1 to 4+ years.
| Degree | Credit Requirements | Typical Program Length |
|---|---|---|
| Associate Degree | 60-70 credits | 2 years |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 120 credits | 4 years |
| Master’s Degree | 50-70 credits | 1-3 years |
| Doctorate | Program required coursework including thesis or dissertation | At least 4 years |
A bachelor's degree is the most common level of education achieved by those in careers related to environmental microbiology, with approximately 30.4% of workers getting one. Find out other typical degree levels for environmental microbiology workers below.
| Level of Education | Percentage of Workers |
|---|---|
| Post-Doctoral Training | 30.4% |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 30.4% |
| Doctoral Degree | 21.7% |
| Master’s Degree | 13.0% |
| Less than a High School Diploma | 4.4% |
About 52.2% of workers in careers related to environmental microbiology obtain at least doctor's degrees. The chart below shows what degree level those who work in environmental biology have obtained.
This of course varies depending on which environmental microbiology career you choose.
Want a job when you graduate with your environmental microbiology degree? Environmental Biology careers are expected to grow 8.0% between 2016 and 2026.
The following options are some of the most in-demand careers related to environmental biology.
| Occupation Name | Projected Jobs | Expected Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Biological Scientists | 41,800 | 8.0% |
As you might expect, salaries for environmental microbiology graduates vary depending on the level of education that was acquired.
Salaries for environmental biology graduates can vary widely by the occupation you choose as well. The following table shows the top highest paying careers environmental microbiology grads often go into.
| Occupation Name | Median Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Biological Scientists | $83,600 |
With over 82 different environmental microbiology degree programs to choose from, finding the best fit for you can be a challenge. Fortunately you have come to the right place. We have analyzed all of these schools to come up with hundreds of unbiased environmental microbiology school rankings to help you with this.
One of 11 majors within the Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology area of study, Environmental Biology has other similar majors worth exploring.
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Epidemiology | 2,305 |
| Marine Biology | 1,835 |
| Ecology | 1,060 |
| Evolutionary Biology | 697 |
| Conservation Biology | 309 |
Image Credit: By Ernst Haeckel under License More about our data sources and methodologies.
