# Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology

> Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology is a field of study in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences area.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/programs/ecology-evolution-systematics-and-population-biology
- CIP code: 26.13 (Biological and Biomedical Sciences)
- Colleges offering it: 251 at its most common degree level

## Outcomes by degree level (College Scorecard, 2025)

| Degree level | Colleges | Median earnings 1 yr | Median earnings 4 yrs | Median federal debt |
| --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| Certificate | 18 | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Associate's | 9 | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Bachelor's | 251 | $34,656 | $49,915 | $20,175 |
| Master's | 140 | $64,587 | $86,404 | $62,615 |
| Post-baccalaureate certificate | 5 | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Doctoral | 107 | $75,288 | $93,831 | not reported |
| First professional | 3 | $61,692 | $74,229 | $30,750 |
| Graduate/professional certificate | 45 | $65,256 | $96,678 | $64,375 |

## Colleges whose graduates earn the most (Bachelor's)

Only programs with at least 10 graduates are listed.

| College | Location | Median earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: |
| [University of Maryland-College Park](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-maryland-college-park-main-campus-2949) | College Park, MD | $65,639 | $15,926 |
| [New York University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/new-york-university-nyu-1866) | New York, NY | $65,406 | $23,625 |
| [California State Polytechnic University-Pomona](https://www.collegesref.com/college/california-state-polytechnic-university-pomona-362) | Pomona, CA | $63,525 | not reported |
| [Connecticut College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/connecticut-college-700) | New London, CT | $62,925 | $22,465 |
| [Princeton University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/princeton-university-2154) | Princeton, NJ | $62,344 | not reported |
| [University of California-Davis](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-california-davis-2882) | Davis, CA | $62,011 | $15,245 |
| [Brigham Young University-Provo](https://www.collegesref.com/college/brigham-young-university-provo-byu-utah-302) | Provo, UT | $61,078 | $11,448 |
| [Boston University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/boston-university-286) | Boston, MA | $57,967 | $19,000 |
| [California State University-Long Beach](https://www.collegesref.com/college/california-state-university-long-beach-371) | Long Beach, CA | $55,588 | $16,583 |
| [Michigan State University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/michigan-state-university-1677) | East Lansing, MI | $55,159 | $19,500 |

## Related careers (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk)

- [Clinical Research Coordinators](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/clinical-research-coordinators): $167,220 median pay
- [Natural Sciences Managers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/natural-sciences-managers): $167,220 median pay
- [Water Resource Specialists](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/water-resource-specialists): $167,220 median pay
- [Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/health-specialties-teachers-postsecondary): $107,310 median pay
- [Biostatisticians](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/biostatisticians): $105,650 median pay
- [Statisticians](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/statisticians): $105,650 median pay
- [Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/medical-scientists-except-epidemiologists): $103,410 median pay
- [Forestry and Conservation Science Teachers, Postsecondary](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/forestry-and-conservation-science-teachers-postsecondary): $101,420 median pay
- [Bioinformatics Scientists](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/bioinformatics-scientists): $98,920 median pay
- [Biological Scientists, All Other](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/biological-scientists-all-other): $98,920 median pay
- [Biologists](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/biologists): $98,920 median pay
- [Geneticists](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/geneticists): $98,920 median pay
- [Molecular and Cellular Biologists](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/molecular-and-cellular-biologists): $98,920 median pay
- [Environmental Science Teachers, Postsecondary](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/environmental-science-teachers-postsecondary): $94,980 median pay
- [Life Scientists, All Other](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/life-scientists-all-other): $93,750 median pay
- [Epidemiologists](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/epidemiologists): $87,220 median pay
- [Biological Science Teachers, Postsecondary](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/biological-science-teachers-postsecondary): $84,620 median pay
- [Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/zoologists-and-wildlife-biologists): $76,780 median pay
- [Conservation Scientists](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/conservation-scientists): $73,010 median pay
- [Park Naturalists](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/park-naturalists): $73,010 median pay
- [Range Managers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/range-managers): $73,010 median pay
- [Biological Technicians](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/biological-technicians): $57,510 median pay

## More in Biological and Biomedical Sciences

- [Biology, General](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/biology-general): 1,326 colleges
- [Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/biochemistry-biophysics-and-molecular-biology): 709 colleges
- [Neurobiology and Neurosciences](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/neurobiology-and-neurosciences): 316 colleges
- [Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/physiology-pathology-and-related-sciences): 169 colleges
- [Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/biomathematics-bioinformatics-and-computational-biology): 119 colleges
- [Microbiological Sciences and Immunology](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/microbiological-sciences-and-immunology): 111 colleges
- [Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/cell-cellular-biology-and-anatomical-sciences): 101 colleges
- [Zoology/Animal Biology](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/zoology-animal-biology): 97 colleges

## Sources

- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study data, 2025: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/
- NCES Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) 2020: https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/