# Microbiological Sciences and Immunology

> A program that focuses on the scientific study of unicellular organisms and colonies, and subcellular genetic matter and their ecological interactions with human beings and other life. Includes instruction in microbial genetics, cell biology, cell physiology, virology, pathogenic microbiology, environmental microbiology, immunology, biostatistics, bioinformatics, and laboratory methods including microscopy.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/programs/microbiological-sciences-and-immunology
- CIP code: 26.05 (Biological and Biomedical Sciences)
- Colleges offering it: 111 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 | 3 | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Associate's | 3 | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Bachelor's | 111 | $42,956 | $66,041 | $20,000 |
| Master's | 94 | $68,863 | $97,683 | $52,005 |
| Post-baccalaureate certificate | 2 | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Doctoral | 97 | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| First professional | 1 | $59,086 | $68,039 | $55,970 |
| Graduate/professional certificate | 11 | not reported | not reported | not reported |

## 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 California-Berkeley](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-california-berkeley-cal-2881) | Berkeley, CA | $103,546 | $14,935 |
| [University of California-Santa Barbara](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-california-santa-barbara-ucsb-2888) | Santa Barbara, CA | $90,061 | $14,607 |
| [Clemson University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/clemson-university-572) | Clemson, SC | $81,526 | $23,250 |
| [San Diego State University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/san-diego-state-university-sdsu-2345) | San Diego, CA | $81,122 | not reported |
| [Miami University-Oxford](https://www.collegesref.com/college/miami-university-oxford-1675) | Oxford, OH | $77,163 | $20,500 |
| [Washington State University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/washington-state-university-3171) | Pullman, WA | $76,384 | not reported |
| [California State University-Chico](https://www.collegesref.com/college/california-state-university-chico-366) | Chico, CA | $74,888 | not reported |
| [University of California-Davis](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-california-davis-2882) | Davis, CA | $74,343 | $12,090 |
| [California State University-Long Beach](https://www.collegesref.com/college/california-state-university-long-beach-371) | Long Beach, CA | $73,988 | not reported |
| [University of Washington-Seattle](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-washington-seattle-main-campus-3075) | Seattle, WA | $73,944 | $18,694 |

## 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
- [Medical and Health Services Managers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/medical-and-health-services-managers): $123,860 median pay
- [Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/health-specialties-teachers-postsecondary): $107,310 median pay
- [Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/medical-scientists-except-epidemiologists): $103,410 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
- [Microbiologists](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/microbiologists): $87,990 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
- [Biological Technicians](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/biological-technicians): $57,510 median pay
- [Food Science Technicians](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/food-science-technicians): $52,130 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
- [Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/ecology-evolution-systematics-and-population-biology): 251 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
- [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/