Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology: earnings, debt, and careers
CIP 26.13. Official graduate outcomes from the U.S. Department of Education across 691 programs, and the careers this field is linked to.
Graduate earnings by credential level
| Credential | Programs | Graduates (recent year) | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Typical program median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate certificate | 18 | 81 | Data unavailable | $42,394 | $13,000 1 programs |
| Associate's degree | 9 | 23 | Data unavailable | $36,197 | Data unavailable |
| Bachelor's degree | 274 | 4,673 | $34,501 | $48,842 | $21,500 67 programs |
| Post-baccalaureate certificate | 5 | 0 | $65,839 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Master's degree | 201 | 3,237 | $65,736 | $82,527 | Data unavailable |
| Doctoral degree | 129 | 935 | $75,159 | $97,173 | Data unavailable |
| Professional degree (JD, MD, and similar) | 3 | 0 | $61,555 | $76,187 | Data unavailable |
| Graduate certificate | 52 | 346 | $68,939 | $95,414 | Data unavailable |
National earnings are published by the Department of Education for each field and credential level Verified data. Typical program median debt is ConnectPrep's calculation: the median across programs of each program's median federal debt Calculated estimate. It covers federal loans only.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, Most Recent Field of Study Data. Varies by measure; see measure definitions. Published October 15, 2026. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Bachelor's degree programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvard University MA · Private, nonprofit · 31 graduates measured | $50,250 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Connecticut College CT · Private, nonprofit · 19 graduates measured | $46,853 | $62,925 | $22,465 |
| Saint Cloud State University MN · Public · 21 graduates measured | $44,621 | $44,386 | Data unavailable |
| University of California-Davis CA · Public · 30 graduates measured | $43,806 | $62,011 | $15,000 |
| California State Polytechnic University-Pomona CA · Public · 30 graduates measured | $42,395 | $63,525 | Data unavailable |
| Colorado State University-Fort Collins CO · Public · 77 graduates measured | $42,356 | $54,370 | $17,626 |
| Rutgers University-New Brunswick NJ · Public · 20 graduates measured | $42,236 | $47,553 | Data unavailable |
| University of Maryland-College Park MD · Public · 54 graduates measured | $42,104 | $65,639 | $16,250 |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison WI · Public · 48 graduates measured | $40,370 | $49,602 | $15,000 |
| University of California-San Diego CA · Public · 98 graduates measured | $39,836 | $52,701 | $15,000 |
| California State University-Fullerton CA · Public · 46 graduates measured | $39,027 | $53,518 | $18,750 |
| University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus CO · Public · 61 graduates measured | $38,675 | Data unavailable | $15,500 |
| University of California-Santa Barbara CA · Public · 58 graduates measured | $38,535 | $50,694 | $12,000 |
| University of Colorado Boulder CO · Public · 104 graduates measured | $38,421 | $53,429 | $20,375 |
| Western Michigan University MI · Public · 28 graduates measured | $38,145 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
Ranked by published median earnings one year after completion. Programs with suppressed earnings do not appear, so this is not a ranking of program quality.
Master's degree programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Pennsylvania PA · Private, nonprofit · 31 graduates measured | $212,968 | $237,136 | Data unavailable |
| Harvard University MA · Private, nonprofit · 109 graduates measured | $180,858 | $168,833 | Data unavailable |
| University of Louisville KY · Public · 17 graduates measured | $87,583 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| University of Washington-Seattle Campus WA · Public · 44 graduates measured | $87,475 | $201,168 | Data unavailable |
| Columbia University in the City of New York NY · Private, nonprofit · 142 graduates measured | $82,308 | $108,698 | Data unavailable |
| Yale University CT · Private, nonprofit · 41 graduates measured | $74,222 | $93,163 | Data unavailable |
| George Washington University DC · Private, nonprofit · 84 graduates measured | $73,332 | $100,537 | Data unavailable |
| Johns Hopkins University MD · Private, nonprofit · 32 graduates measured | $72,385 | $106,149 | Data unavailable |
| Boston University MA · Private, nonprofit · 146 graduates measured | $71,849 | $96,565 | Data unavailable |
| Emory University GA · Private, nonprofit · 163 graduates measured | $67,609 | $88,235 | Data unavailable |
| Drexel University PA · Private, nonprofit · 54 graduates measured | $65,617 | $89,003 | Data unavailable |
| Tulane University of Louisiana LA · Private, nonprofit · 33 graduates measured | $64,990 | $77,285 | Data unavailable |
| University of Minnesota-Twin Cities MN · Public · 31 graduates measured | $64,587 | $84,522 | Data unavailable |
| University of Michigan-Ann Arbor MI · Public · 63 graduates measured | $62,416 | $80,316 | Data unavailable |
| University of Miami FL · Private, nonprofit · 92 graduates measured | $61,958 | $73,547 | Data unavailable |
Ranked by published median earnings one year after completion. Programs with suppressed earnings do not appear, so this is not a ranking of program quality.
Doctoral degree programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvard University MA · Private, nonprofit · 30 graduates measured | $102,677 | $185,905 | Data unavailable |
| The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston TX · Public · 22 graduates measured | $96,148 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill NC · Public · 30 graduates measured | $86,726 | $113,327 | Data unavailable |
| University of California-Davis CA · Public · 36 graduates measured | $78,590 | $85,764 | Data unavailable |
| University of California-Irvine CA · Public · 19 graduates measured | $71,987 | $90,675 | Data unavailable |
| University of Florida FL · Public · 18 graduates measured | $58,913 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Texas A&M University-College Station TX · Public · 16 graduates measured | $56,095 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
Ranked by published median earnings one year after completion. Programs with suppressed earnings do not appear, so this is not a ranking of program quality.
Professional degree (JD, MD, and similar) programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus PA · Public · 39 graduates measured | $61,692 | $74,229 | Data unavailable |
Ranked by published median earnings one year after completion. Programs with suppressed earnings do not appear, so this is not a ranking of program quality.
Graduate certificate programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia University in the City of New York NY · Private, nonprofit · 60 graduates measured | $73,138 | $102,199 | Data unavailable |
| University of Missouri-Columbia MO · Public · 17 graduates measured | $57,374 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
Ranked by published median earnings one year after completion. Programs with suppressed earnings do not appear, so this is not a ranking of program quality.
Careers linked to Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology
| Occupation | Median wage, all workers | Change 2025 to 2035 | Typical entry education |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural sciences managers | $167,220 | +8.2% | Bachelor's degree |
| Statisticians | $105,650 | +11.0% | Master's degree |
| Zoologists and wildlife biologists | $76,780 | +3.6% | Bachelor's degree |
| Biological scientists, all other | $98,920 | +4.7% | Bachelor's degree |
| Conservation scientists | $73,010 | +5.3% | Bachelor's degree |
| Epidemiologists | $87,220 | +18.7% | Master's degree |
| Medical scientists, except epidemiologists | $103,410 | +12.6% | Doctoral or professional degree |
| Life scientists, all other | $93,750 | +6.3% | Bachelor's degree |
| Biological technicians | $57,510 | +7.4% | Bachelor's degree |
| Biological science teachers, postsecondary | $84,620 | +7.3% | Doctoral or professional degree |
| Forestry and conservation science teachers, postsecondary | $101,420 | +2.8% | Doctoral or professional degree |
| Environmental science teachers, postsecondary | $94,980 | +2.7% | Doctoral or professional degree |
| Health specialties teachers, postsecondary | $107,310 | +17.9% | Doctoral or professional degree |
Occupations mapped to this field in the NCES and BLS CIP to SOC crosswalk. Occupation wages describe all workers, not recent graduates.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk. CIP 2020 and SOC 2018 taxonomies. Published April 30, 2020. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, National. May 2025 reference period. Published April 30, 2026. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, Table 1.2: Occupational projections, 2025-35, and worker characteristics, 2025. Base year 2025, projected year 2035. Published August 27, 2026. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Detailed CIP codes in this field (12)
- 26.1301 Ecology
- 26.1302 Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography
- 26.1303 Evolutionary Biology
- 26.1304 Aquatic Biology/Limnology
- 26.1305 Environmental Biology
- 26.1306 Population Biology
- 26.1307 Conservation Biology
- 26.1308 Systematic Biology/Biological Systematics
- 26.1309 Epidemiology
- 26.1310 Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
- 26.1311 Epidemiology and Biostatistics
- 26.1399 Ecology, Evolution, Systematics and Population Biology, Other