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Microbiology & Immunology

Colleges offering this major Rankings Trends

What you'll do in college

This field is all about the microscopic organisms that run the world—and the immune systems trying to fight them off. Coursework dives deep into bacteriology, virology, immunology, epidemiology, and microbial genetics.

Labs require meticulous sterile technique: you'll spend countless hours streaking agar plates, Gram staining, growing cultures in the incubator, and running assays to see how cells respond to pathogens without accidentally contaminating your bench (or yourself).

What you'll do after college

Grads work in public health (CDC, state labs), biopharma, clinical diagnostics, and food or environmental safety testing. The rise of mRNA vaccines and immunotherapy has made this a booming sector.

Entry-level roles often involve bench work, quality control, or clinical lab testing. Many grads go on to medical school, veterinary school, or PhD programs to become principal investigators, virologists, or infectious disease specialists.

Famous graduates

  • Susan Lindquist — Groundbreaking molecular biologist; B.A. in Microbiology from UIUC
  • Rita Colwell — Former Director of the NSF and infectious disease researcher; B.S. in Bacteriology from Purdue University

Selectivity vs. earnings

By acceptance rate

$66,902
613
100–83%
$71,672
1,286
83–34%
$70,772
610
33–0%
Acceptance rate · bar = degree-weighted earnings

By SAT median

$66,747
428
400–1190
$71,128
921
1190–1400
$72,806
423
1410–1600
Combined SAT composite median (submitters + non-submitters) · bar = degree-weighted earnings

Earnings by acceptance rate and institution category

$58,050p10 $77,844p90 Liberal Arts Public University Religious University Private University 20–30% 10–20% 0–10% Ohio Wesleyan University · $64,002 Luther College · $62,219 University of Georgia · $78,723 San Diego State University · $62,674 University of California, Santa Barbara · $77,844 North Carolina State University · $74,707 University of South Florida · $61,852 University of Wisconsin - Madison · $69,892 University of Washington · $74,180 Clemson University · $67,169 Purdue University · $74,050 Cal State Long Beach · $70,250 University of California, Davis · $70,862 Auburn University · $77,766 Ohio State University · $78,253 Texas A&M University - College Station · $68,750 Virginia Tech · $81,390 Pennsylvania State University · $76,360 New Mexico State University · $55,070 University of Pittsburgh · $76,682 University of Massachusetts - Amherst · $80,317 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities · $75,595 Rutgers University - New Brunswick · $72,879 Texas Tech University · $70,002 University of Michigan - Dearborn · $65,334 Louisiana State University · $67,260 University of Alabama · $64,910 University of California, Santa Cruz · $72,242 University of Vermont · $65,703 Oklahoma State University · $67,799 Miami University - Ohio · $65,543 University of Wisconsin - La Crosse · $88,649 University of Idaho · $82,220 Indiana University · $67,467 University of Missouri · $67,879 University of Oklahoma - Norman · $66,765 East Tennessee State University · $51,310 Oregon State University · $59,075 University of Iowa · $80,151 University of Nebraska, Lincoln · $67,026 University of Texas at Arlington · $59,131 Bowling Green State University · $58,050 University of Nevada, Reno · $74,781 Michigan State University · $71,709 University of Arizona · $64,953 Mississippi State University · $76,460 South Dakota State University · $62,173 University of Maine · $69,343 West Virginia University · $70,071 Ohio University · $61,775 University of California, Riverside · $72,444 Washington State University · $75,236 Iowa State University · $67,391 University of Hawaii at Manoa · $57,540 Arizona State University · $58,092 University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee · $65,968 Northern Arizona University · $58,034 University of Montana · $50,605 University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh · $69,841 Cal State Los Angeles · $57,953 University of Texas at San Antonio · $51,830 Chico State · $77,738 Texas State University · $59,670 North Dakota State University · $76,284 University of Kansas · $72,080 Grand Valley State University · $64,121 University of Alabama at Birmingham · $63,351 Southern Illinois University - Carbondale · $65,301 Northwestern State University of Louisiana · $64,583 Kansas State University · $57,180 University of Wyoming · $74,228 Idaho State University · $61,899 Montana State University · $74,221 University of Texas at El Paso · $59,303 Montana State University - Billings · $63,348 Utah Valley University · $69,305 Weber State University · $71,045 Brigham Young University · $72,590 Wagner College · $61,008 Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences · $72,013 Quinnipiac University · $71,743 University of Florida · $71,180 University of California, San Diego · $72,233 University of California, Irvine · $50,056 Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo · $73,034 Washington University in St Louis · $67,133 University of Miami · $60,420 University of California, Berkeley · $88,774 University of Michigan - Ann Arbor · $79,410 UCLA · $67,026 Liberal Arts: mean $63,111 Public University: mean $68,288 Religious University: mean $66,799 Private University: mean $71,878 20–30%: mean $66,626 10–20%: mean $73,934 0–10%: mean $67,026 All colleges: p10 $58,050 All colleges: p90 $77,844
Each dot = a college · y = degree-weighted earnings

Majors in this category

Major Colleges Degrees ▼ Male/Female Intl Earnings Employment
Microbiology & Immunology 92 2,509 36% / 64% 3% $68,899 96%
Microbiology 76 1,781 37% / 63% 3% $68,476 96%
Microbiology and Cell Science 1 207 35% / 65% 0% $71,180 93%
Microbiology and Immunology 8 195 37% / 63% 2% $65,620 96%
Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics 1 152 28% / 72% 4% $67,026 94%
Microbial Biology 1 73 34% / 66% 11% $88,774 100%
Medical Microbiology and Bacteriology 2 65 38% / 62% 2% $64,646 100%
Medical Microbiology 1 18 33% / 67% 0% $76,360
Immunology 1 15 33% / 67% 0% $63,351
Infectious Disease and Global Health 1 3 33% / 67% 33% $62,219