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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

$63,127
633
100–80%
$67,514
1,231
78–37%
$66,006
646
33–0%
Acceptance rate · bar = degree-weighted earnings

By SAT median

$63,611
462
400–1190
$65,812
877
1190–1400
$62,565
423
1410–1600
Combined SAT composite median (submitters + non-submitters) · bar = degree-weighted earnings

Earnings vs. selectivity rank

$54,452p10 $71,609p90 Liberal Arts Public University Religious University Private University Public University 1–15 Private University 1–30 Ohio Wesleyan University · $51,136 Luther College · $60,990 University of California, Irvine · $55,905 Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo · $73,034 San Diego State University · $70,702 Cal State Los Angeles · $56,548 University of California, Santa Barbara · $79,586 University of South Florida · $58,286 University of Washington · $62,029 Clemson University · $80,513 Cal State Long Beach · $62,551 University of California, Davis · $82,228 Auburn University · $65,605 Ohio State University · $67,877 Texas A&M University - College Station · $67,111 Virginia Tech · $66,752 Pennsylvania State University · $70,582 New Mexico State University · $58,250 University of Pittsburgh · $50,244 University of Massachusetts - Amherst · $66,935 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities · $63,091 Oklahoma State University · $63,559 Rutgers University - New Brunswick · $68,063 Texas Tech University · $80,038 University of Michigan - Dearborn · $67,163 Texas State University · $63,365 Louisiana State University · $66,464 University of Alabama · $58,108 Northwestern State University of Louisiana · $52,822 Ohio University · $62,969 Southern Illinois University - Carbondale · $58,572 University of Alabama at Birmingham · $58,800 University of Oklahoma - Norman · $71,582 University of Texas at Arlington · $58,508 University of Vermont · $64,479 Miami University - Ohio · $70,655 University of Wisconsin - La Crosse · $63,667 Oregon State University · $67,691 University of Idaho · $52,999 Washington State University · $71,609 Indiana University · $70,157 University of Missouri · $68,068 Chico State · $60,067 East Tennessee State University · $57,083 University of Iowa · $68,238 University of Nebraska, Lincoln · $67,026 Bowling Green State University · $58,773 University of California, Santa Cruz · $67,287 University of Nevada, Reno · $65,680 Michigan State University · $61,458 Mississippi State University · $64,304 Iowa State University · $65,153 South Dakota State University · $62,173 University of Arizona · $54,452 University of Maine · $59,718 West Virginia University · $63,702 University of California, Riverside · $64,572 Arizona State University · $68,571 University of Hawaii at Manoa · $50,610 University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee · $65,970 Northern Arizona University · $70,104 University of Montana · $49,398 University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh · $63,224 University of Texas at San Antonio · $47,402 North Dakota State University · $75,827 University of Kansas · $71,619 Grand Valley State University · $57,228 Idaho State University · $58,718 Kansas State University · $57,180 University of Texas at El Paso · $66,967 University of Wyoming · $54,248 Montana State University · $63,920 Montana State University - Billings · $58,166 Utah Valley University · $65,300 Weber State University · $65,974 Brigham Young University · $65,163 Wagner College · $61,008 University of Miami · $62,740 Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences · $67,313 Quinnipiac University · $76,711 Keystone College · $51,076 University of California, Berkeley · $88,774 University of Michigan - Ann Arbor · $56,968 UCLA · $68,849 University of Florida · $60,248 University of Georgia · $70,824 Purdue University · $69,524 North Carolina State University · $64,997 University of Wisconsin - Madison · $66,855 University of California, San Diego · $56,152 Washington University in St Louis · $71,495 Liberal Arts: mean $56,063 Public University: mean $63,935 Religious University: mean $63,086 Private University: mean $64,460 Public University 1–15: mean $67,021 Private University 1–30: mean $71,495 All colleges: p10 $54,452 All colleges: p90 $71,609
Each dot = a college · y = degree-weighted earnings

Majors in this category

Major Colleges Degrees ▼ Male/Female Intl Earnings Employment
Microbiology & Immunology 93 2,510 36% / 64% 3% $64,545 95%
Microbiology 77 1,782 37% / 63% 3% $63,905 95%
Microbiology and Cell Science 1 207 35% / 65% 0% $60,248 94%
Microbiology and Immunology 8 195 37% / 63% 2% $63,622 97%
Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics 1 152 28% / 72% 4% $68,849 90%
Microbial Biology 1 73 34% / 66% 11% $88,774 100%
Medical Microbiology and Bacteriology 2 65 38% / 62% 2% $61,085 96%
Medical Microbiology 1 18 33% / 67% 0% $70,582
Immunology 1 15 33% / 67% 0% $58,800
Infectious Disease and Global Health 1 3 33% / 67% 33% $60,990