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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

$61,645
652
100–76%
$67,475
1,325
76–29%
$71,458
645
29–0%
Acceptance rate · bar = degree-weighted earnings

By SAT median

$60,265
466
400–1190
$63,957
872
1200–1400
$64,283
516
1400–1600
Combined SAT composite median (submitters + non-submitters) · bar = degree-weighted earnings

Earnings vs. selectivity rank

$52,388p10 $72,317p90 Liberal Arts Public University Religious University Private University Public University 1–25 Private University 21–40 Ohio Wesleyan University · $51,029 Luther College · $58,254 Cal State Long Beach · $70,860 University of California, Irvine · $61,795 Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo · $80,920 University of South Florida · $59,711 San Diego State University · $79,500 Cal State Los Angeles · $64,059 University of California, Santa Barbara · $88,260 University of Washington · $68,273 Clemson University · $77,932 University of California, Davis · $90,315 Pennsylvania State University · $69,455 New Mexico State University · $52,487 University of Pittsburgh · $49,705 Mississippi State University · $58,885 University of Massachusetts - Amherst · $69,483 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities · $63,560 Oklahoma State University · $58,779 Texas Tech University · $76,515 University of Michigan - Dearborn · $66,848 Texas State University · $62,154 Louisiana State University · $63,503 Northwestern State University of Louisiana · $48,393 Southern Illinois University - Carbondale · $55,071 University of Alabama at Birmingham · $56,390 University of Oklahoma - Norman · $65,792 University of Texas at Arlington · $58,611 University of California, Santa Cruz · $68,950 University of Vermont · $63,818 Miami University - Ohio · $68,169 University of Wisconsin - La Crosse · $60,098 Oregon State University · $70,583 University of Alabama · $57,809 University of Idaho · $52,371 Washington State University · $71,666 Indiana University · $67,745 University of Missouri · $63,313 Chico State · $64,331 East Tennessee State University · $48,896 Northern Arizona University · $71,307 Grand Valley State University · $57,508 University of Nebraska, Lincoln · $60,853 Bowling Green State University · $54,808 Colorado State University - Fort Collins · $64,977 Michigan State University · $60,447 University of Iowa · $63,153 Iowa State University · $60,882 South Dakota State University · $57,608 University of Arizona · $54,765 University of Maine · $58,782 University of Nevada, Reno · $65,028 West Virginia University · $60,556 University of California, Riverside · $70,849 Arizona State University · $69,627 University of Hawaii at Manoa · $52,535 University of Kansas · $64,544 University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee · $63,276 University of Montana · $49,657 University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh · $60,296 University of Texas at San Antonio · $45,791 North Dakota State University · $68,195 Idaho State University · $58,273 Kansas State University · $51,508 University of Texas at El Paso · $63,674 University of Wyoming · $52,388 Montana State University · $63,350 Montana State University - Billings · $57,672 Southwestern Oklahoma State University · $51,527 Utah Valley University · $66,704 Weber State University · $65,197 Brigham Young University · $64,156 Wagner College · $65,814 Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences · $67,529 Quinnipiac University · $72,568 University of California, Berkeley · $101,475 University of Michigan - Ann Arbor · $56,732 University of Florida · $60,469 University of Georgia · $68,825 Purdue University · $66,206 UCLA · $77,994 Rutgers University - New Brunswick · $71,167 University of Wisconsin - Madison · $65,144 Texas A&M University - College Station · $63,756 Auburn University · $61,323 Virginia Tech · $65,908 University of California, San Diego · $63,139 Ohio State University · $65,347 North Carolina State University · $63,220 Washington University in St Louis · $72,317 University of Miami · $68,435 Liberal Arts: mean $54,642 Public University: mean $62,909 Religious University: mean $64,985 Private University: mean $70,049 Public University 1–25: mean $67,908 Private University 21–40: mean $70,376 All colleges: p10 $52,388 All colleges: p90 $72,317
Each dot = a college · y = degree-weighted earnings

Majors in this category

Major Colleges Degrees ▼ Male/Female Intl Earnings Employment
Microbiology & Immunology 93 2,622 37% / 63% 3% $64,932 95%
Microbiology 77 1,857 39% / 61% 3% $63,293 95%
Microbiology and Cell Science 1 215 36% / 64% 2% $60,469 94%
Microbiology and Immunology 8 181 29% / 71% 3% $63,488 97%
Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics 1 166 33% / 67% 5% $77,994 90%
Medical Microbiology and Bacteriology 2 84 30% / 70% 4% $57,918 96%
Microbial Biology 1 80 31% / 69% 6% $101,475 100%
Immunology 1 30 33% / 67% 0% $56,390
Medical Microbiology 1 7 43% / 57% 14% $69,455
Infectious Disease and Global Health 1 2 0% / 100% 0% $58,254