---
title: Is a Biotechnology degree worth the debt?
cip: 2612
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard — Field of Study (2026-06-10 release)
sourceId: src:doe:college-scorecard:field-of-study:2026-06-10
---

# Is a Biotechnology degree worth the debt?

Leading with the **Bachelor's**, across **11** colleges (11 of 11 programs report earnings):

- **Median pay, 1 year after completion:** $37,007 ($39,014 at 2 years)
- **Median federal debt:** $21,059 (federal loans only)
- **Debt-to-earnings:** 0.55× a first year's pay
- **Across-college spread (middle 50%):** $34,542–$42,698 — the program you choose moves the number this much.


**How to read this:** these are MEDIANS across college programs, measured **1–2 years after completion** (early career, graduates only) — NOT lifetime earnings, and NOT comparable to a college's 10-years-after-entry figure. They cover **federally-aided completers at programs large enough to report**; small programs are suppressed. A field median is not a prediction of your outcome, not causal (who enters a field differs by field), and **not a "best majors" ranking** — earnings are one dimension of worth. Verify by field at the official College Scorecard (https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/).

## By degree level

| Level | Pay (1yr) | Federal debt | Debt/pay | Colleges | Programs reporting |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Bachelor's | $37,007 | $21,059 | 0.55× | 11 | 11/11 |
| Master's | $68,827 | $36,235 | 0.56× | 13 | 13/13 |

## Where a Bachelor's in this field reports the highest early-career pay

Reflects who enrolls and where, not causal program quality.

| College | Pay (1yr) | Federal debt |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Rutgers University-New Brunswick (NJ) | $54,508 | $21,500 |
| Utah Valley University (UT) | $46,783 | — |
| University of California-Davis (CA) | $43,600 | $12,843 |
| Colorado State University-Fort Collins (CO) | $41,797 | $18,386 |
| University of Houston (TX) | $38,691 | $17,250 |
| Syracuse University (NY) | $37,007 | $27,000 |
| Endicott College (MA) | $36,713 | $25,300 |
| California State University-Northridge (CA) | $36,089 | $20,618 |
| California State Polytechnic University-Pomona (CA) | $32,995 | $17,562 |
| Rochester Institute of Technology (NY) | $32,958 | $23,937 |
| University of Kentucky (KY) | $27,968 | $22,507 |

RECORDED College Scorecard figures + one DERIVED ratio (debt-to-earnings). Informs and compares; not advice on what to major in. Each college's full record: `/education/<slug>`.

Structured data: `/education/fields/biotechnology.jsonld` · `/education/fields/biotechnology.json`