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Santa Barbara, CA · Biology

Biology at UC Santa Barbara

UC Santa Barbara graduates about 741 biology majors a year, 12% of its graduating class. That puts it 81st of 692 schools we score for biology, a standout program at 80 out of 100. Its current catalog lists 175 undergraduate courses in the field, more than 98% of the schools we've counted. Graduates in the major earn a median $68,000 four years out, 1.20× what the same major pays nationally. Research spending in the field runs about $6 million a year, a rough guide to how many labs and projects undergraduates can join.

80/100Standout#81 of 692 for biology →
Graduates a year74112% of the class
Courses in the catalog175more than 98% of schools
Median pay 4 years out$68,0001.20× the same major nationally
Research in the field$6Ma year, NSF
Admit rate38%whole school

Around UC Santa Barbara

The East Asian Library in Davidson Library, UCSB
East Asian Library of UCSBPhoto: AndyHe829 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
the Ti-Nspire CX ii CAS
CxcasiiPhoto: Prezi2 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Oneweb mission. This one involved the booster returning to base.
Spacex Launch as seen from UCSB (54239527832)Photo: Glenn Beltz from Goleta, CA, USA · CC BY 2.0 · source
Lunar Eclipse at UCSB
Lunar Eclipse at UCSB (51203940477)Photo: Glenn Beltz from Goleta, CA, USA · CC BY 2.0 · source

Where biology happens

Buildings on campus that fit the field: Environmental Health and Safety, Military Science, Engineering Science, Student Health Center, Marine Science Institute, Social Sciences and Media Studies, Physical Sciences North, Physical Sciences South, Materials Research Laboratory, BioScience Annex, Life Sciences, Biology II.

Named buildings on the campus map: Academic 125 · Student housing 31 · Dorm 25 · Athletics 10 · Arts 7 · Dining 5.

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Nearby in the biology ranking

  1. George Washington University 81
  2. Southern Methodist University 81
  3. Wellesley College 81
  4. Scripps College 81
  5. Stony Brook University–SUNY 80
  6. Clemson University 80
  7. Colorado College 80
  8. Macalester College 80

Other strong majors at UC Santa Barbara

How the score works

The score is out of 100 and compares UC Santa Barbara with every school we score in biology. It weighs the school's overall strength; how many students graduate in the major and what share of the class they are; research spending in the field (NSF); early pay against the same major nationally; how many courses the catalog lists; and test scores. 80+ is a standout program, 65+ strong, 45+ solid. Sources: US Department of Education (College Scorecard, IPEDS), NSF HERD, each school's current course catalog, OpenStreetMap and Wikimedia Commons.

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