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Amherst, MA · Biology

Biology at UMass Amherst

UMass Amherst graduates about 785 biology majors a year, 13% of its graduating class. That puts it 49th of 692 schools we score for biology, a standout program at 84 out of 100. Graduates in the major earn a median $74,000 four years out, 1.22× what the same major pays nationally. Research spending in the field runs about $46 million a year, a rough guide to how many labs and projects undergraduates can join.

84/100Standout#49 of 692 for biology →
Graduates a year78513% of the class
Median pay 4 years out$74,0001.22× the same major nationally
Research in the field$46Ma year, NSF
Admit rate60%whole school
SAT middle 50%1260–1480whole school

Around UMass Amherst

Me (Cathy Setzer), Cornel West and a large piece of pizza. I work for APSA, and
Cornel happens to love pizzaPhoto: DCist · CC BY 2.0 · source
Waiting for Bernie
Waiting for Bernie (23506174334)Photo: Steven Brewer from Amherst, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0 · source
Fine Arts Center door
Fine Arts Center door - panoramioPhoto: Jon Platek · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Old Chapel steeple
Old Chapel steeple - panoramioPhoto: Jon Platek · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source

Where biology happens

Buildings on campus that fit the field: Physical Sciences Building, School of Public Health & Health Sciences Hub, Computer Science Laboratories, Computer Science Building, Engineering Laboratory, Life Science Laboratories, Integrated Sciences Building, Chenoweth Laboratory, Sustainable Engineering Laboratories, Goessmann Laboratory, Hasbrouck Laboratory, Paige Laboratory.

Named buildings on the campus map: Academic 100 · Dorm 44 · Athletics 9 · Dining 8 · Student housing 6 · Chapel 4.

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Nearby in the biology ranking

  1. Lehigh University 85
  2. Wesleyan University 85
  3. Stanford University 85
  4. University of Florida 84
  5. University of Miami 84
  6. University of Virginia 84
  7. Vanderbilt University 84
  8. Smith College 84

Other strong majors at UMass Amherst

How the score works

The score is out of 100 and compares UMass Amherst 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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