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CIP 26.0202 Biological and Biomedical Sciences

Biochemistry

IPEDS Completions, US Department of Education · 2025

中文

Total graduates

10,277

2025 · 593 schools

International share

7.0%

717 international students

Bachelor's degrees

9,471

5.2% international

Master's degrees

309

28.2% international

Overview

Biochemistry is an interdisciplinary field that combines principles of biology and chemistry to understand living organisms at a molecular level. This discipline focuses on the chemical processes and substances that occur within cells, including the structure, function, and interactions of biomolecules such as proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates, and lipids.

Students pursuing a degree in biochemistry typically engage in a rigorous curriculum that includes courses in organic chemistry, physical chemistry, molecular biology, genetics, and enzymology. The program emphasizes laboratory skills, allowing students to conduct experiments, analyze data, and use advanced techniques such as chromatography and spectroscopy.

Biochemistry plays a crucial role in numerous scientific advancements, including medical research, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and biotechnology. Graduates of biochemistry programs are well-equipped for careers in various sectors, such as healthcare, environmental science, and research institutions. They may work as biochemists, molecular biologists, pharmacologists, or in clinical laboratories.

Additionally, biochemistry serves as a solid foundation for further studies in medicine, pharmacy, or graduate programs in biological sciences. The field is continuously evolving, with ongoing research exploring topics like metabolic pathways, genetic engineering, and the biochemical basis of diseases, which contributes to improving health outcomes and developing innovative treatments. Thus, biochemistry is not only essential for understanding life at a molecular level but also for addressing some of the most pressing challenges in science and medicine today.

Graduates by year

Graduates by degree level (first and second majors)

AssociateBachelor'sMaster'sDoctoral

From 2002 to 2025, graduates grew 134% and the international share went from 8.8% to 7.0%.

International share (%)
Graduates by group, 2025
White
49.2%
Asian
17.0%
Hispanic
14.1%
Black
4.5%
Other
8.2%
Intl.
7.0%

Colleges that award this degree

In 2025, 593 schools awarded this degree as a first major. The table lists those in the 2027 U.S. News National or Liberal Arts rankings, plus the unranked schools with the most graduates.

RankSchoolStateGraduatesInternational
#3 Harvard University Massachusetts 15 1
#5 Stanford University California 5 2
#7 University of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania 30 2
#8 Duke University North Carolina 12 4
#9 Johns Hopkins University Maryland 75 41
#12 Dartmouth College New Hampshire 11 4
#12 Columbia University in the City of New York New York 18 2
#14 Cornell University New York 5 2
#16 Brown University Rhode Island 35 1
#16 Vanderbilt University Tennessee 39 5
#16 Rice University Texas 10 3
#20 University of California-Berkeley California 6 5
#20 University of California-Los Angeles California 216 13
#20 University of Notre Dame Indiana 33 6
#23 Georgetown University D.C. 10 2
#25 University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Michigan 101 10
#26 University of Virginia-Main Campus Virginia 8 1
#27 University of Southern California California 42 3
#27 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill North Carolina 11 0
#29 University of California-San Diego California 224 22
#29 Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus Georgia 62 4
#31 Boston College Massachusetts 25 0
#31 Tufts University Massachusetts 43 6
#31 New York University New York 26 3
#34 University of California-Davis California 1 0
#34 University of California-Irvine California 9 2
#34 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Illinois 62 10
#34 Boston University Massachusetts 8 3
#34 The University of Texas at Austin Texas 287 12
#34 University of Wisconsin-Madison Wisconsin 174 22
#42 Northeastern University Massachusetts 118 5
#42 Villanova University Pennsylvania 19 0
#44 University of California-Santa Barbara California 32 2
#44 Rutgers University-New Brunswick New Jersey 33 2
#44 Case Western Reserve University Ohio 77 9
#44 Ohio State University-Main Campus Ohio 107 11
#44 Lehigh University Pennsylvania 12 0
#49 University of Maryland-College Park Maryland 47 1
#49 University of Rochester New York 12 1
#49 University of Washington-Seattle Campus Washington 295 32
#52 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Virginia 118 1
#55 Santa Clara University California 14 0
#55 University of Miami Florida 93 4
#55 The Pennsylvania State University Pennsylvania 119 11
#55 Purdue University-Main Campus Indiana 60 6
#59 Florida State University Florida 76 0
#59 Tulane University of Louisiana Louisiana 21 0
#59 Brandeis University Massachusetts 27 5
#59 University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minnesota 94 3
#59 Stevens Institute of Technology New Jersey 33 3
#59 Stony Brook University New York 100 6
#59 University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Pennsylvania 20 0
#59 Texas A & M University-College Station Texas 91 9
#69 Michigan State University Michigan 27 2
#72 Syracuse University New York 16 0
#73 Indiana University-Bloomington Indiana 50 0
#73 Worcester Polytechnic Institute Massachusetts 39 3
#73 Binghamton University New York 82 3
#73 North Carolina State University at Raleigh North Carolina 77 1
#80 University of California-Riverside California 123 1
#80 Colorado School of Mines Colorado 18 1
#80 Clemson University South Carolina 79 4
#85 University of Delaware Delaware 15 0
#85 New Jersey Institute of Technology New Jersey 14 1
#85 Fordham University New York 5 0
#85 University at Buffalo New York 29 2
#85 Southern Methodist University Texas 9 1
#90 Yeshiva University New York 7 1
#90 Baylor University Texas 86 3
#90 Texas Christian University Texas 11 5
#90 Gonzaga University Washington 10 0
#95 American University D.C. 10 0
#95 University of Illinois at Chicago Illinois 58 5
#95 University of Missouri-Columbia Missouri 71 3
#95 Rochester Institute of Technology New York 13 0
#100 Chapman University California 13 1
#100 University of San Diego California 15 1
#100 Florida International University Florida 47 8
#100 University of Iowa Iowa 58 2
#100 Saint Louis University Missouri 9 2
#100 Creighton University Nebraska 24 0
#100 Elon University North Carolina 9 0
#109 Loyola Marymount University California 16 0
#109 University of Colorado Boulder Colorado 70 1
#109 Fairfield University Connecticut 6 0
#109 University of New Hampshire-Main Campus New Hampshire 4 1
#109 Temple University Pennsylvania 21 1
#109 The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Tennessee 10 3
#116 Iowa State University Iowa 27 1
#116 University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus Oklahoma 15 1
#116 University of Oregon Oregon 36 0
#116 Brigham Young University-Provo Utah 39 2
#121 Arizona State University-Tempe Arizona 196 14
#121 University of Arizona Arizona 76 5
#121 University of the Pacific California 22 1
#121 University of Denver Colorado 17 1
#121 Illinois Institute of Technology Illinois 6 1
#121 Loyola University Chicago Illinois 21 0
#121 University of Dayton Ohio 10 0
#121 The University of Texas at Dallas Texas 56 3
#121 George Mason University Virginia 11 2
#133 Miami University-Oxford Ohio 46 2
#133 Thomas Jefferson University Pennsylvania 16 1
#133 University of Vermont Vermont 28 0
#137 California State University--Long Beach California 54 7
#137 St John's University (NY) New York 3 0
#137 Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia Pennsylvania 19 1
#137 University of Scranton Pennsylvania 22 1
#137 University of Houston Texas 82 10
#148 California State University-Los Angeles California 34 1
#148 Catholic University of America D.C. 5 0
#148 Mercer University Georgia 31 0
#148 University of Kansas Kansas 48 2
#148 University of Kentucky Kentucky 2 2
#148 University of Tulsa Oklahoma 18 2
#156 California State University-Fullerton California 64 0
#156 Quinnipiac University Connecticut 6 0
#156 Kansas State University Kansas 23 4
#156 University of St Thomas (MN) Minnesota 12 0
#156 Montclair State University New Jersey 19 0
#156 Seton Hall University New Jersey 7 0
#156 CUNY--City College New York 23 2
#156 University of Portland Oregon 2 0
#156 Duquesne University Pennsylvania 21 0
#156 Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia 5 1
#169 Colorado State University-Fort Collins Colorado 53 3
#169 Bradley University Illinois 9 0
#169 DePaul University Illinois 5 0
#169 Butler University Indiana 23 0
#169 University of Nebraska-Lincoln Nebraska 86 3
#179 University of Louisville Kentucky 11 0
#179 University of Mississippi Mississippi 60 1
#179 CUNY Hunter College New York 4 2
#179 University of Cincinnati-Main Campus Ohio 12 1
#179 University of Utah Utah 65 4
#179 Seattle University Washington 12 3
#186 California Lutheran University California 7 3
#186 University of Hawaii at Manoa Hawaii 18 2
#186 University of Detroit Mercy Michigan 12 1
#186 Texas Tech University Texas 61 3
#191 Samford University Alabama 5 0
#191 Rowan University New Jersey 31 1
#191 Adelphi University New York 5 1
#191 Hofstra University New York 7 1
#191 Oklahoma State University-Main Campus Oklahoma 46 2
#191 Washington State University Washington 33 0
#202 Sacred Heart University Connecticut 5 0
#202 Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Louisiana 78 3
#202 University of Massachusetts-Boston Massachusetts 26 1
#202 East Carolina University North Carolina 16 0
#202 University of St. Thomas (TX) Texas 1 0
#208 California State University--Fresno California 39 0
#208 California State University-Sacramento California 23 1
#208 University of Idaho Idaho 10 0
#208 Mississippi State University Mississippi 82 1
#208 University of North Carolina at Greensboro North Carolina 32 0
#208 Ohio Northern University Ohio 2 0
#208 Xavier University Ohio 3 0
#208 University of North Texas Texas 40 3
#219 Illinois State University Illinois 10 0
#219 Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis Indiana 15 6
#219 University of Nevada-Reno Nevada 51 0
#219 University of North Carolina--Wilmington North Carolina 2 0
#219 Gannon University Pennsylvania 4 0
#227 San Francisco State University California 28 0
#227 University of Michigan-Dearborn Michigan 9 1
#227 West Chester University of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania 5 0
#227 University of Texas-San Antonio Texas 19 0
#227 West Virginia University West Virginia 27 0
#236 University of Colorado Denver Colorado 31 0
#236 Florida Institute of Technology Florida 9 3
#236 University of North Florida Florida 2 0
#236 Stetson University Florida 4 1
#236 Bethel University Minnesota 1 0
#236 University of Nevada--Las Vegas Nevada 24 2
#236 University of New Mexico-Main Campus New Mexico 69 1
#236 North Dakota State University-Main Campus North Dakota 3 0
#236 Kent State University at Kent Ohio 1 0
#236 Portland State University Oregon 19 1
#236 Chatham University Pennsylvania 6 0
#236 University of Texas-Arlington Texas 13 0
#250 New Mexico State University-Main Campus New Mexico 15 0
#250 Pace University-New York New York 5 0
#250 La Salle University Pennsylvania 6 0
#250 South Dakota State University South Dakota 11 5
#250 Lipscomb University Tennessee 11 1
#262 University of Maine Maine 12 3
#262 University of New England Maine 3 0
#262 Andrews University Michigan 9 2
#262 Central Michigan University Michigan 12 1
#262 George Fox University Oregon 11 0
#262 DeSales University Pennsylvania 4 0
#262 University of Texas--El Paso Texas 13 1
#262 Seattle Pacific University Washington 7 3
#276 Harding University Arkansas 6 1
#276 Regis University Colorado 3 0
#276 University of New Haven Connecticut 2 0
#276 University of St. Francis Illinois 3 0
#276 Western Michigan University Michigan 4 0
#276 University of Missouri--St. Louis Missouri 26 3
#276 Widener University Pennsylvania 2 0
#276 Marymount University Virginia 11 1
#288 Biola University California 6 3
#288 University of Hartford Connecticut 6 0
#288 Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Illinois 1 0
#288 Wichita State University Kansas 5 0
#288 Arcadia University Pennsylvania 1 0
#288 Texas State University Texas 40 2
#288 Utah State University Utah 55 2
#288 University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee Wisconsin 9 0
#299 Azusa Pacific University California 7 0
#299 Saint Mary's University of Minnesota Minnesota 2 0
#299 Utica University New York 7 0
#299 University of Toledo Ohio 15 0
#299 Concordia University Wisconsin Wisconsin 1 0
#308 Oakland University Michigan 12 1
#308 Maryville University of Saint Louis Missouri 4 1
#308 Montana State University Montana 5 1
#308 Wilkes University Pennsylvania 6 3
#308 Abilene Christian University Texas 14 2
#308 University of the Incarnate Word Texas 5 0
#317 Xavier University of Louisiana Louisiana 14 0
#317 Ferris State University Michigan 1 0
#317 Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main Campus Pennsylvania 4 0
#328 Georgia Southern University Georgia 22 2
#328 Old Dominion University Virginia 12 0
#332 University of Findlay Ohio 1 0
#332 Texas Woman's University Texas 10 0
#342 Concordia University -- Irvine California 4 0
#342 Mississippi College Mississippi 1 1
#342 Campbell University North Carolina 4 0
#342 University of Akron Ohio 8 0
#342 University of Texas--Tyler Texas 20 1
#342 Kennesaw State University Georgia 12 0
#353 University of Michigan--Flint Michigan 2 0
#353 Plymouth State University New Hampshire 2 0
#353 Youngstown State University Ohio 9 0
#365 The University of Montana Montana 4 0
#365 Liberty University Virginia 7 0
#376 Concordia University-Saint Paul Minnesota 1 0
#382 University of Alaska Fairbanks Alaska 1 0
#382 University of Colorado--Colorado Springs Colorado 23 2
#382 Southeastern University Florida 3 0
#382 Roosevelt University Illinois 1 0
#382 University of Southern Maine Maine 4 0
#382 Lamar University Texas 9 0
#382 Texas Wesleyan University Texas 2 1
LAC #3 Claremont McKenna College California 4 0
LAC #3 Bowdoin College Maine 23 1
LAC #3 Swarthmore College Pennsylvania 10 2
LAC #8 Harvey Mudd College California 3 0
LAC #10 Wellesley College Massachusetts 19 2
LAC #12 Vassar College New York 36 3
LAC #12 Washington and Lee University Virginia 17 1
LAC #14 Hamilton College New York 25 0
LAC #16 Grinnell College Iowa 39 2
LAC #19 Barnard College New York 15 0
LAC #19 Middlebury College Vermont 7 1
LAC #22 Smith College Massachusetts 17 5
LAC #22 Colgate University New York 17 2
LAC #26 Bates College Maine 33 7
LAC #29 Bucknell University Pennsylvania 19 0
LAC #30 Lafayette College Pennsylvania 15 0
LAC #31 Trinity College Connecticut 8 2
LAC #31 Denison University Ohio 13 1
LAC #34 Colorado College Colorado 14 0
LAC #34 Spelman College Georgia 7 1
LAC #34 Mount Holyoke College Massachusetts 20 7
LAC #34 Franklin and Marshall College Pennsylvania 8 0
LAC #38 Occidental College California 16 0
LAC #38 Scripps College California 8 0
LAC #38 Trinity University Texas 20 1
LAC #41 Kenyon College Ohio 9 4
LAC #44 Wabash College Indiana 6 0
LAC #44 Union College New York 16 1
LAC #47 Hillsdale College Michigan 16 0
LAC #49 DePauw University Indiana 35 2
LAC #49 St. Lawrence University New York 2 0
LAC #49 The University of the South Tennessee 5 1
LAC #54 Gettysburg College Pennsylvania 19 3
LAC #59 Oberlin College Ohio 13 3
LAC #60 Hobart and William Smith Colleges New York 5 0
LAC #60 Reed College Oregon 12 1
LAC #62 Agnes Scott College Georgia 3 0
LAC #62 Gustavus Adolphus College Minnesota 14 0
LAC #68 College of St. Benedict Minnesota 6 0
LAC #68 Lawrence University Wisconsin 24 5
LAC #72 Saint Anselm College New Hampshire 3 0
LAC #74 Kalamazoo College Michigan 28 2
LAC #74 St. John's University (MN) Minnesota 13 1
LAC #81 Wheaton College (MA) Massachusetts 17 0
LAC #83 Earlham College Indiana 15 2
LAC #85 Knox College Illinois 7 3
LAC #85 Stonehill College Massachusetts 7 1
LAC #85 Drew University New Jersey 8 1
LAC #85 Allegheny College Pennsylvania 15 0
LAC #85 Susquehanna University Pennsylvania 10 0
LAC #91 Augustana College Illinois 6 1
LAC #91 Juniata College Pennsylvania 11 3
LAC #91 Ursinus College Pennsylvania 9 0
LAC #91 Washington and Jefferson College Pennsylvania 9 0
LAC #91 Southwestern University Texas 6 0
LAC #97 Lewis & Clark College Oregon 20 2
LAC #97 Austin College Texas 6 0
LAC #100 Whittier College California 3 0
LAC #100 SUNY College at Geneseo New York 7 0
LAC #100 Lycoming College Pennsylvania 5 0
LAC #100 University of Puget Sound Washington 2 0
LAC #106 St. Mary's College of Maryland Maryland 11 1
LAC #109 Hanover College Indiana 14 0
LAC #111 Saint Vincent College Pennsylvania 5 0
LAC #116 Ohio Wesleyan University Ohio 6 1
LAC #116 Saint Michael's College Vermont 6 2
LAC #116 Roanoke College Virginia 6 0
LAC #119 Albion College Michigan 18 1
LAC #125 Emmanuel College Massachusetts 5 0
LAC #128 SUNY at Purchase College New York 4 0
LAC #132 Eckerd College Florida 3 0
LAC #132 Saint Norbert College Wisconsin 3 0
LAC #138 Millsaps College Mississippi 6 1
LAC #142 Eastern Connecticut State University Connecticut 4 0
LAC #142 Houghton University New York 1 0
LAC #146 Gordon College Massachusetts 1 0
LAC #146 Claflin University South Carolina 3 0
LAC #154 SUNY Old Westbury New York 4 0
LAC #158 Presbyterian College South Carolina 3 0
LAC #160 Salem College North Carolina 1 1
LAC #160 Albright College Pennsylvania 3 0
LAC #165 Bridgewater College Virginia 4 0
LAC #172 Brigham Young University-Idaho Idaho 21 1
LAC #176 Virginia Wesleyan University Virginia 2 0
LAC #181 Warren Wilson College North Carolina 1 1
LAC #184 Southern Virginia University Virginia 18 0
— Arizona State University Digital Immersion Arizona 131 1
— Middle Tennessee State University Tennessee 40 0
— California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo California 39 0
— Western Washington University Washington 39 1
— University of Minnesota-Duluth Minnesota 37 0
— California State University-San Marcos California 37 0
— University of Wisconsin--La Crosse Wisconsin 29 1
— Calvin University Michigan 27 5
— Grand Valley State University Michigan 27 1
— CUNY Graduate School and University Center New York 24 12
— Otterbein University Ohio 24 0
— California State University-Northridge California 21 2
— Berry College Georgia 19 0
— Eastern Michigan University Michigan 19 3
— University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Wisconsin 19 0
— Western Kentucky University Kentucky 18 0
— Coastal Carolina University South Carolina 18 0
— Point Loma Nazarene University California 17 0
— University of St. Joseph Connecticut 16 0
— Stevenson University Maryland 16 0
— Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Berks Pennsylvania 16 0
— California State University-Dominguez Hills California 15 1
— Drury University Missouri 15 0
— Westminster College Missouri 15 0
— Stockton University New Jersey 15 0
— Grove City College Pennsylvania 15 0
— Metropolitan State University of Denver Colorado 14 1
— The University of Tampa Florida 14 0
— Manhattan University New York 13 0
— University of Washington-Bothell Campus Washington 13 1

Purple: international students are 25% or more of the school's graduates.

Related jobs and pay

OccupationUS employmentMean hourly wageMean annual wage
Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists 172,340 $56.18 $116,840
Natural Sciences Managers 108,690 $86.66 $180,250
Biological Technicians 69,620 $29.51 $61,380
Biological Science Teachers, Postsecondary 50,190 — $102,840
Biochemists and Biophysicists 33,830 $62.43 $129,840
Food Science Technicians 14,600 $27.24 $56,660

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025.

Graduate counts: IPEDS Completions, US Department of Education, 2002–2025. Rankings: 2027 U.S. News.