Choose where to take samples
Plan the study by picking sites that fit the research question, not the easiest spots to reach.
Career profile
Biologist
Biologists study how living things develop, work, and respond to their surroundings.
A biologist's project begins with something noticed and grows into a planned study. Then comes figuring out what the results actually mean.
A day in the life
Collect and label samples
Gather samples and record where each came from, so every result links to the right site and observation.
Graph groups and question surprises
Plot the measurements to compare groups, and return to the source records whenever a number looks off.
Separate findings from open questions
Write a report that keeps the findings apart from the questions the study could not settle.
Quick facts
Relevant degree; graduate study for some roles
United States
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Pay depends on the position; see the federal salary example below.
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Explore openings by research area and location.
Quick orientation
Preparation, pay & outlook
Preparation
Relevant degree; graduate study for some rolesYour intended research area helps determine how much education you need.
Pay
Not displayedPay depends on the position; see the federal salary example below.
Outlook
Not displayedExplore openings by research area and location.
Fit, tradeoffs & changing tools
You might like this if…
- You want to test an explanation, even when you like it.
- You enjoy organizing observations carefully enough to compare them.
- You can explain a result in writing.
Things to weigh
- Computer analysis and writing can take substantial time away from observing organisms.
- Field roles can put you outdoors in uncomfortable weather.
Where AI may help
In some aquatic research, software learns from labeled microscope images to suggest which plankton appear in new samples.
What people still lead
People identify training images and decide which organisms can be identified confidently; those judgments shape what the software learns.
What we can’t predict yet
How much image review can be automated remains uncertain when samples contain unfamiliar organisms or images that are hard to identify.
Pay in context
Earnings
National pay figures cover the broader group Biological Scientists, All Other, which includes biologists and other biological specialties.
National pay and its spread
In 2025, this broader group's median was $98,920 a year, or $47.56 an hour. The lowest-paid 10% earned $60,430 or less annually; the highest-paid 10% earned $168,010 or more. These figures describe workers across the group, not starting salaries or a sequence of career stages.
A federal salary benchmark
In the 2026 Rest of U.S. locality area, General Schedule (GS) grade 5 pays $40,736–$52,957 annually across steps 1–10; grade 9 pays $61,722–$80,243. Federal biologist qualifications include entry at GS-5 and higher-grade routes. These are salary schedules, not typical starting offers or a national median. Check the vacancy's grade and locality before comparing pay.
Getting started
Build a relevant degree
- What the route involves
- Complete a degree in biological sciences or another field appropriate to your target position.
- What it can lead to
- This meets the basic education standard for federal biological-science positions in series 0401.
- What to check
- Equivalent major coursework plus appropriate experience or additional education is another accepted route. Individual vacancies can require further qualifications.
Train through a research master's
- What the route involves
- Pursue a thesis-based Master of Science in biology: conduct original research with a faculty mentor, then write and defend your thesis.
- What it can lead to
- You build research experience for scientific work or further doctoral study.
Choose coursework and research experience around the kind of biology you want to investigate.
After entry
Career paths
This starts where the entry routes leave off: early work, growing capability, and advancement or specialization.
Get established
Learn the study's sampling methods and produce reliable measurements and records.
Own part of a study
Plan a study component and carry its data through analysis.
Lead investigations
Develop methods, coordinate larger studies, or become a technical specialist colleagues consult.
Where you can work
University research groups
Work alongside faculty and students on shared research questions. Depending on the group, facilities may include tissue culture rooms and specialized microscopes.
- Indoors
- Lab
Federal conservation programs
At a military installation, biology work can connect habitat restoration with training activities and land-use decisions. You coordinate with installation leaders and conservation partners, review contractors' work, and sometimes travel.
- Office
- Field work
- Travel
Try it
See whether the job clicks before you commit to the path.
Choose two small, accessible patches of vegetation—one sunny and one shaded. Photograph and count the visibly different plant types using the same method in each patch. Repeat once, then write what the comparison suggests and one reason it cannot prove that shade caused the difference. Notice whether you enjoy making a fair comparison as much as spotting plants.
Stay safe: Observe from permitted paths and leave plants undisturbed.
Sources
- O*NET OnLine. 19-1029.04 — Biologists. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- U.S. Office of Personnel Management. General Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences Series 0401. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- U.S. Geological Survey. Biologist, GS-0401. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- University of Northern Iowa. Biology M.S.. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- U.S. Geological Survey. Images of phytoplankton used in the development of a convolutional neural network to automate phytoplankton identification. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- O*NET OnLine / U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. National Wages: 19-1029.04 — Biologists. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational projections and worker characteristics. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Salary Table 2026-RUS. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Biologist (Natural Resource Manager), announcement CBYM-26-13062129-MP-LAS. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics profile: Biological Scientists, All Other. Accessed 2026-10-04.