Home Schools Northeastern University Cell Biology
Biological Sciences · Cell Biology Rank #27 of 39

Cell Biologyat Northeastern University

Graduates earn $65,551/yr in their first year — about 75.0% above the national Cell Biology average. Base-case 10-year earnings $611K; scenarios range from $548K to $619K depending on AI disruption.

Boston, MA Private nonprofit Bachelor's Degree
DegreeOutlook Score
42 AVERAGE
43
Optimistic
37
Pessimistic
Earnings
$65,551
1-year post-graduation
ROI
1.6x
Earnings : tuition
10-yr Base
$611K
Cumulative base-case earnings
AI Risk
High
52% task exposure
Program Analysis

What this degree looks like at Northeastern University

Northeastern's signature co-op program is a significant driver of your early career success in this field. You'll gain invaluable practical experience directly within Boston's thriving biotech and pharmaceutical ecosystem, home to global leaders and innovative startups. This hands-on exposure, often leading to full-time offers, equips you with a competitive edge from day one, explaining the strong initial career outcomes. You'll find yourself contributing to cutting-edge research at institutions like Mass General Brigham or major pharma companies, often progressing into project management or specialized R&D roles.

However, the "high AI risk" indicates that many routine lab tasks and data analysis functions within these roles are increasingly susceptible to automation. To future-proof your career, actively seek co-op placements and coursework that emphasize interdisciplinary skills, especially computational biology, bioinformatics, or data science applications within cell and anatomical sciences. Develop expertise in interpreting complex biological data and designing experiments, rather than just executing them, to ensure long-term adaptability.

AI Outlook Integration

Three scenarios, ten years out

Each scenario is a different assumption about how AI reshapes the career paths this major feeds into. Earnings projections stack the full 10-year cumulative trajectory; scores use the same 0–100 metric as the hero, recomputed under that scenario's assumptions.

Pessimistic
Mass Automation
$548K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score37/100
Earnings Multiple2.2x
Base Case
Moderate Integration
$611K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score42/100
Earnings Multiple2.4x
Optimistic
AI Augmentation
$619K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score43/100
Earnings Multiple2.4x
Earnings Trajectory

10 year projection

Year-by-year earnings under each scenario. Base case reflects BLS growth patterns applied to Northeastern University's starting earnings; optimistic and pessimistic adjust for AI's effect on each career path this major feeds into.

Career Paths

Where Cell Biology graduates typically work

Common career destinations for this program's graduates, weighted by the school's specific occupation mix. Salary is BLS national median; AI risk is per-role task-exposure research.

1
Natural sciences managers
+3.7% 10-yr growth · 8,500 openings/yr
$161,180/yr
High
2
Health specialties teachers, postsecondary
+17.3% 10-yr growth · 27,400 openings/yr
$105,620/yr
Moderate
3
Biochemists and biophysicists
+5.8% 10-yr growth · 2,900 openings/yr
$103,650/yr
Moderate
4
Medical scientists, except epidemiologists
+8.7% 10-yr growth · 9,600 openings/yr
$100,590/yr
High
5
Biological scientists, all other
+1.2% 10-yr growth · 4,800 openings/yr
$93,330/yr
Moderate
6
Microbiologists
+4.1% 10-yr growth · 1,700 openings/yr
$87,330/yr
Moderate
Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2024. AI exposure from OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs and Felten AIOE research.
Compare & Explore

Peer schools offering Cell Biology

How Northeastern University stacks up against other schools offering this major.

Highest earnings
Parker University
TX · Private nonprofit
45
DW Score
$54K
1-yr earn
6.7x
ROI
Same state (MA)
Harvard University
MA · Private nonprofit
48
DW Score
$52K
1-yr earn
2.7x
ROI
California State University-San Marcos
CA · Public
62
DW Score
$50K
1-yr earn
22.4x
ROI
Top score
California State University-Northridge
CA · Public
63
DW Score
$47K
1-yr earn
26.6x
ROI
University of Rhode Island
RI · Public
56
DW Score
$47K
1-yr earn
11.3x
ROI
Also at Northeastern University

Other top programs at Northeastern University

Other highest-scoring programs offered at Northeastern University, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.

FAQ

Frequently asked about Cell Biology at Northeastern University

What is the DegreeOutlook Score for Cell Biology at Northeastern University?

A score of 42/100 indicates below-average financial outcomes for Cell Biology. Earnings, ROI, or AI risk factors are pulling the score down.

Will AI replace Cell Biology careers?

With 46% of typical job tasks exposed to AI, this is one of the higher-risk fields. Our pessimistic scenario projects $548,186 in decade earnings vs $618,671 in the optimistic case — a meaningful gap.