Biotechnologyat University of California-Davis
Graduates earn $59,156/yr in their first year — about 23.0% above the national Biotechnology average. Base-case 10-year earnings $755K; scenarios range from $657K to $784K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at UC Davis
Your strong outcomes from UC Davis Biotechnology reflect the program's strategic location and deep scientific roots. Situated in a region rich with agricultural innovation and close to the Bay Area's massive biotech hub, you'll find an abundance of internships and entry-level roles at major pharmaceutical companies, cutting-edge ag-tech startups, and leading research institutions. Davis’s reputation as a top-tier public research university ensures you gain extensive hands-on lab experience and a robust theoretical foundation in molecular biology, genetics, and bioprocessing. This rigorous preparation makes you highly marketable for roles in R&D, quality control, and scientific data analysis. To maximize your career trajectory, actively pursue multiple internships and develop strong data science and project management skills; these will be crucial in a field where some routine tasks may see increasing automation.
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.
10 year projection
Year-by-year earnings under each scenario. Base case reflects BLS growth patterns applied to UC Davis's starting earnings; optimistic and pessimistic adjust for AI's effect on each career path this major feeds into.
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.
Peer schools offering Biotechnology
How UC Davis stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at UC Davis
Other highest-scoring programs offered at UC Davis, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.
Frequently asked about Biotechnology at UC Davis
How does University of California-Davis's Biotechnology program score?
This program scores 61/100, reflecting respectable but not exceptional financial outcomes for Biotechnology graduates.
How vulnerable is Biotechnology to AI automation?
AI won't 'replace' Biotechnology careers outright, but it is likely to reduce the number of job openings. We model 48% task exposure, which compresses field employment probability in our scenarios.
Why does University of California-Davis rank so high for Biotechnology?
The #3 ranking out of 18 programs is driven by strong financial outcomes — graduates earn well, debt is manageable relative to income, and the job market supports the field.