Bioinformaticsat University of California-San Diego
Graduates earn $76,592/yr in their first year — about 20.0% above the national Bioinformatics average. Base-case 10-year earnings $1,041K; scenarios range from $812K to $1,092K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at UC San Diego
This highly specialized program positions you uniquely within the burgeoning San Diego biotech and pharmaceutical cluster. Your strong earning potential reflects the critical demand for professionals who can translate complex biological data into actionable insights for drug discovery, clinical research, and medical device development. UCSD's robust research environment and proximity to companies like Illumina, Scripps Research, and myriad startups provide unparalleled opportunities for hands-on experience and networking. While the field faces high AI risk for routine tasks, your success will hinge on developing advanced problem-solving capabilities, interdisciplinary communication skills, and ethical oversight that AI cannot replicate. Focus on mastering complex modeling and experimental design. Actively seek internships at local pharmaceutical or medical device firms to build a portfolio of high-value, human-driven projects.
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 San Diego'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 Bioinformatics
How UC San Diego stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at UC San Diego
Other highest-scoring programs offered at UC San Diego, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.
Frequently asked about Bioinformatics at UC San Diego
How does University of California-San Diego's Bioinformatics program score?
A score of 78/100 indicates strong financial outcomes. University of California-San Diego's Bioinformatics graduates fare well on earnings, job market size, and return on investment.
How vulnerable is Bioinformatics to AI automation?
AI won't 'replace' Bioinformatics careers outright, but it is likely to reduce the number of job openings. We model 60% task exposure, which compresses field employment probability in our scenarios.
Why does University of California-San Diego rank so high for Bioinformatics?
The #1 ranking out of 4 programs is driven by strong financial outcomes — graduates earn well, debt is manageable relative to income, and the job market supports the field.