Biological Engineeringat University of California-San Diego
Graduates earn $67,016/yr in their first year — about 15.0% above the national Biological Engineering average. Base-case 10-year earnings $675K; scenarios range from $603K to $695K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at UC San Diego
Your path in Biological/Biosystems Engineering at UC San Diego uniquely positions you within a thriving ecosystem. Being located in La Jolla, you're at the epicenter of Southern California's burgeoning biotech and biomedical device industry. This program, one of only a few nationally, benefits from UCSD's world-class research infrastructure and strong ties to local employers like Illumina, Thermo Fisher Scientific, and numerous startups, providing unparalleled internship and career opportunities in R&D, process engineering, and data analysis for biological systems.
While some tasks within this field face potential AI integration, your specialized skills in designing, analyzing, and optimizing complex biological processes will remain highly valued. Success hinges on embracing interdisciplinary work, focusing on problem-solving, and continuously adapting to new technologies. Actively pursue research projects and internships to build a robust portfolio and network within this specialized local market.
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 Biological Engineering
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 Biological Engineering at UC San Diego
How does University of California-San Diego's Biological Engineering program score?
A score of 52/100 reflects decent absolute metrics, but University of California-San Diego trails the majority of Biological Engineering programs on relative rankings. Context matters more than the raw number.
How vulnerable is Biological Engineering to AI automation?
AI won't 'replace' Biological Engineering careers outright, but it is likely to reduce the number of job openings. We model 49% task exposure, which compresses field employment probability in our scenarios.