Microbiology & Immunologyat University of California-Santa Barbara
Graduates earn $42,634/yr in their first year — about 12.0% above the national Microbiology & Immunology average. Base-case 10-year earnings $491K; scenarios range from $463K to $491K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at UC Santa Barbara
Graduates earn $42,634/yr, edging above the $38,184 national average for Microbiology & Immunology — a modest premium that suggests solid regional demand.
The earnings-to-cost ratio of 8.2x signals a solid financial return — projected decade earnings comfortably exceed the tuition investment.
Some AI exposure exists in Microbiology & Immunology's typical career paths, with 45% of job tasks potentially affected. The pessimistic scenario still projects solid returns, with a 6% gap from the optimistic case.
At $16,500 in median debt against $42,634 in first-year earnings, graduates can expect to clear their loan balance in under six months of full earnings.
Ranked #45 of 57 Microbiology & Immunology programs, University of California-Santa Barbara falls below the median. Stronger options exist, though cost and location may compensate.
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 Santa Barbara'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 Microbiology & Immunology
How UC Santa Barbara stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at UC Santa Barbara
Other highest-scoring programs offered at UC Santa Barbara, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.
Frequently asked about Microbiology & Immunology at UC Santa Barbara
What is the DegreeOutlook Score for Microbiology & Immunology at University of California-Santa Barbara?
A score of 47/100 indicates below-average financial outcomes for Microbiology & Immunology. Earnings, ROI, or AI risk factors are pulling the score down.
Will AI replace Microbiology & Immunology careers?
With 45% of typical job tasks exposed to AI, this is one of the higher-risk fields. Our pessimistic scenario projects $462,668 in decade earnings vs $490,630 in the optimistic case — a meaningful gap.