Home Schools University of Missouri Biological Engineering
Engineering · Biological Engineering Rank #5 of 8

Biological Engineeringat University of Missouri-Columbia

Graduates earn $60,190/yr in their first year — about 3.0% above the national Biological Engineering average. Base-case 10-year earnings $703K; scenarios range from $623K to $725K depending on AI disruption.

Columbia, MO Public Bachelor's Degree
DegreeOutlook Score
62 SOLID
63
Optimistic
61
Pessimistic
Earnings
$60,190
1-year post-graduation
ROI
12.7x
Earnings : in-state tuition
10-yr Base
$703K
Cumulative base-case earnings
AI Risk
High
53% task exposure
Program Analysis

What this degree looks like at University of Missouri

Your decision to explore Biological/Biosystems Engineering at Mizzou places you in a specialized and practical field, deeply connected to Missouri's economic strengths. This program, offered at a prominent land-grant university, often means a curriculum with strong ties to agricultural technology, food processing, sustainable systems, and environmental engineering. You'll likely find pathways into optimizing production, developing bio-based materials, or designing solutions for water and waste management with employers across the Midwest, from major agricultural corporations to environmental consulting firms and manufacturing.

While some foundational tasks in engineering face automation risks, your career trajectory emphasizes higher-level problem-solving and management, as evidenced by the advanced roles engineers in this field often ascend to. Focus on developing robust interdisciplinary skills and practical project experience. Seek out internships that let you apply your technical knowledge to complex, real-world challenges, ensuring you differentiate your expertise beyond what AI can replicate.

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
$623K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score61/100
Earnings Multiple11.0x
Base Case
Moderate Integration
$703K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score62/100
Earnings Multiple12.4x
Optimistic
AI Augmentation
$725K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score63/100
Earnings Multiple12.8x
Earnings Trajectory

10 year projection

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

Career Paths

Where Biological Engineering 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
Architectural and engineering managers
+3.8% 10-yr growth · 14,500 openings/yr
$167,740/yr
Moderate
2
Engineers, all other
+2.1% 10-yr growth · 9,300 openings/yr
$117,750/yr
Moderate
3
Bioengineers and biomedical engineers
+5.2% 10-yr growth · 1,300 openings/yr
$106,950/yr
High
4
Engineering teachers, postsecondary
+8.1% 10-yr growth · 4,100 openings/yr
$106,120/yr
High
Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2024. AI exposure from OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs and Felten AIOE research.
Compare & Explore

Peer schools offering Biological Engineering

How University of Missouri stacks up against other schools offering this major.

Highest earnings
University of California-San Diego
CA · Public
52
DW Score
$67K
1-yr earn
10.0x
ROI
University of Georgia
GA · Public
54
DW Score
$63K
1-yr earn
13.1x
ROI
Top score
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
NE · Public
65
DW Score
$62K
1-yr earn
16.7x
ROI
Auburn University
AL · Public
63
DW Score
$59K
1-yr earn
14.0x
ROI
Oakland University
MI · Public
49
DW Score
$57K
1-yr earn
8.8x
ROI
Also at University of Missouri

Other top programs at University of Missouri

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

FAQ

Frequently asked about Biological Engineering at University of Missouri

How does University of Missouri-Columbia's Biological Engineering program score?

A score of 62/100 reflects decent absolute metrics, but University of Missouri-Columbia 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.