Home Schools Vassar College Neuroscience
Biological Sciences · Neuroscience Rank #48 of 97

Neuroscienceat Vassar College

Graduates earn $41,752/yr in their first year — about 29.0% above the national Neuroscience average. Base-case 10-year earnings $486K; scenarios range from $459K to $485K depending on AI disruption.

Poughkeepsie, NY Private nonprofit Bachelor's Degree
DegreeOutlook Score
31 AT RISK
32
Optimistic
28
Pessimistic
Earnings
$41,752
1-year post-graduation
ROI
0.5x
Earnings : tuition
10-yr Base
$486K
Cumulative base-case earnings
AI Risk
High
53% task exposure
Program Analysis

What this degree looks like at Vassar College

Your Vassar Neurobiology and Neurosciences degree provides an exceptionally rigorous foundation, highly valued by top graduate programs and employers. The strong liberal arts emphasis cultivates critical thinking, research acumen, and communication skills, preparing you exceptionally well for demanding advanced study in medicine or scientific research. While Poughkeepsie isn't a major biotech hub, Vassar's elite reputation and extensive alumni network are powerful conduits to competitive PhD programs or prestigious research assistant roles at leading institutions. This rigorous preparation often leads to later careers as medical scientists or natural sciences managers, where your interdisciplinary skills are crucial. Given the high AI risk in this evolving field, focus on internships and research experiences that develop unique, adaptable skills beyond core lab work, positioning you for leadership in future scientific endeavors.

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
$459K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score28/100
Earnings Multiple1.7x
Base Case
Moderate Integration
$486K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score31/100
Earnings Multiple1.8x
Optimistic
AI Augmentation
$485K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score32/100
Earnings Multiple1.8x
Earnings Trajectory

10 year projection

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

Career Paths

Where Neuroscience 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
Natural sciences managers
+3.7% 10-yr growth · 8,500 openings/yr
$161,180/yr
High
2
Medical scientists, except epidemiologists
+8.7% 10-yr growth · 9,600 openings/yr
$100,590/yr
High
3
Biological scientists, all other
+1.2% 10-yr growth · 4,800 openings/yr
$93,330/yr
Moderate
4
Biological science teachers, postsecondary
+7.3% 10-yr growth · 5,400 openings/yr
$83,460/yr
Moderate
5
Biological technicians
+3.5% 10-yr growth · 9,100 openings/yr
$52,000/yr
Moderate
Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2024. AI exposure from OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs and Felten AIOE research.
Compare & Explore

Peer schools offering Neuroscience

How Vassar College stacks up against other schools offering this major.

Highest earnings
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
MA · Private nonprofit
35
DW Score
$48K
1-yr earn
1.0x
ROI
Same state (NY)
Fordham University
NY · Private nonprofit
35
DW Score
$48K
1-yr earn
0.9x
ROI
Top score
Harvard University
MA · Private nonprofit
40
DW Score
$47K
1-yr earn
2.2x
ROI
Macalester College
MN · Private nonprofit
34
DW Score
$45K
1-yr earn
0.8x
ROI
Union College
NY · Private nonprofit
33
DW Score
$45K
1-yr earn
1.5x
ROI
Also at Vassar College

Other top programs at Vassar College

Other highest-scoring programs offered at Vassar College, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.

FAQ

Frequently asked about Neuroscience at Vassar College

How does Vassar College's Neuroscience program score?

This program scores 31/100 — on the lower end for Neuroscience. Prospective students should carefully weigh costs against likely earnings.

How vulnerable is Neuroscience to AI automation?

AI won't 'replace' Neuroscience 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.