Microbiologists
What Microbiologists Do
Investigate the growth, structure, development, and other characteristics of microscopic organisms, such as bacteria, algae, or fungi. Includes medical microbiologists who study the relationship between organisms and disease or the effects of antibiotics on microorganisms.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- None
- Self-employed
- 1.3%
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 4 of 5Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
- Experience
- A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations.
- Education
- Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
- Job training
- Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- Biologyimportance 4.7/5
- Chemistryimportance 3.8/5
- English Languageimportance 3.6/5
- Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.6/5
- Education and Trainingimportance 3.5/5
- Mathematicsimportance 3.3/5
- Engineering and Technologyimportance 3.0/5
- Administrativeimportance 2.9/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- E-Mail5.0/5
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.8/5
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.7/5
- Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets4.7/5
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate4.6/5
- Telephone Conversations4.2/5
Careers With Similar Skills
Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.
- Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health97% skill match
- Medical Dosimetrists97% skill match
- Animal Scientists97% skill match
- Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors96% skill match
- Environmental Engineers96% skill match
- Industrial Engineers96% skill match
- Surveying and Mapping Technicians95% skill match
- Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians95% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.8/5
- Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.6/5
- Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.0/5
- Coordinationimportance 3.0/5
- Instructingimportance 3.0/5
- Service Orientationimportance 3.0/5
- Systems Analysisimportance 3.0/5
- Time Managementimportance 3.0/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Hot Technologies
Other Software Used
- Assistant Software for Antimicrobial Susceptibility Interpretation ASASI
- BD Biosciences CellQuest
- BD Biosciences CloneCyt
- Basic Local Alignment Search Tool BLAST
- Bruker Optics OPUS
- BtB Software Mycobacteriology Lab
- Codon Usage Database
- ComBase
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Intellectual Curiosity
- Attention to Detail
- Dependability
- Cautiousness
- Innovation
- Achievement Orientation
- Integrity
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- InvestigativeHigh
- RealisticHigh
- ConventionalMedium
- SocialLow
- ArtisticLow
- EnterprisingLow
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where microbiologists make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Durham-Chapel Hill, NC9.58× national avg
- 2Fort Collins-Loveland, CO9.50× national avg
- 3Athens-Clarke County, GA7.08× national avg
- 4Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH5.49× national avg
- 5Madison, WI5.39× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- Medical Scientists, Except EpidemiologistsAdvancement
- Medical DosimetristsCareer Change
- Soil and Plant ScientistsLateral Move
- Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and InspectorsCareer Change
Related Education Programs
Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.
Biochemistry
- The University of Texas at Austin (Austin, TX)grads earn ~$64,145
- University of Michigan-Ann Arbor (Ann Arbor, MI)grads earn ~$67,925
- University of Washington-Seattle Campus (Seattle, WA)grads earn ~$58,818
- Arizona State University Campus Immersion (Tempe, AZ)grads earn ~$60,501
- University of California-Los Angeles (Los Angeles, CA)grads earn ~$73,506
Cell/Cellular Biology and Histology
- University of California-Berkeley (Berkeley, CA)grads earn ~$66,577
- University of California-San Diego (La Jolla, CA)
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (Champaign, IL)grads earn ~$70,213
- University of California-Los Angeles (Los Angeles, CA)grads earn ~$72,443
- Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, MD)grads earn ~$56,543
Medical Microbiology and Bacteriology
- University of Florida (Gainesville, FL)grads earn ~$79,163
- University of Florida (Gainesville, FL)grads earn ~$64,285
- University of California-Los Angeles (Los Angeles, CA)grads earn ~$65,024
- University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo (Arecibo, PR)grads earn ~$37,027
- Brigham Young University (Provo, UT)grads earn ~$66,603