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Biology department chairperson education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a biology department chairperson. Biology department chairpeople usually study biology, education, or biochemistry, biophysics, molecular biology. 67% of biology department chairpeople hold a bachelor's degree, and 21% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 59 real biology department chairperson resumes to see exactly what biology department chairperson education sections show.

The most common colleges for biology department chairpeople are the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Pennsylvania.

There are also many online biology department chairperson courses to help get the education required to be a biology department chairperson.

What education do you need to become a biology department chairperson?

What degree do you need to be a biology department chairperson?

The most common degree for biology department chairpeople is bachelor's degree, with 67% of biology department chairpeople earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 21% and master's degree degree at 5%.
  • Bachelor's, 67%
  • Master's, 21%
  • High School Diploma, 5%
  • Associate, 3%
  • Other Degrees, 4%

What should I major in to become a biology department chairperson?

You should major in biology to become a biology department chairperson. 42% of biology department chairpeople major in biology. Other common majors for a biology department chairperson include education and biochemistry, biophysics, molecular biology.

Most common colleges for biology department chairpeople

Biology department chairpeople often get their degrees at University of Pennsylvania, University of Maryland - College Park, and University of Colorado at Boulder. Here are the most common colleges for biology department chairpeople in the US based on their resumes.
Biology department chairperson common collegePercentages
University of Pennsylvania16.67%
University of Maryland - College Park8.33%
University of Colorado at Boulder4.17%
New York University4.17%
Massachusetts Institute of Technology4.17%

Best majors for biology department chairpeople

Best colleges for biology department chairpeople

The best colleges for biology department chairpeople are Columbia University in the City of New York, Harvard University, and Stanford University.

A biology department chairperson with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for biology department chairpeople. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become biology department chairpeople.

1. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

2. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

3. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

4. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

5. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

6. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

7. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

8. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

9. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

10. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

20 best online courses for biology department chairpeople

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1. Chemical Biology

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Chemical biology is a burgeoning field that has rapidly risen to prominence. This surge of interest has been fuelled by chemical biology’s applicability to understanding critical processes in live cells or model organisms in real time. This success has arisen because chemical biology straddles a nexus between chemistry, biology, and physics. Thus, chemical biology can harness rapid chemistry to observe or perturb biological processes, that are in turn reported using physical assays, all in an...

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Learn about the technologies underlying experimentation used in systems biology, with particular focus on RNA sequencing, mass spec-based proteomics, flow/mass cytometry and live-cell imaging. A key driver of the systems biology field is the technology allowing us to delve deeper and wider into how cells respond to experimental perturbations. This in turns allows us to build more detailed quantitative models of cellular function, which can give important insight into applications ranging from...

3. General Biology I: Foundations of Biology

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4. Introductory Biology

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Life around us is simply amazing. I'll show you why...

5. Biology Everywhere Foundations

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In this course, we will explore the nature of science and biology. We will discuss what the “biology everywhere” philosophy means and the history of the “biology everywhere” project. We will also discuss what science (and biology) are as a discipline of inquiry and how chemistry is foundational to understanding biology...

6. Systems Biology and Biotechnology Capstone

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NOTE: In order to take this course you should have taken and complete the following courses in the Signature Track: Introduction to Systems Biology, Network Analysis in Systems Biology, Dynamical Modeling Methods for Systems Biology, Experimental Methods in SB and Integrated Analysis In Systems Biology...

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Risk factors, how cancer grows, and how to treat it...

9. Systems Biology and Biotechnology

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Design systems-level experiments using appropriate cutting edge techniques, collect big data, and analyze and interpret small and big data sets quantitatively.\n\nThe Systems Biology Specialization covers the concepts and methodologies used in systems-level analysis of biomedical systems. Successful participants will learn how to use experimental, computational and mathematical methods in systems biology and how to design practical systems-level frameworks to address questions in a variety of...

10. Biology Everywhere

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Where have you experienced biology today? Journey through the science of life through the lens of our daily lives. This specialization is intended to bridge the gap between traditional biology classes and the practical biology knowledge needed in the real world. In each module, a different biological concept is examined and related to some real-world issues or experiences in an effort to demonstrate why the science of life matters to your everyday experience. Content includes subjects typically...

11. Budgeting for Business

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12. Building an Organizational Budget

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Design program budgets from a simplified approach along with conceptual understandings...

13. Cancer Biology

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The healthcare system is a rapidly evolving field with new research leading to advancements in medicine. Developed at Johns Hopkins University and led by top-ranked Hopkins faculty and cancer experts, this specialization on Cancer Biology focuses on the basics of cancer biology, how cancer metastasis occurs, and specifically, screening guidelines for prostate cancer, the most common cancer in American men.\n\nThis specialization starts with an Introduction to the Biology of Cancer, introduces...

14. Lactation Biology

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Lactation and especially milk, which is the product of that unique mammalian process, are routinely encountered within our daily lives. Nevertheless, they often are poorly understood by many, even including many who are engaged in the business of producing milk. The overall course goal is to introduce fundamental concepts that form the basis for understanding the biology of lactation, the biology of the mammary gland, and the products of that important physiological process. As a learner in...

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16. Learn Bioinformatics From Scratch (Theory & Practical)

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17. Bioinformatics Capstone: Big Data in Biology

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In this course, you will learn how to use the BaseSpace cloud platform developed by Illumina (our industry partner) to apply several standard bioinformatics software approaches to real biological data. In particular, in a series of Application Challenges will see how genome assembly can be used to track the source of a food poisoning outbreak, how RNA-Sequencing can help us analyze gene expression data on the tissue level, and compare the pros and cons of whole genome vs. whole exome sequencing...

18. Budgeting essentials and development

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19. IT Project Budget & Cost Management

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20. Biotechnology: Antibodies & their role in Therapeutics

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Learn about Antibodies: Their Structure, Types, Functions and Role in Therapeutics & Diagnostics Immunology Biology...

Top 10 most affordable universities for biology department chairpeople

The most affordable schools for biology department chairpeople are University of Florida, hunter college of the city university of new york, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for biology department chairpeople are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for biology department chairpeople.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

5. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

6. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

7. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

8. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

9. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

10. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Cost of attendance

25,527

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for biology department chairpeople

The hardest universities for biology department chairpeople to get into are Columbia University in the City of New York, Harvard University, and Stanford University.

Some great schools for biology department chairpeople are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for biology department chairpeople based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

2. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

3. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

4. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

5. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

6. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

7. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,516

8. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

9. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

10. University of Chicago

Chicago, IL • Private

Admissions rate

7%

SAT average

1,520

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for biology department chairpeople

The easiest schools for biology department chairpeople to get into are Barry University, mount saint mary's university, and university of the incarnate word.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a biology department chairperson without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for biology department chairpeople.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

3. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

4. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

5. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

6. Our Lady of the Lake University

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,002

7. San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,054

8. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

9. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

979

10. Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,053

Average biology department chairperson salary by education level

According to our data, biology department chairpeople with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $81,287 annually. Biology department chairpeople with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $66,928.
Biology department chairperson education levelBiology department chairperson salary
Master's Degree$66,928
Doctorate Degree$81,287

Biology department chairperson education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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