Pharmacology and Toxicology Degree
Students study how drugs and chemicals interact with biological systems, including drug design, dosing, side effects, mechanisms of toxicity, and regulatory approval processes. Graduates typically pursue careers in pharmaceutical companies, FDA regulatory affairs, clinical trial management, poison control centers, and environmental health agencies. This major leads to well-compensated careers in the pharmaceutical industry and drug safety.
What Pharmacology and Toxicology Graduates Do
Your degree in pharmacology and toxicology prepares you for roles where you protect and improve human health. You might spend your days as a medical scientist in a lab, designing experiments to test how a new drug interacts with cells, analyzing complex data, and writing research papers. Or you could be an occupational health specialist, visiting industrial sites to test for chemical hazards, investigating accidents, and developing safety protocols to protect workers. Many graduates also become postsecondary teachers, where you’ll design courses, lecture on drug mechanisms, and mentor the next generation of healthcare professionals.
Career paths often begin with hands-on technical work before progressing to management. For instance, a successful lab scientist may eventually become a natural sciences manager, overseeing entire research teams and budgets. The job market is expanding rapidly for roles in teaching and occupational health, while some traditional research positions face slower growth and more competition.
AI is set to automate significant chunks of routine work, like initial data analysis or reviewing safety regulations. This means your daily tasks will change; you’ll spend less time on repetitive processes and more time interpreting AI-generated insights and making critical judgment calls about drug efficacy or workplace safety. Adaptability will be essential.
Common Career Paths
Where Pharmacology and Toxicology graduates typically work, ranked by salary. Salary ranges show 25th–75th percentile spread. This field has roughly 89,200 combined openings per year.
| Career Path | Salary Range | Openings/yr | Growth | AI Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natural sciences managers | 8,500 | +3.7% | 50% | |
| Health specialties teachers, postsecondary | 27,400 | +17.3% | 48% | |
| Medical scientists, except epidemiologists | 9,600 | +8.7% | 52% | |
| Biological scientists, all other | 4,800 | +1.2% | 49% | |
| Occupational health and safety specialists | 14,900 | +12.5% | 33% | |
| Biological science teachers, postsecondary | 5,400 | +7.3% | 47% | |
| Environmental scientists and specialists, including health | 8,500 | +4.4% | 53% | |
| Environmental engineering technologists and technicians | 1,100 | +1.2% | 41% | |
| Occupational health and safety technicians | 3,400 | +8.5% | 40% | |
| Environmental science and protection technicians, including health | 5,600 | +4.0% | 46% |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2024. Salary range shows 25th–median–75th percentile (national).
Best Schools for Pharmacology and Toxicology
5 schools ranked by DegreeOutlook Score. Click any row for full AI scenario analysis and earnings projections.
| # | School | DW Score | Earnings | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of California-Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA |
58 56–59 |
$39,421/yr | 15.3x |
| 2 | University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY |
56 56–57 |
$34,468/yr | 22.1x |
| 3 | University of California-Davis Davis, CA |
51 50–52 |
$39,202/yr | 11.0x |
| 4 | CUNY York College Jamaica, NY |
50 46–50 |
$43,870/yr | 13.9x |
| 5 | University of Louisiana at Monroe Monroe, LA |
25 24–25 |
$20,063/yr | 4.5x |
Highest Earning Pharmacology and Toxicology Programs
Schools where Pharmacology and Toxicology graduates earn the most in their first year after graduation.
| School | 1-Year Earnings | DW Score |
|---|---|---|
| CUNY York College | $43,870/yr | 50 |
| University of California-Santa Barbara | $39,421/yr | 58 |
| University of California-Davis | $39,202/yr | 51 |
| University at Buffalo | $34,468/yr | 56 |
| University of Louisiana at Monroe | $20,063/yr | 25 |
Best ROI for Pharmacology and Toxicology
Schools with the highest earnings-to-tuition ratio for Pharmacology and Toxicology.
| School | ROI Multiple | Earnings | DW Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| University at Buffalo | 22.1x | $34,468/yr | 56 |
| University of California-Santa Barbara | 15.3x | $39,421/yr | 58 |
| CUNY York College | 13.9x | $43,870/yr | 50 |
| University of California-Davis | 11.0x | $39,202/yr | 51 |
| University of Louisiana at Monroe | 4.5x | $20,063/yr | 25 |
Related Majors
Explore similar fields of study.