Every occupation the official NCES/BLS crosswalk connects to ecology programs, with BLS pay, the education each job usually needs, what the work involves, and where to go next.
Ecology · CIP 26.1301 · 5 careers · Check one exact major, e.g. 26.1301 Ecology, in the major to career finder
The official NCES/BLS crosswalk maps ecology programs to 5 occupations that such programs typically prepare people for, including Natural Sciences Manager, Zoologist and Conservation Scientist. BLS median pay across them runs from $73,010 (Conservation Scientist) to $167,220 (Natural Sciences Manager) in May 2025. The crosswalk describes preparation, not what graduates actually go on to do.
Data Program → related occupations: these are jobs ecology programs typically prepare people for (NCES/BLS crosswalk). Not a guaranteed outcome, and not a record of what graduates do.
Data Filter by the education the job usually needs or its preparation level; sort by pay or by number employed.
| Occupation | Most common education | Job Zone | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natural Sciences Manager | $167,220 | 108,690 | Bachelor's Degree | 5 |
| Biological Science Teachers, PostsecondaryPostsecondary teaching | $84,620 | 50,190 | Doctoral Degree | 5 |
| Conservation Scientist | $73,010 | 25,950 | Bachelor's Degree | 4 |
| Zoologist | $76,780 | 18,120 | n/a | 4 |
| Forestry and Conservation Science Teachers, PostsecondaryPostsecondary teaching | $101,420 | 1,520 | n/a | 5 |
No occupations match these filters.
Data The education column shows a typical entry level only where O*NET data supports one answer. Check the typical education for Natural Sciences Manager, one of the ecology jobs above.
Data BLS national median annual wage, May 2025. These are pay levels of the occupations, not earnings of graduates.
Data The largest related occupations by employment (postsecondary teaching shown in the explorer).
Hire, supervise, or evaluate engineers, technicians, researchers, or other staff.
Design or coordinate successive phases of problem analysis, solution proposals, or testing.
Science · Reading Comprehension · Active Listening
Mapped from CIP 26.1301Inventory or estimate plant and wildlife populations.
Disseminate information by writing reports and scientific papers or journal articles, and by making presentations and giving talks for schools, clubs, interest groups and park interpretive programs.
Complex Problem Solving · Judgment and Decision Making · Reading Comprehension
Career guide Salary How to become
Mapped from CIP 26.1301Apply principles of specialized fields of science, such as agronomy, soil science, forestry, or agriculture, to achieve conservation objectives.
Plan soil management or conservation practices, such as crop rotation, reforestation, permanent vegetation, contour plowing, or terracing, to maintain soil or conserve water.
Reading Comprehension · Active Listening · Complex Problem Solving
Mapped from CIP 26.1301Data Related occupations grouped by government career field, with their pay range.
The NCES/BLS crosswalk relates instructional programs (CIP 2020) to occupations (SOC 2018) when programs in the CIP category typically prepare individuals directly for jobs in the occupation. This page uses the CIP program series below and shows every non-residual occupation mapped to them that has BLS wages and O*NET data; each occupation lists the CIP codes that map to it.
Searches this page answers include “what can you do with an ecology degree”, “ecology degree jobs”, “ecology major jobs” (Ahrefs, U.S.).
