Natural Sciences Managers
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Overview
Plan, direct, or coordinate activities in such fields as life sciences, physical sciences, mathematics, statistics, and research and development in these fields.
Highlights
Undergraduate program resulting in the highest median salary ($140K): Chemical Engineering
Largest undergraduate program (15.7% of workers): Biology
Explore Pathways
Titles for this career often contain these words
ManagerResearchClinicalDirectorWaterCoordinatorResourceSpecialistProgramDevelopmentLaboratoryProjectEnvironmentalChemicalAdministratorTrialConsultantNaturalResourcesAgriculturalAgricultureChiefPlantTechnicalDataMonitorNurseStudyTrialsCommunityGeochemicalGeologicalGeophysicalGravityHydrotechnicalHydrotechnicianScienceOceanPowerSupplyEngineerQuarryingQualityAgentEngineeringPlannerRestorationTechnicianRightsTeamLeaderWildLife
SOURCES:
2018 SOC codes
2020 CareerOneStop
25.2 O*NET
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Responsibilities and activities

Natural sciences managers typically do the following:

  • Work with top executives to develop goals and strategies for researchers and developers
  • Budget resources for projects and programs by determining staffing, training, and equipment needs
  • Hire, supervise, and evaluate scientists, technicians, and other staff members
  • Review staff members’ methodology and the accuracy of their research results
  • Monitor the progress of projects, review research performed, and draft operational reports
  • Ensure that laboratories are stocked with equipment and supplies
  • Provide technical assistance to scientists, technicians, and support staff
  • Establish and follow administrative procedures, policies, and standards
  • Communicate project proposals, research findings, and the status of projects to clients and top management

Natural sciences managers direct scientific research activities and direct and coordinate product development projects and production activities. The duties of natural sciences managers vary with the field of science (such as biology or chemistry) or the industry they work in. Research projects may be aimed at improving manufacturing processes, advancing basic scientific knowledge, or developing new products.

Some natural sciences managers are former scientists and, after becoming managers, may continue to conduct their own research as well as oversee the work of others. These managers are sometimes called working managers and usually have smaller staffs, allowing them to do research in addition to carrying out their administrative duties.

Managers who are responsible for larger staffs may not have time to contribute to research and may spend all their time performing administrative duties.

Laboratory managers need to ensure that laboratories are fully supplied so that scientists can run their tests and experiments. Some specialize in the management of laboratory animals.

During all stages of a project, natural sciences managers coordinate the activities of their unit with those of other units or organizations. They work with higher levels of management; with financial, production, and marketing specialists; and with equipment and materials suppliers.

SOURCES:
2020 Occupational Outlook Handbook
Salary
Median salary: $137,940 annually
Half of those employed in this career earn between $101,750 and $190,000.
$138K$0$50K$100K$150K$200K
Note: The salaries for natural sciences managers have been top-coded by the BLS; in 2019, all annual salaries larger than # are recorded as #.
SOURCES:
2019 BLS Occupational Employment
Context: Median Salary
How do salaries for this career compare to other jobs' salaries?
SOURCES:
2019 BLS Occupational Employment
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Salary growth for natural sciences managers
Is this job likely to reward you for sticking with it through pay raises and promotions? The higher a job’s “experience quotient,” the more you are likely to get as you stay there.
Experience quotient percentile
Take a minute to look at how much you might expect your salary to increase with each five years' experience, as well as how the numbers working at each age change. Does this seem to be a job for the young or the old, or could it be a career offering steady salary growth for many years?
Salary distribution
$50K$67K$77K$82K$104K$101K$82K$106K$0$50K$100K$150K$200K20-2425-2930-3435-3940-4445-4950-5455-5960-64
Number employed
01K2K3K20-2425-2930-3435-3940-4445-4950-5455-5960-64
SOURCES:
2019 ACS microdata
About Natural Sciences Managers
How do benefits for this career compare to other jobs? The availability of health care, especially employer provided health care, and pension plans can add significantly to the value of compensation you receive in a career. These charts compare how this career compares to other careers with regard to health care and pension plans.
Employee has health insurance
Employer is providing health insurance
SOURCES:
2018-2020 CPS
2019 ACS microdata
Worker concerns
Some jobs are more stressful than others, and some are just plain dangerous. The following list gives the percentages of natural sciences managers who report hazardous or difficult situations typically occurring at least once a week.
  • Time Pressure (70%)
  • Responsible for Others' Health (34%)
  • High Conflict Frequency (32%)
SOURCES:
25.2 O*NET
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Personality and skills
Can you see yourself in the ranks of Natural Sciences Managers? Here are the skills and traits that could lead to success.
Communication skills
Natural sciences managers must be able to communicate clearly with a variety of audiences, such as scientists, policymakers, and the public. Both written and oral communication are important.
Critical-thinking skills
Natural sciences managers must carefully evaluate the work of others. They must determine if their staff’s methods and results are based on sound science.
Interpersonal skills
Natural sciences managers lead research teams and therefore need to work well with others in order to reach common goals. Managers routinely deal with conflict, which they must be able to turn into positive outcomes for their organization.
Leadership skills
Natural sciences managers must be able to organize, direct, and motivate others. They need to identify the strengths and weaknesses of their workers and create an environment in which the workers can succeed.
Problem-solving skills
Natural sciences managers use scientific observation and analysis to find answers to complex technical questions.
Time-management skills
Natural sciences managers must be able to perform multiple administrative, supervisory, and technical tasks while ensuring that projects remain on schedule.
SOURCES:
2020 Occupational Outlook Handbook
Education pathways to this career
Education attained by natural sciences managers
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), natural sciences managers typically hold a bachelor's degree.
Sometimes the typical education identified by the BLS differs a bit from the reality of the how much education current workers actually have. The donut shows the education level held by people currently working as natural sciences managers as reported in responses to the American Community Survey.
Details: Education and training recommended for natural sciences managers

Natural sciences managers typically begin their careers as scientists; therefore, most have a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, or Ph.D. in a scientific discipline or a closely related field, such as engineering. Scientific and technical knowledge is essential for managers because they must be able to understand the work of their subordinates and provide technical assistance when needed.

Natural sciences managers who are interested in acquiring postsecondary education in management should be able to find master’s degree or Ph.D. programs in a natural science that incorporate business management courses. Professional Science Master’s (PSM) degree programs blend advanced training in a particular science field, such as biotechnology or environmental science, with business skills, such as communications and program management, and policy. Those interested in acquiring general management skills may pursue a Master of Business Administration (MBA) or a Master of Public Administration (MPA). Some natural sciences managers will have studied psychology or some other management-related field to enter this occupation.

Sciences managers must continually upgrade their knowledge because of the rapid growth of scientific developments.

Details: Licensing and certification recommended for natural sciences managers

Although certification is not typically required to become a natural sciences manager, many relevant certifications are available. These certifications range from those related to specific scientific areas of study or practice, such as laboratory animal management, to general management topics, such as project management.

SOURCES:
2019 ACS microdata
Education level of Natural Sciences Managers
About 54% of natural sciences managers have a graduate-level education, and 91% have at least a bachelor's degree.
Education attained by natural sciences managers
None
High School
Some College
Associate's Degree
Bachelor's Degree
Master's Degree
Professional Degree
Doctorate
SOURCES:
2021 Ididio: Award levels
2019 ACS microdata
Top college degrees
Here are the top college degrees held by the 89% of people in this job who have at least a bachelor's degree. Some of degrees may link to multiple programs due to the way Census classifies college majors. Click on a program to learn more about career opportunities for people who major in that field.
  1. Biology
  2. Psychology
  3. Chemistry
  4. Business Management and Administration
  5. History
SOURCES:
2019 ACS microdata
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College majors held by natural sciences managers
This table shows the college majors held by people working as natural sciences managers. If you see "**" before the name of a degree/program, that means this field is one that the Department of Education believes is preparatory for this career. However, you can see from this list that those recommendations are far from your only path to this job!
Major
Select any title to learn more about that degree
Salary comparison for bachelor's only
Higher
Similar
Lower
Career salary (tail) versus Career/Major salary (dot)
Does the bachelor's-only salary rise or fall with this major?
$48K$65K
Salary for bachelor's-only
For people with this career and major
Median
Middle 50%
Middle 80%
Salary for all workers
For people with this career and major
Median
Middle 50%
Middle 80%
Education for Career and Major
Bachelor's
Master's
Professional
Doctorate
Workers with this career/major
Percentage in this career with this major
SOURCES:
2019 ACS microdata
2010 CIP Codes
Not so much?
The link between degrees and this career
With the following sankey diagram, you can follow the top ten bachelor's degrees held by people working as natural sciences managers, and then, in turn, you can see the 10 occupations that hire the most of each degree's graduates. We hope this provides ideas for similar jobs and similar fields of study.
Expand degrees
BiologyPsychologyChemistryBusiness Management ...HistoryPolitical Science an...Geology and Earth Sc...MarketingSociologyChemical EngineeringAll other degreesThis jobTop 10 majors
SOURCES:
2019 ACS microdata
Where are the jobs
State-by-state employment numbers
Some careers tend to be centered in specific parts of the country. For example, most jobs in fashion are in New York or California. Let's see if your dream job is easy to find in your dream location! We have a few choices for viewing the data that can help you get a full employment picture.
Select a state to see local area details
Number of Natural Sciences Managers per 1,000 workers (ACS)
AKMEWIVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILMINYMAORUTWYSDIAINOHPANJCTRICANVCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFLPR
SOURCES:
2019 ACS microdata
Fewer details
Job density versus job count
Which states hire the most natural sciences managers? We wonder if that's a fair question since states come in all sizes, so instead let's start with the question of which states have the highest density of people working as natural sciences managers. You can choose to view the number of jobs per state if you prefer.
Salaries by state
Let's get a feel for where natural sciences managers earn the highest salaries. There are several choices for which data we consider and how we view that data, and each can lead to different conclusions, so please read on...
Median salary versus state ratio
We use two methods to compare salaries across states:
  • In-state comparisons: the ratio of median (middle) salaries for natural sciences managers compared to the median salary for all people working in each state, or
  • Median salary: the unaltered median salaries for natural sciences managers.
We hope the ratio allows perspective about how salaries may compare to the regional cost-of-living.
The darkest shading corresponds to states in which natural sciences managers earn the highest salary when compared to other jobs in the state. We think this figure might be a better indicator than the actual salary for your buying power as a state resident.
Select a state to see local area details
Location-adjusted median salary for Natural Sciences Managers (ACS)
AKMEWIVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILMINYMAORUTWYSDIAINOHPANJCTRICANVCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFLPR
SOURCES:
2019 BLS Occupational Employment
2019 BEA Regional Price Parities
Employment
5% of Natural sciences managers are working part time.
We’ve found that some jobs have a huge number of part-time workers, and typically that is because they are unable to find full-time work or the job itself can’t provide full-time hours. With 5% part-time workers, this occupation has a lower percentage of part-time workers than 77% of careers.
5%0%20%40%60%80%100%
SOURCES:
2019 ACS microdata
Employer types
This donut shares the break-down of workers by employer type, giving us a picture of what employers most typically hire for this career.
Employers of undefined (ACS)
Private for-profit
Private not-for-profit
Local government
State government
Federal government
Self-employed incorporated
Self-employed not incorporated
Working without pay
SOURCES:
2021 Ididio: Comparing employment
2019 ACS microdata
Fewer details
Distribution: Salaries of natural sciences managers by type of employer
Here are the salary distributions based on employer type.
$78K$105K$70K$59K$88K$0$50,000$100,000$150,000$200,000Federal governmentState governmentPrivate not-for-profitPrivate for-profitAll
SOURCES:
2021 Ididio: Comparing employment
2019 ACS microdata
Gender
Natural sciences managers and gender
With 55% women, this occupation has a higher percentage of women than 68% of careers.
Gender of Natural sciences managers
Men (45%)
Women (55%)
SOURCES:
2019 ACS microdata
Distribution: salaries by gender
Does gender greatly influence your salary in this career? The closer the bars are, the less discrepancy there is.
$72K$85K$0$100K$200K$300KWomenMen
We only include salary data when the survey error is less than 20%, so you may see only partial information for some categories.
SOURCES:
2019 ACS microdata
Fewer details
Context: Women in the workforce
How does this career compare to other careers with regard to the percentage of women in the career.
55%0%20%40%60%80%100%
SOURCES:
2019 ACS microdata
Context: Salary inequity
The median (middle) salary for all full-time male workers in the US exceeds the full-time median salary for women by 19%, and the difference for natural sciences managers tops that, with the median salary for men 19% higher than the median salary for women.
19%0%20%40%60%80%100%
SOURCES:
2019 ACS microdata
Race/Origin
Race and origin of Natural sciences managers
This donut shows the distribution of race and origin among those employed as Natural sciences managers.
Race/origin of natural sciences managers
White (78% )
Asian (12% )
Black (5% )
Multiracial (3% )
Other (2% )
American Indian (0% )
Hispanic (0% )
Pacific Islander (0% )
SOURCES:
2019 ACS microdata
Distribution: salaries by race/origin
Some careers might have a pay disparity based on race or origin, the closer the below bars are the less of a discrepancy is present.
$66K$69K$78K$92K$0$50K$100K$150K$200KBlackMultiracialWhiteAsian
We only include salary data when the survey error is less than 20%, so you may see only partial information for some categories.
SOURCES:
2019 ACS microdata
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