2025 Best Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Master's Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #68 most popular master's degree program in the country. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 10 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Master's Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 800 master's degrees in ecology, evolution & systematics biology to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

• Best Master’s Degree Schools List

Choosing a Great Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology School for Your Master's Degree

Your choice of ecology, evolution & systematics biology for getting your master's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality ecology program can vary widely even among the top schools. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Average Earnings

To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their master's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their master's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

• Major Focus - How much a school focuses on ecology, evolution & systematics biology students vs. other majors.
• Major Demand - The number of ecology, evolution & systematics biology students who choose to seek a master's degree at the school.
• Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
• Student Debt - How easy is it for ecology, evolution & systematics biology to pay back their student loans after receiving their master's degree.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized ecology, evolution & systematics biology related body.

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for ecology, evolution & systematics biology students working on their master's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Master's Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list, to help you choose the best school for you.

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology in the Middle Atlantic Region

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in ecology, evolution & systematics biology.

10 Top Middle Atlantic Region Schools for a Master's in Ecology

1

University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA

33 Annual Graduates

$185,874 Median Starting Salary

It is hard to beat University of Pennsylvania if you want to pursue a master's degree in ecology, evolution & systematics biology. Located in the city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology master's degree recipients from University of Pennsylvania earn a boost of approximately $99,482 above the typical income of ecology, evolution & systematics biology graduates.

More information about a master’s in ecology, evolution & systematics biology from University of Pennsylvania

2

Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY

206 Annual Graduates

$78,660 Median Starting Salary

Any student who is interested in a master's degree in ecology, evolution & systematics biology needs to check out Columbia University in the City of New York. Located in the large city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.

Soon after graduating, ecology master's recipients typically earn an average of $78,660 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a master’s in ecology, evolution & systematics biology from Columbia University in the City of New York

3

Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD

94 Annual Graduates

$87,746 Median Starting Salary

Any student who is interested in a master's degree in ecology, evolution & systematics biology needs to check out Johns Hopkins University. Johns Hopkins is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Baltimore.

Master's students who receive their degree from the ecology program make about $87,746 for their early career.

More information about a master’s in ecology, evolution & systematics biology from Johns Hopkins University

4

George Washington University
Washington, DC

82 Annual Graduates

$72,959 Median Starting Salary

Every student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in ecology, evolution & systematics biology needs to take a look at George Washington University. GWU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Washington.

Master's graduates who receive their degree from the ecology program make about $72,959 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a master’s in ecology, evolution & systematics biology from George Washington University

5

University of Delaware
Newark, DE

25 Annual Graduates

UD is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Newark.More information about a master’s in ecology, evolution & systematics biology from University of Delaware

6

University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus
Pittsburgh, PA

48 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Pittsburgh, Pitt is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in ecology, evolution & systematics biology from University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus

7

Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA

75 Annual Graduates

$62,505 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Philadelphia, Drexel is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.

Students who graduate with their master's from the ecology program state that they receive average early career wages of $62,505.

More information about a master’s in ecology, evolution & systematics biology from Drexel University

8

Temple University
Philadelphia, PA

31 Annual Graduates

$66,828 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Philadelphia, Temple is a public university with a very large student population.

Master's students who receive their degree from the ecology program make an average of $66,828 for their early career.

More information about a master’s in ecology, evolution & systematics biology from Temple University

9

Towson University
Towson, MD

11 Annual Graduates

Located in the small city of Towson, Towson is a public university with a large student population.More information about a master’s in ecology, evolution & systematics biology from Towson University

10

Hood College
Frederick, MD

11 Annual Graduates

$50,172 Median Starting Salary

Hood is a small private not-for-profit college located in the city of Frederick.

Master's students who receive their degree from the ecology program earn around $50,172 in their early career salary.

More information about a master’s in ecology, evolution & systematics biology from Hood College

Best Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Colleges by State

Explore the best ecology, evolution & systematics biology colleges for a specific state in the Middle Atlantic Region .

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
New York	261	264
Pennsylvania	248	107
Maryland	193	73
New Jersey	188	19
District of Columbia	154	86
Delaware	109	13

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Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Related Rankings by Major

Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology is one of 14 different types of Biological & Biomedical Sciences programs to choose from.

Ecology Focus Areas

Major	Annual Graduates
Epidemiology	677
Conservation Biology	35
Ecology	29
Marine Biology	18
Environmental Biology	17
Evolutionary Biology	16
Evolutionary Biology	7
Other Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology	1

Most Popular Majors Related to Ecology

Related Major	Annual Graduates
General Biology	2,102
Biotechnology	941
Biomathematics & Bioinformatics	599
Physiology & Pathology Sciences	515
Biochemistry, Biophysics & Molecular Biology	339
Microbiological Sciences & Immunology	206
Neurobiology & Neurosciences	166
Biological & Biomedical Sciences (Other)	164
Genetics	157
Pharmacology & Toxicology	131

Notes and References

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
• Credit for the banner image above goes to Ernst Haeckel. More about our data sources and methodologies.