Biological and Physical Sciences programs in Illinois
45 schools in Illinois teach this, at certificate or associate level. 24 of them report what graduates earn two years out; the highest is $35,213 at Southwestern Illinois College.
What this work pays in Illinois
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education in Illinois earn a median of $79,990 a year across 44,670 jobs. That is what the occupation pays everyone in it — not what graduates of any one program below earned.
| Also leads to | Median | Jobs in Illinois |
|---|---|---|
| Natural Sciences Managers | $159,670 | 2,810 |
| Postsecondary Teachers, All Other | $59,590 | 990 |
Occupation wages: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.
Schools
| School | Credential | Median debt | Graduate earnings, 2 yrs | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwestern Illinois College Belleville | Associate's degree | $4,500 | $35,213 (93 grads) | 116 |
| Waubonsee Community College Sugar Grove | Associate's degree | $6,240 | $33,410 (100 grads) | 264 |
| Elgin Community College Elgin | Associate's degree | — | $32,332 (127 grads) | 193 |
| Richland Community College Decatur | Associate's degree | — | $29,250 (14 grads) | 57 |
| Rock Valley College Rockford | Associate's degree | — | $27,681 (32 grads) | 170 |
| Kishwaukee College Malta | Associate's degree | $7,992 | $26,997 (122 grads) | 154 |
| Illinois Valley Community College Oglesby | Associate's degree | — | $26,519 (20 grads) | 136 |
| Sauk Valley Community College Dixon | Associate's degree | — | $26,121 (25 grads) | 18 |
| John Wood Community College Quincy | Associate's degree | — | $25,774 (41 grads) | 39 |
| Black Hawk College Moline | Associate's degree | — | $25,484 (28 grads) | 81 |
| McHenry County College Crystal Lake | Associate's degree | $6,875 | $24,936 (85 grads) | 143 |
| Highland Community College Freeport | Associate's degree | — | $24,730 (17 grads) | 62 |
| Parkland College Champaign | Associate's degree | $7,000 | $24,421 (36 grads) | 116 |
| Lincoln Land Community College Springfield | Associate's degree | $10,750 | $24,267 (52 grads) | 75 |
| Lewis and Clark Community College Godfrey | Associate's degree | $6,500 | $22,503 (101 grads) | 119 |
| William Rainey Harper College Palatine | Associate's degree | $6,375 | $22,420 (32 grads) | 388 |
| South Suburban College South Holland | Associate's degree | — | $22,329 (17 grads) | 32 |
| Moraine Valley Community College Palos Hills | Associate's degree | $8,250 | $22,192 (156 grads) | 413 |
| College of Lake County Grayslake | Associate's degree | — | $21,964 (29 grads) | 166 |
| Heartland Community College Normal | Associate's degree | — | $19,592 (25 grads) | 81 |
| Triton College River Grove | Associate's degree | $7,875 | $19,455 (59 grads) | 178 |
| Lake Land College Mattoon | Associate's degree | — | $18,967 (37 grads) | 71 |
| Carl Sandburg College Galesburg | Associate's degree | — | $18,771 (27 grads) | 21 |
| Morton College Cicero | Associate's degree | — | $17,067 (25 grads) | 88 |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College Chicago | Associate's degree | $6,125 | not published | 214 |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Harry S Truman College Chicago | Associate's degree | $7,000 | not published | 88 |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Kennedy-King College Chicago | Associate's degree | — | not published | 23 |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Malcolm X College Chicago | Associate's degree | $4,800 | not published | 101 |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Richard J Daley College Chicago | Associate's degree | — | not published | 76 |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Wilbur Wright College Chicago | Associate's degree | — | not published | 140 |
| College of DuPage Glen Ellyn | Associate's degree | $10,664 | not published | 258 |
| Joliet Junior College Joliet | Associate's degree | — | not published | 142 |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Olive-Harvey College Chicago | Associate's degree | — | not published | 21 |
| Danville Area Community College Danville | Associate's degree | — | not published | 12 |
| Illinois Eastern Community Colleges Olney | Associate's degree | — | not published | 4 |
| John A Logan College Carterville | Associate's degree | — | not published | 45 |
| Kankakee Community College Kankakee | Associate's degree | — | not published | 35 |
| Kaskaskia College Centralia | Associate's degree | — | not published | 18 |
| Lewis and Clark Community College Godfrey | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | — |
| Oakton College Des Plaines | Associate's degree | — | not published | 39 |
| Prairie State College Chicago Heights | Associate's degree | — | not published | 15 |
| Rend Lake College Ina | Associate's degree | — | not published | 116 |
| Shawnee Community College Ullin | Associate's degree | — | not published | 40 |
| Southeastern Illinois College Harrisburg | Associate's degree | — | not published | 49 |
| Spoon River College Canton | Associate's degree | — | not published | 48 |
A dash under earnings or debt means the U.S. Department of Education has not published a figure for that program — it withholds any median computed from too few graduates, which covers about four of every five programs. It never means zero, and it says nothing about whether the program is any good. Where a figure is shown, the number of graduates behind it is shown with it.
Email me when these figures change
The U.S. Department of Education publishes new cost, debt and earnings figures once a year, and every number on this page changes at once. One email when that happens for Biological and Physical Sciences — nothing else, and nothing in between.
Program and outcome figures: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, released 2026-06-10.