Dec 21, 2014 11:34 AM EST By Russell Westerholm, UniversityHerald Reporter

Biology is a wide ranging major with many areas for specialization, so picking a school for the right program is highly important for prospective students.

According to USA Today, biology is the study of natural sciences and graduates with a degree in the field tend to wind up studying medicine. Biology is also a big part of a pre-med student's coarse load.

Biology students need to have strong skills in research, critical thinking and collaboration. Writing also plays a role, because a scientist needs to be able to convey his or her ideas clearly and concisely.

Per College Factual, here are the top 10 schools for a major in biology. CLICK HERE for the full methodology.

1.     Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Location: Cambridge, Mass.

Acceptance rate: 7.7 percent

Starting/ mid-career salary: $62,000/ $83,000

2.     University of California - San Diego

Location: La Jolla, Calif.

Acceptance rate: 33.4 percent

Starting/ mid-career salary: $43,000/ $87,000

3.     Tufts University

Location: Medford, Mass.

Acceptance rate: 17.4 percent

Starting/ mid-career salary: $47,000/ $95,000

4.     Stanford University

Location: Stanford, Calif.

Acceptance rate: 5.1 percent

Starting/ mid-career salary: $51,000/ $86,000

5.     Brown University

Location: Providence, R.I.

Acceptance rate: 8.6 percent

Starting/ mid-career salary: $44,000/ $94,000

6.     Washington University in St. Louis

Location: St. Louis, Mo.

Acceptance rate: 15.6 percent

Starting/ mid-career salary: $45,000/ $78,000

7.     New York University

Location: New York, N.Y.

Acceptance rate: 34 percent

Starting/ mid-career salary: $46,000/ $84,000

8.     Wake Forest University

Location: Winston Salem, N.C.

Acceptance rate: 34 percent

Starting/ mid-career salary: $48,000/ $94,000

9.     Columbia University

Location: New York, N.Y.

Acceptance rate: 6.9 percent

Starting/ mid-career salary: $41,000/ $96,000

10.  Emory University

Location: Atlanta, Ga.

Acceptance rate: 26.8 percent

Starting/ mid-career salary: $40,000/ $81,000

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