BestOnlineCollege.org is an advertising-supported website. Many of the school and program listings that appear on this site are from partners who compensate us, and this compensation may affect how, where, and in what order listings appear (such as featured placements). This compensation does not influence our editorial content, evaluations, or rankings, which are determined independently using publicly available data. We do not review or feature every school or program available in the marketplace. Our goal is to provide accurate, unbiased information so you can make informed decisions. Read our full Advertiser Disclosure.
Best Online Biology Programs in Cottage Grove, MN (2026)
Cottage Grove, Minnesota has 5 accredited schools offering biology programs, with tuition ranging from $6,146 to $82,991 per year for indexed programs. Cottage Grove has a population of about 40,124. Median household income is $121,452 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 39.3% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area, the top-earning biology-related role is Medical Scientist at a median $102,940 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Biology Schools to Cottage Grove
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer biology programs near Cottage Grove, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Cottage Grove city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.
No school data available.
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Minnesota schools on the Minnesota biology page.
Biology Wages Near Cottage Grove
Cottage Grove is part of the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area (BLS area code 33460). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Minnesota statewide.
| Occupation | Median Wage | Source | COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medical Scientist | $102,940 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $98,225 |
| Biological Technician | $52,150 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $49,761 |
| Zoologist and Wildlife Biologist | $61,050 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $58,254 |
| Soil and Plant Scientist | $79,610 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $75,964 |
Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.
Cottage Grove at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 40,124 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $121,452 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 39.3% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 104.8 (above U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Cottage Grove-Area Cities With Biology Programs
- Woodbury, MN – 6.2 mi away (68,820 pop)
- Inver Grove Heights, MN – 6.5 mi away (35,077 pop)
- Hastings, MN – 6.9 mi away (22,761 pop)
- South Saint Paul, MN – 7.4 mi away (20,217 pop)
- Rosemount, MN – 8.3 mi away (23,911 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited biology schools are near Cottage Grove, MN?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering biology programs near Cottage Grove. The closest is Inver Hills Community College in Inver Grove Heights, MN (6.2 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Macalester College (14.5 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying biology roles near Cottage Grove?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying biology-related roles near Cottage Grove are: Medical Scientist ($102,940), Soil and Plant Scientist ($79,610), Zoologist and Wildlife Biologist ($61,050). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Minnesota statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Woodbury instead of Cottage Grove?
Woodbury, MN is 6.2 miles from Cottage Grove and has its own set of local biology programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is Cottage Grove an affordable place to study biology?
Cottage Grove’s median household income of $121,452 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Cottage Grove while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Minnesota public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.
How do I verify a program is accredited?
Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.
Learn More About Biology Programs
- Is a Biology degree worth it?
- Main Biology degree guide
- Online Biology programs in Minnesota
- Biology programs by state
Other Programs Available in Cottage Grove
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Cottage Grove:
- Artificial Intelligence programs in Cottage Grove, MN
- Machine Learning programs in Cottage Grove, MN
- Supply Chain Management programs in Cottage Grove, MN
- Data Analytics programs in Cottage Grove, MN
- Public Health programs in Cottage Grove, MN
- Human Resources programs in Cottage Grove, MN
- Project Management programs in Cottage Grove, MN
- Special Education programs in Cottage Grove, MN
- Homeland Security programs in Cottage Grove, MN
- Marketing programs in Cottage Grove, MN
- Finance programs in Cottage Grove, MN
- Kinesiology programs in Cottage Grove, MN
- Sports Management programs in Cottage Grove, MN
- Early Childhood Education programs in Cottage Grove, MN
- Elementary Education programs in Cottage Grove, MN
- Communications programs in Cottage Grove, MN
- Graphic Design programs in Cottage Grove, MN
- Human Services programs in Cottage Grove, MN
- MBA programs in Cottage Grove, MN
- Criminal Justice programs in Cottage Grove, MN
- Nursing programs in Cottage Grove, MN
- Business Administration programs in Cottage Grove, MN
- Computer Science programs in Cottage Grove, MN
- Psychology programs in Cottage Grove, MN
- Education programs in Cottage Grove, MN
- Engineering programs in Cottage Grove, MN
- Technology programs in Cottage Grove, MN
- Liberal Arts programs in Cottage Grove, MN
- Healthcare programs in Cottage Grove, MN
- Cybersecurity programs in Cottage Grove, MN
- Accounting programs in Cottage Grove, MN
- Healthcare Administration programs in Cottage Grove, MN
- Social Work programs in Cottage Grove, MN
- Counseling programs in Cottage Grove, MN
Related from Our Editorial Library
- Best Accredited Online Colleges (2026)
- Best Online Colleges Ranking
- Effective Learning Strategies for Online Students
Data verified: August 10, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.