There are a lot of reasons you may want to consider a career in biology. Maybe you love the sciences and you want your life to be devoted to it. Maybe you like working with plants or animals. Regardless of your reasons for wanting to study biology, you should learn about the various careers that you could have with this degree first. This article will help by providing information on some of these careers and the typical salary that would be expected from each one. […]
A biology degree can lead to a wide range of careers, including those in the medical field, environmental science, education, and more.
Medical Field: A biology degree can prepare you for a career in the medical field, such as becoming a doctor or nurse.
Environmental Science: A biology degree can also prepare you for a career in environmental science, such as working at a zoo or aquarium.
Education: A biology degree can prepare you for a career as an educator by giving you the skills to teach students about biology. You could teach high school students about biology or college-age students about the subject.
What careers with a biology degree
Introduction
If you’re thinking of pursuing a career with a Biology major, you’ll want to know what majors are best suited to your interests and skills. Here are the top five careers for biology majors, based on job outlook and salary:
Section: Biochemist and biophysicist
Section: Zoologist/wildlife biologist
Section: Physician assistant
Section: Microbiologist
Section: Medical/clinical lab technologist
Takeaway: The field of biology is open to many possible career paths. Here’s where to get started in exploring your options!
Biologist
A biology degree is an excellent foundation for a career in biology. Many students who earn a bachelor’s or master’s degree in biology go on to work in academia, research, policy and conservation. In addition to these options, you may consider careers in one of these fields:
- Health care/medical
- Environmental science
Physician
If you decide that you want to work as a physician, your degree will allow you to pursue a doctorate in medicine (MD) or any of the following:
- Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM)
- Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (DPM)
- Doctor of Optometry (OD)
- Doctor of Chiropractic Medicine (DC).
Microbiologist
A microbiologist is a scientist who specializes in the study of microorganisms. Microbiology is the study of microscopic organisms, including bacteria, viruses and fungi.
The word “microbe” comes from Greek, meaning “small.” Scientists classify microbes as prokaryotic or eukaryotic (the difference between these two can be found here). The human body contains trillions of cells; bacteria outnumber human cells 10:1!
Microbiology degree programs teach students how to identify microbes through their classification and identification techniques. A microbiology degree prepares graduates for careers in lab research (such as virology), industrial microbiology (food safety), public health departments or pharmaceutical companies developing new antibiotics or vaccines.
Epidemiologist
Epidemiologists are scientists who study the patterns, causes and effects of health-related events in groups of people.
They investigate the factors that influence the health of the population, such as the environment, lifestyle, and socioeconomic status.
Geneticist
A geneticist studies how traits and characteristics are passed from one generation to the next. They use a combination of biology, math and statistics to help determine how these genes interact with each other.
Geneticists often work in research labs, where they might be studying a specific disease or trying to understand how certain drugs work on the body’s biological systems. They could also perform tests on cells or organisms to see if there are any mutations present in their DNA structure that could cause problems later in life—like cancerous tumors growing out of control.
A geneticist needs knowledge of many different areas within biology: genetics itself; molecular biology (the study of molecules); evolution (how species change over time); developmental biology (how embryos develop into adults); cell biology (what happens inside cells); biochemistry (the chemistry behind living things).
Physician Assistant
A physician assistant (PA) is a healthcare professional who works under the supervision of a licensed physician. PAs have completed an accredited graduate-level program, and they can perform many of the same duties as a physician, including:
- Conducting physical exams
- Ordering lab tests or imaging studies
- Diagnosing and treating illnesses
Toxicologist
If you’re interested in toxicology, you may be a good fit for a career as a toxicologist. The work of these professionals revolves around studying the effects of chemicals on living organisms. They do this by determining how much of a substance is needed to cause harm and then examining other factors that might affect toxicity, such as exposure time or concentration levels.
Toxicologists are employed by government agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA). They may also work with environmental groups or businesses looking to protect their employees from dangerous substances they come into contact with while on the job. In addition to working in laboratories, some toxicologists choose to go out into the field where they can collect samples directly from sites where chemicals are being used.
A Biology degree opens your eyes to the world around you, so many possibilities!
A biology degree opens your eyes to the world around you, so many possibilities! A biology degree is a great foundation for many careers.
A broad field like biology can be useful in a variety of occupations. There are several different types of jobs that require a strong background in this field, such as medicine or ecology.
If you’re interested in becoming a doctor or pharmacist one day, then pursuing an undergraduate degree in biology may be right for you! This is because healthcare organizations value individuals who have medical knowledge as well as experience working with patients and/or animals (e.g., veterinarians).
Conclusion
That’s all folks! We hope you enjoyed this article on careers with a biology degree. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them in the comments section below. And don’t forget to check out our other articles for more career advice!