what jobs to get with a biology degree

For students who have a natural inclination to pursue studies in the sciences, and specifically the field of biology, an obvious question should be considered at the start of that educational journeying: what tin you exercise with a bachelor's in biology?

On the surface, the respond to that question may seem more straightforward than it actually is. When most people envision a biologist or someone working in the field of biology, more ofttimes than non they run into a person in a white lab coat peering into a microscope in a room filled with beakers and glass slides.

They're not wrong. Spending time in laboratories conducting research and using a microscope to closely examine diverse specimens is a very real result for many professional fields that are directly linked to the report of biology. But if you dig a piffling deeper, you lot may exist surprised at merely how many different career paths a available's in biology could accept you.

This misunderstanding of what's possible as a futurity career for students interested in the field of biology is something that biology professors have get used to dealing with.

"There are a lot of paths that someone with a biology degree can take, I practise think many times people don't realize simply how broad the options can be," says Dr. Michael R. Maxwell, professor in the Department of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at National Academy. "There are more traditional fields similar medicine and health intendance; things like plant biology and conservation biology which is very big here in San Diego; and newer areas like genomics and bioinformatics in which there are going to be a lot of opportunities moving forward."

To better understand all the possibilities that tin can open up by earning a bachelor of scientific discipline in biology, it's best to start by ensuring that you lot take a comprehensive agreement of the field itself — what it'due south about, the purposes it serves, and its position inside the broader realm of science.

Understanding Biological science

Nosotros spend our lives surrounded past living organisms, from those that are so microscopic in size and scale that they tin't exist seen by the natural middle to others that are so massive that they can be difficult to even encompass.

The field of biological science is the study of those living organisms, including things like their physical construction, physiological mechanisms, chemical and molecular interactions, and even how they came to exist in the first place and how they've evolved over time.

In terms of what biology is, that's the short answer. Just as you lot might expect, at that place'southward much more involved when information technology comes to truly agreement the field. As i of the "difficult sciences," biology can be broken down and examined in a much more intricate and comprehensive manner. For example, it'southward widely agreed that at that place are vii main branches of biological science, and within many of those main areas is an even greater number of subfields or subdisciplines in which biologists, and those pursuing a bachelor's in biology, can focus their concentration. These master branches of biology include:

• Botany – Botany is the report of plant life in an endeavor to classify, describe, and discover more about their reproductive methods, physiology, and morphology.
  • Cellular Biological science – Cellular biology involves the report of cells, both their structure and their function. Within cellular biology are the following fields:
  • Cytology – the report of living cells to understand how they interact with nature
  • Histology – the study of cellular tissue from a microscopic indicate of view
  • Microbiology – the written report of microorganisms invisible to the human center
  • Palynology – the study of particles establish in air, water, or physical deposits and how they interact with nature
  • Protistology – the study of organisms that share similar characteristics as that of algae

• Ecology Biology – Environmental biology involves the exploration of how the diverse elements of the environment collaborate with each other and, ultimately, touch the natural world. Within environmental biology are the post-obit fields:
  • Aerobiology – the report of organisms and organic particles that exist in the air
  • Bioclimatology – the study of how humans, animals, and found life are impacted by climatic change
  • Biochemistry – the study of how chemicals inside living organisms impact living cells
  • Ecology – the study of how living organisms accommodate to unlike habitats and the evolution of those habitats
  • Geobiology – the report of how organisms interact with the environment that surrounds them

• Evolutionary Biology – Evolutionary biology examines means in which biological science has evolved over time to try to make up one's mind how it may evolve in the future. Inside evolutionary biology are the post-obit fields:
  • Biogeography – the written report of how living organisms have geographically dispersed throughout history
  • Developmental Biological science – the study of the processes by which organisms grow from nativity to death
  • Ichnology – the report of trace elements as evidence of living creatures from the by
  • Morphology – the study of the structure and form of living organisms as a way to classify them
  • Paleontology – the study of fossils left from prehistoric times
  • Evolutionary Biology – the report of how organisms and life changes over time
  • Epigenetics – the study of how phenotypes can modify nucleotide sequences in their genetics

• Marine Biology – Marine biology involves the exploration of living organisms and animals that exist inside a marine environment, substantially living in big bodies of water.

• Medical Biology – Medical biology refers to the pursuit of new knowledge related to functions, alterations, and illnesses of the man body. Within medical biology are the following fields:
  • Physiology – the study of the respiratory, reproductive, and nervous systems, among other elements associated with functions of the living body
  • Genetics – the written report of biological characteristics that are passed on from one generation to another
  • Anatomy – the study of the physical structures involved with multicellular organisms including humans, animals, and plants
  • Embryology – the study of embryos
  • Endocrinology – the study of glands to sympathize how hormones behave in the human body
  • Epidemiology – the study of how populations are impacted by diseases, too as how to control and eradicate disease
  • Immunology – the study of the allowed system and how it works within a living body

• Molecular Biological science – Molecular biological science is a field that explores the interactions of different cell systems on a molecular level.

• Mycology – Mycology is a branch of biology that focuses on the intricate characteristics of fungi and how they collaborate with and

• Zoology – Zoology is the exploration of beast life, their biological characteristics, physiology, and beliefs patterns.

Clearly, there's a lot to understand almost the field of biology for the purposes of determining whether a bachelor's in biology, or any other bachelor'south degree in scientific discipline, is right for you. Simply that's only half the equation. Information technology's just equally important to take a close look at your personality, interests, and natural characteristics as a way of determining if you're a practiced fit for the field.

Who'south A Good Fit for the Bachelor's in Biological science?

It would be misleading to suggest that in order to succeed in the field of biology, a person must take a defined set of personal characteristics or traits. That's simply not the case. Every person out there working in the field or pursuing a bachelor'south in biology is an private with unique strengths, talents, background, and professional goals.

That beingness said, at that place are personal skills and characteristics that do contribute to a person being drawn to biological science and thriving in any of the professions to which a degree can ultimately atomic number 82. For example, while you'll detect many biologists who work primarily in outdoor settings and personally enjoy being out in the field, you'll find others who aren't interested in the outdoors and instead adopt spending a majority of their time in an indoor lab setting. At NU, Dr. Maxwell estimates around a fifty/50 split among undergraduate biology majors who prefer working outdoors to those who would rather spend fourth dimension inside the lab.

Still, it helps to be aware of at to the lowest degree some of the broader characteristics and areas of involvement that can contribute to a person's ability to succeed in biology. Some of these include:

• An Interest in Science
  For anyone thinking about a time to come every bit a biologist or a related field, information technology would patently help to have a existent interest in the basics of science. If you enjoy equations and reading most science, are e'er curious nigh the "why" of things, and like keeping detailed data about the results of projects and processes, those are good signs.
• A Love of Nature
  Several areas in the written report of biology involve an exploration of living organisms in the natural surroundings, so if you enjoy spending time in outdoor settings like forests, rivers, coastlines, and other ecological habitats, y'all may be a practiced fit for many of those branches of biology.
• A Love of Laboratories
  As Dr. Maxwell indicates, many people who don't necessarily enjoy the outdoors still thrive equally biologists when they bring a genuine interest in conducting laboratory piece of work. And fifty-fifty those who do work in outdoor environments will however dedicate some of their time working in indoor lab settings.
• A Passion for Solving Bug
  The report of biology is a solutions-oriented endeavor. Whether the work is related to medicine, the environment, animate being wellness, climate modify, or countless other areas, it's essential that those in the field are dedicated trouble solvers.
• An Attention to Particular and Organization
  If y'all've ever done research or any kind of laboratory work, you know how important it is to exist very detail-oriented and organized in your piece of work.
• An Active, Hands-On Learner
  Equally a student in a biology bachelor's programme, much of your learning feel will take identify in an active, hands-on setting. There will definitely exist classroom learning as well, merely if you enjoy rolling up your sleeves and learning with your easily, biology could exist a good fit.

What Tin can Y'all Practice With a Bachelor'due south in Biological science?

A bachelor of science in biology opens upwards a broad array of potential career paths. Amid the first things to consider for anyone studying biology is whether they want to use the undergraduate degree to enter a professional person field direct, or every bit a foundation for avant-garde study leading to a graduate caste.

"Ane of the more than mutual ways students apply the degree is by using it equally a foundation for an advanced professional caste in a health care field like medicine, dentistry, and veterinary medicine," Dr. Maxwell says. "If you lot've ever been ill or had a pet that'due south needed medical attending, which everybody has, then the odds are good that the person they're seeing has a biology degree."

Graduate programs in other, not-wellness care disciplines are another popular option. Some of these principal's and doctoral degree options include areas like plant biology and agronomy; entomology, which is the report of insects; conservation biology, which tin lead to positions working in creature parks and habitat facilities; and genomics, likewise referred to as bioinformatics, which is the report of the genetic sequencing used in everything from Deoxyribonucleic acid inquiry, to ancestry research, to animal breeding, to crime scene investigations.

"Genomics and bioinformatics volition continue to meet a lot of growth I call back, it has become pop with all of the interest in things like beginnings.com, besides as investigations using Dna research," Dr. Maxwell says. "That'south an area nosotros'd like to build up more at NU. In that location'south a lot of genetic sequencing data being generated, nosotros're going to demand people who can manage it."

For those looking to enter the professional world later on earning their available's in biology, there's an equally impressive range of possibilities. Some examples include:

• Biological Technician
• Biochemist
• Health Communications Specialist
• Biology Instructor
• Pharmaceutical Sales
• Agricultural and Nutrient Scientist
• Microbiologist
• Environmental Scientist
• Wild fauna Biologist
• Scientific discipline Author
• Conservation Scientist
• Medical Equipment Sales

Dr. Maxwell says that in the past few years, graduates of the NU program take been accepted to medical school, while others are now working in diverse biology-related careers as a lab manager at an allergy research plant, an agronomical inspector for Riverside County, a quality command expert at a biotechnology firm, and as a conservation biologist and instruction.

"One of the large areas of opportunities hither in San Diego is in conservation biological science," Dr. Maxwell says. "We have all these world-class zoos and animal parks, they need well-educated and well-trained conservation biologists. And they do really amazing work. One of the reasons information technology's known as the "Globe Famous" San Diego Zoo is because they've stopped species from going extinct through their work, and they're continuing to practice and then as we speak. So the opportunities are huge."

The National University Bachelor's Degree in Biology Program

Once you've taken the time to gain a solid understanding of what biology is and the diverseness of career paths it makes available to you, the adjacent step is finding a high-quality bachelor of science in biology program that will be the best fit for your goals.

Since 1971, National University has been that best fit for students from across the United States. The Bachelor's Degree in Biology at NU offers students a deep dive into the core principles of the field, providing an immersive learning experience. In addition to full general study courses in algebra, chemistry, biological science, and physics, students in the plan take function in courses covering areas similar:

• Ecology
• Genetics
• Evolution
• Cellular Biological science
• Molecular Biology
• Invertebrate Zoology
• Vertebrate Zoology
• Botany

Upper division courses in the program include subjects like animal behavior, immunology, marine biological science, bioinformatics, organic chemistry, biochemistry, oceanography, and environmental science. Additionally, students can further concentrate their studies in areas like forensic pathology, forensic toxicology, forensic anthropology, and forensic DNA.

"I have relevance very seriously with regards to our program," Dr. Maxwell says. "It's very important to give students a lot of opportunities to become competent with the real-world, hands-on, lab-based skills that they're going to be expected to have. So they get into the labs and extract Dna, and they simulate the kind of work they'd be doing while working at an active crime scene. I think information technology's very important to get them involved in enquiry internships, which can exist tough for adult learners, merely we've been working difficult to create scheduling options that allow them to make information technology work. These are the type of skills that will brand them very marketable in San Diego, and tin set them autonomously in the eyes of graduate schools and employers."

Graduates of the program are well positioned for whatsoever number of future pathways, including pursuing a master's degree, attending medical, veterinary, or dental school, or entering the professional globe with a proven, well-respected degree.

NU is the largest, private nonprofit university in the San Diego expanse, with a mission of providing high-quality academic programs in a way that'south accessible to adult learners. With more than than 180,000 alumni nationwide, NU is dedicated to providing flexible, convenient scheduling options as a way to enable adult learners to mold their higher experience effectually the demands of their daily life. Students can consummate courses and programs online or on-site at any of NU's locations in California.

You tin can request more program information about the bachelor of scientific discipline caste in biological science on our website or email Dr. Maxwell with whatsoever questions.

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Source: https://www.nu.edu/resources/what-can-you-do-with-bachelors-in-biology/

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