Current students
Occupational outlook
Looking good
Congratulations! As a student of biology, you have favorable career prospects. In fact, careers in biology are among those with the greatest growth potential in the future. For more information, see the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook.
Options
The number of career options that will be available to you as a biology graduate are many -- far too many to include all of them here, but some of them are...
Medicine
Pharmacy
Nursing
Wildlife and field biology
Environmental management
Business and Industry
Conservation biology
Teaching
Higher education
Private consulting
Research
Writing
Museums and Foundations
Zoos and Aquariums
Government
Biotechnology
Forensics
Art and Illustration
Research and internships
You can improve your career prospects by getting hands-on experience through mentored research or an internship. If you want to be a scientist, there is no better way to learn what real science is than to do it yourself.
On-Campus Research
Many of the faculty investigators in biology have research programs that are active year-round and involve both undergraduate and graduate students. Take advantage of this opportunity to work closely with a faculty mentor to enhance your education and improve your future career prospects. For more information about the research being done, visit our research page.
In many cases, you can earn credit toward graduation as a part of your research experience. Ask your research mentor about signing up for BIO 422, Directed Studies.
Off-Campus Internships
If you are a junior or senior biology major, an internships can provide you with experience in a professional environment or workplace. Occasionally, internships can lead to future employment while also providing credit (BIO 492) towards graduation
If you arrange an internship and want to receive credit, you must have a Faculty Supervisor who will assign a grade for that credit. In addition, your Faculty Supervisor (usually your academic adviser) will be the intermediary between the University and the internship organization, and they will have the authority to enforce all internship guidelines.
Off-Campus Research
Many opportunities are available to gain experience through summer research programs at other institutions. Take a look at these resources:
