For many people who graduate with a degree in biology, they will pursue a career in medicine by attending medical school. However, if you are studying or have graduated with a degree in biology and do not want to pursue a career in medicine, then you’re in the right place. There are plenty of career options for biology majors that only require a bachelor’s degree.
First, there are forensic scientist technicians. In this profession, you would be collecting and analyzing evidence from criminal investigations. A degree in biology would be useful in this career field because you have experience working in lab type settings. A degree in biology would also be useful because you would have experience working in the natural science fields. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median pay for this career per year is $59,150 and the average pay per hour is $28.44. This profession currently has a 14% job outlook which is much faster than average.
Next, if you have an interest in food and nutrition there is the option of becoming a dietician nutritionist. A dietician nutritionist advises clients and patients on what to eat in order to obtain a healthy lifestyle or to achieve specific health goals. A biology degree would be useful in this profession because you have to have knowledge on how the body works and various complications the body could have in related to food that the general public may not know. In order to become a dietician nutritionist, though, you do need to pass a state exam and obtain the Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, RDN, credential on top of having a bachelor’s degree. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, a median yearly salary for a dietician nutritionist is $61,270 and the average pay per hour is $29.46. The job outlook in this profession is 8%, which is much faster than average.
Lastly, if you have a love for animals, you could go into zoology. In this profession, you would study animals and a variety of wildlife and how they interact with their environments. This career option is great for biology majors because you will need to understand not only the molecular makeup of animals, but also why they interact with other species and ecosystems the way they do. If you are interested in going into a field of zoology, it is important to note that a bachelor’s degree is really for entry level positions, and higher degrees like a masters and doctorate is needed for scientific and research work. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median pay per year is $63,270 and the pay per hour is $30.42. The job outlook for a zoologist is 4%, which is as fast as average.