Biology: Now What?

Biology…NOW WHAT?

[Found on the Occupational Outlook Handbook]

What is Biology? Biologists learn how living things work, how they interact with one another, and how they evolve. They may study cells under a microscope, insects in a rainforest, viruses that affect human beings, plants in a greenhouse, or lions in the African grasslands. Their work increases our understanding about the natural world in which we live and helps us address issues of personal well-being and worldwide concern, such as environmental depletion, threats to human health, and maintaining viable & abundant food supplies.

What Can I Do With A Bachelor’s Degree in Biology

Agronomist                                    Environmental Engineer                             Marine Engineering Tech

Animal Scientist                             Environmental Health                                Marine/Fisheries Worker

Aquaculture Farmer                     Environmental Protection                         Marine Geologist

Aqua Culturist                                Ergonomist                                                   Marine Sales

Aquarium & Museum                   Fish Hatchery Tech                                      Marine Tourism Worker

Aquarium Technician                   Fisheries Conservation                               Market Research Analyst 

Aquatic Biologist                            Florist                                                            Medical Illustrator

Barrier Beach Manager                Food Scientist                                               Medical Laboratory Tech

Bio-Engineer                                  Forester                                                        Medical Librarian

Bio-Technologist                           Genetic Engineering Research                  Medical Technologist

Biochemist                                      Health Officer                                              Meteorologist

Biometrician                                   Horticulturalist                                            Microbiologist

Botanist                                           Hospital Administrator                              Molecular Biologist

Chemical Oceanographer            Hydrographic Surveyor                              Mortician

Chiropractor                                  Industrial Hygienist                                     Mycologist

Coastal Resources Manager        Industrial Marine Economist                     Naval Architect

Commercial Fishing Engineer      Limnological Technician                             Net Designer

Coroner                                           Marine-Coastal Consult                             Neurobiologist

Dietitian & Nutritionist                 Marine Bacteriologist                                 Oceanographer

Ecologist                                          Marine Biologist                                          Paramedic

Pharmacy Technician                   Marine Ecologist                                          Parasitologist

Science Lab Technician                Public Health Worker                                 Pharmaceutical Sales

Zoologist                                         Science Teacher                                                         Salt Marsh Manager

Wildlife Resources Manager       State Parks & Recreation                           Science Writer

Technical Writer                            Test-Inspection Tech                                  Soil Conservationist

Underwater Technician                Wildlife Biologist                                         Toxicologist

Water Quality Technician            Seafood Processor/Researcher                Science Illustrator

Selection of Employers for recent (Class of 2025) UMass Amherst Biology alumni:

Action Ambulance Service           Baystate Health                                           Baystate Medical Center

Beth Israel Lahey Health              Boston Children’s Hospital                        Boston Consulting Group

Boston Scientific                            Brigham and Women’s Hospital               Bristol Myers Squibb

Cooley Dickinson Health Care     Costello Medical                                          CVS Pharmacy

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute      Dinno Health Inc.                                        Foundation Medicine

Hampshire Dermatology             Holistic Industries                                       Krauss Dermatology

Mass General Brigham                 Mass General Hospital                               McLean Hospital

Memorial Sloan Kettering            Mercy Medical Center                                NeoSome Life Sciences

North County Vet Clinic                Pfizer                                                             PM Pediatrics

RWJ Barnabas Health                   Sera Medicines                                            South Coast Dermatology

Town of Amherst                          UMass Memorial Healthcare                    UMass Amherst

Umass Chan Medical School       Vertex Pharmaceuticals                             Whiting Dental

Yale School of Medicine

Other Top Employers From Recent Graduating Classes:

AbbVie 

Boston Bioproducts

Boston Sports and Shoulder

Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard

Cambridge Health Alliance

Charles River Laboratories

CVS Health

Emerson Hospital

Eurofins

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

HelixBind

Joslin Diabetes Center

KBMO Diagnostics

Mass Audubon

Moderna

ScribeAmerica

Strand Therapeutics

Thermo Fisher

USDA Forest Service

Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Where Might I do an Internship?

UMass Amherst Biology Majors Have Done Internships at The Following Sites:

Walt Disney World

Northampton VA Medical Ctr

Cooley Dickinson Hospital

Baystate Health Systems

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Ctr

MASSPIRG

Shriners Hospitals for Children

Wyeth Biotech

Sanofi Group: Pasteur, & Genzyme

MA State House

Fitchburg State University

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Ctr

Wyeth Biotech

UMass Amherst Aviary Field Research

Associates of Cape Cod

Biogen Idec Inc

UMass Amherst MA Pesticide Analysis Lab

UMass Amherst Student Legal Services

UMass Amherst Emergency Medical Services

University Health Services

MSM Protein Technologies

Methuen (City of)

Massachusetts State Police Crime Laboratory

All-Access Fitness Academy

PrO Unlimited

PRIMA Pediatrics

Principle Profits Asset Management

Centocor

Dr. Hauschka Skin Care Inc.

Venilia Gardens

MIT Lincoln Laboratory

Richard B. Simches Research Ctr

Yonsei University (S. Korea)

Vision Showcase

Whale Ctr of New England

US Dept. of Agriculture

MIT Lincoln Laboratory

Richard B. Simches Research Ctr

Novartis Pharmaceuticals

Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society

Zoo in Forest Park (The)

National Aquarium in Baltimore

Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society

Boston Biomedical Research Institute

UMass Amherst Environmental Health & Safety

UMass Amherst Campus Sustainability Initiative

UMass Amherst Ctr for Health Promotion

UMass Amherst Peer Health Educators

Northampton Area Pediatrics, LLP

Craig's Doors- A Home Association

Gimhae Saint Mary's Hospital (S. Korea)

New York Sports Club

Neighborhood Physical Therapy

Harvard University

Baystate Medical Ctr

American Cancer Society

AVEO Pharmaceuticals

UMass Amherst Biology Dept

Douglas Treyz DDS

Peabody (City of)

Children's Hospital Boston

Cell Signaling Technology, Inc.

Harvard University

Joslin Diabetes Ctr

UMass Amherst

Cell Signaling Technology, Inc.

All-Access Fitness Academy

PrO Unlimited                        

PRIMA Pediatrics

Hunt and Piech Dental Group

Differential Proteomics, Inc.

Massachusetts General Hospital

Target

World Parrot Trust

Centocor

Springborn Smithers Laboratories

World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF)

Red Cross Children's Hospital

MA Environmentally Preferable Products Procurement Program

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Massachusetts State Police Crime Laboratory

Amherst Regional Public Schools

Amgen Inc.

Amherst (Town of)

Who Could I Work For?

Some of the larger companies, government agencies, and industries that hire biology majors include:

Air Pollution Control

Center for Disease Control

Department of Agriculture

Fish and Wildlife Service

Dept of Health and Human Services

Land Use Planning Commission

Environmental Protection Agency

Food and Drug Administration

National Park Service

U.S. Forest Service

Peace Corps

Bio-medical device makers

Chemical manufacturers

Health clinics

Schools and Universities

Pharmaceutical companies

Public utilities

Research foundations

Testing labs

Scientific Journals

Career Planning Resources & Websites

Career Exploration Tools                            https://www.umass.edu/careers/career-journey/self-discovery 

Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook               www.bls.gov/ooh

Massachusetts Career Information System                                       http://masscis.intocareers.org  

(Click Mass Resident to login with “Amherst/01003” Then click “Occupations” or “Assessments”) Career 

Biology Job Search Resources    

UMass Amherst Specific Job Search Resources 

Handshake                                                                  https://umass.joinhandshake.com/ 

Office of Undergraduate Research & Studies               https://www.umass.edu/ours/ 

UMass Amherst CNS Student Organizations 

https://www.umass.edu/natural-sciences/students/student-organizations 

BioPharmGuy, entry level positions                       https://biopharmguy.com/services/entrylevel.php 

Internships and Research Experiences 

National Science Foundation – REUs                      https://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/reu_search.jsp 

General Biology And Science Jobs 

Mass Bio                                                                      www.massbio.org 

Mass Life Sciences Internship Program                 www.masslifesciences.com/programs 

American Society for Microbiology                        www.asmcareerconnections.org 

Bio Space                                                                     www.biospace.com/jobs/homepage/ 

Biostatistician Jobs                                                    http://www.biostatisticianjobs.com/ 

More sites for Life Science Jobs                              www.masslifesciences.com/resources 

Forensic Science Jobs                   https://www.aafs.org/careers-forensic-science/career-opportunities  

General Science Jobs (widely defined)                   http://jobs.newscientist.com/ 

General Science Jobs (widely defined)                   http://jobs.sciencecareers.org/ 

NatureJobs (widely defined)                                    www.nature.com/naturejobs/science/   

Bio-Tech 

Mass BioTechnology Council                                   https://careers.massbio.org/ 

Mass Medical Device Industry Council                  https://business.massmedic.com/jobs 

Biotech Careers                                                          https://www.biotech-careers.org/careers 

Government Agencies 

National Institutes of Health                                   https://www.jobs.nih.gov/jobs 

Health and Human Services Jobs                            https://www.hhs.gov/careers/ 

Pharmaceuticals 

International Society of Pharmaceutical Engineers               https://www.ispeboston.org/ 

UMass Amherst ISPE chapter                                  https://sites.google.com/view/ispeumassamherst 

American Assoc of Pharma Scientists Jobs Board               https://careerfair.aaps.org/jobs/ 

Professional Organizations:

Many professional organization’s websites have career information on them.  You can often use them to search for networking events, meet a mentor in your field of study, find current research, search for internships or jobs, and gain insight into what direction within the field you may wish to pursue. 

Career Services has additional lists of professional organizations and resources in specialty areas such as animal sciences, health services, ecology, science communication, and forensics.  Ask your career advisor!

Important Transferable Qualities To Include On Your Resume 

Analytical skills. Biologists need to able to conduct scientific experiments and analyses with accuracy and precision. 

Critical-thinking skills. Biologists draw conclusions from experimental results through sound reasoning and judgment. 

Listening skills. Biologists must carefully follow the instructions of biochemists, microbiologists, and other scientists when carrying out experiments and analyses.

Observation skills. Biologists must constantly monitor their experiments. They need to keep a complete, accurate record of their work, such as the conditions under which the experiment was carried out, the procedures they followed, and the results they obtained.

Teamwork. Biologists work together on teams under the direction of biologists or other scientists. 

Technical skills. Biologists must be able to set up and operate sophisticated equipment and instruments. 

They also may need to adjust equipment to ensure that experiments are conducted properly.

Writing skills. Biologists must write reports that summarize their findings and results clearly.

What Do Employers Look For? (Source: NACE 2024 Job Outlook for Students)

Top 10 Skills Employers Seek on a Candidate’s Resume:

Problem Solving, Teamwork, Written Communication, Taking Initiative, Strong Work Ethic, Technical Skills, Verbal Communication, Flexibility/Adaptability, Analytical/Quantitative, Detail-Oriented

Factors Considered by Employers When Screening Candidates:

Academic Major, Has completed an internship in the industry, Industry experience, Has demonstrated proficiency in competencies, Has completed an internship with the organization, Has held a leadership position, Has been involved in leadership/extracurricular activities, Has held part-time jobs in college to finance education, Has done volunteer work