What to do with a Biology degree
Explore the careers you might be interested in going into after studying a Biology degree.
What can you do with an undergraduate Biology degree?
Biology students can go into a number of career areas, including pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, health science, energy and the environment.
If you decide to study at Sussex, you can choose from a range of modules and may get to practise your skills in laboratory sessions.
Already at Sussex? Visit our careers site.
What jobs can you get with an undergraduate Biology degree?
Jobs may include, but are not limited, to:
- biotechnologist
- marine biologist
- microbiologist
- nanotechnologist
- nature conservation officer
- pharmacologist
- research scientist
- scientific laboratory technician
- soil scientist
- teaching laboratory technician
- academic researcher
- higher education lecturer
- secondary school teacher.
If you haven’t studied a degree yet and you’re considering a Biology course, you may want to browse our:
Skills
You may develop skills including:
- analysis and problem solving
- independent thinking
- working in a laboratory
- numerical and data analysis
- verbal communication
- teamwork and communication
- IT
- scientific integrity and ethics
- writing with scientific rigour
- creative thinking
- commercial awareness
- entrepreneurship.
At Sussex, you can further develop your study skills by signing up for a range of workshops, tutorials and online resources.
Work experience and placements
You may be able to develop practical and technical experience during your degree through:
- laboratory work
- your final research project (if you do one as part of your course)
- applying for research schemes such as our Junior Research Associate scheme for undergraduate students.
At Sussex, during your degree, you can also choose to apply for one of the below:
- a professional placement
- a research placement (you may able to do a research placement if you are a high-performing student on a selected science course)
- an integrated placement if it is a requirement for a course.
This may help you gain skills and work experience before you graduate. You’ll be responsible for applying for and securing your placement. Find out more about placements and internships at Sussex.
You may also want to look for work experience opportunities at organisations, such as:
- conservation facilities
- natural history or science museums
- pharmaceutical companies
- research and clinical laboratories
- schools
- zoos or veterinary practices.
What can you do with a Masters in Biology?
You might want to pursue a career in any of the above jobs. Or you could think about continuing your education further.
At Sussex, we offer research (PhD) degrees in the following subject areas:
- Medicine (through Brighton and Sussex Medical School)
- Biochemistry
- Biology
- Chemistry.
You may then be able to go into an academic career, including roles such as:
- researcher
- higher education lecturer
- professor.
For more information about what to do after a Biology degree, see the website.
If you’re a current student, see more advice from our careers section.