Choosing Your Career
An undergraduate bacheloreate degree in Biochemistry is a beginning. What you do with it is up to you and based on your interests and life goals. Do you want to be a doctor? A physical therapist? Do you want to engineer new crops? The questions you can ask yourself are endless.... To help you select a career and learn more about what you are good at, there are several comprehensive and long-established service centers at the Mount whose missions are to help students make informed decisions about their future careers. These include the career and experiential education center and the health professions advisory programs. For a glimpse of your potential future, meet one of our award-winning Biochemistry alumni...
Occupational Opportunities May Include:
With the undergraduate biochemistry alone (no additional education) you may become a:
Biochemist in Industry, Government, or Academic Research
Lab technician in Industry, Government, or Academic Research
Research Assistant in Industry, Government, or Academic Research
Science Writer / Editor (depending on your writing skills)
Science Illustrator / Photographer (depending on your artistic skills)
Science News Reporter / Blogger
Pharmaceutical / Medical Device Sales Representative
Chemical Sales Representative
Physician Assistant (may require some additional on the job education)
Food Chemist (may require some additional on the job education)
With additional Professional School education you may become a:
Physician - all specialties
Physical Therapist
Chemical Engineer
Genetic Counselor
Coroner / Medical Examiner
Forensic Scientist
Opthamologist
Dentist
Periodontist
Pharmacist
Medical/Dental/Pharmacy School educator
Consultant
Veterinarian
Senior, PhD level Biochemist in Industry, Government or Academic Research
College / University Professor
High School Science Teacher
Public Health Expert / Epidemiologist
Consultant for Industry, Government or Academic Research
Or receive additional specialization in a variety of related scientific fields like:
Biophysics
Microbiology
Mycology
Biomedical Engineering
Genetics
Food Chemistry
Drug Design
Computational Chemistry
Employment Outlook
Information on employment outlook for the occupations listed above may be found in the Occupational Outlook Handbook, http://www.bls.gov/oco.
Potential Employers
Hospitals
Physician's Offices
Biotechnology companies
Chemical plants
Law Firms
Colleges and universities
Drug companies
Environmental agencies
Federal government:
Food and Drug Administration
Environmental Protection Agency
U.S. Dept. of Agriculture
National Institutes of Health
High schools
Non-profit organizations
Regulatory agencies
State government
Local government
Hamilton Co. Dept. of Environmental Services
Scientific publishing companies
Sources for Additional Information
Books (* denotes books available in the Career Center Library)
- *Heizmann, Sam. The Complete Guide to Environmental Careers in the 21st Century, Washington, DC: Island
Press, 1999.
- Fasulo, Michael & Kinney, Jane. Careers for Environmental Types and Others Who Respect the Earth,
Lincolnwood, IL: VGM Career Books, 2002.
- Goldberg, Jan. Real People Working in Science, Lincolnwood, IL: VGM Career Horizons, 1998.
- Rosen, Donald, Holmberg, Kay & Holland, John. Dictionary of Educational Opportunities, Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc., 1994.
- Woodburn, John. Opportunities in Chemistry, Lincolnwood, IL: VGM Career Horizons, 2002.
Professional Associations
- American Chemical Society, 1155 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036, http://www.acs.org.
- American Institute of Biological Sciences, 1444 1 Street, NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20005, http://www.aibs.org.
- American Pharmacists Association, 1100 15th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005-1707, http://www.pharmacist.com.
- American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 9650 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20814- 3996, http://www.asbmb.org.
Web sites