Breadcrumb
Careers
Our Biology, Botany, and Zoology majors are broadly based which allows latitude of choices when developing a program suitable to individual needs.
Favorable opportunities can be expected for biological scientists with advanced degrees and for bachelor's candidates with outstanding educational and experiential backgrounds. Employment in the life sciences is expected to grow due to recent advances in genetic research, advances in biological technology, and efforts to conserve the environment.
The employment outlook will vary by specialty. Those who have the ability to do research in areas related to the genetic, cellular, and biochemical areas of biology should experience better employment opportunities than those in other specialties. However, many persons with a bachelor's degree find jobs in occupations such as sciences or engineering technicians or medical laboratory technologists. There is a continuing demand for secondary and private school life science teachers.
Related Job Titles
The following list is not meant to be all-inclusive; many other job alternatives and titles may exist. Many of the job titles listed require further education.
Agriculture Inspector
Aquatic Biologist
Biological Technician
Biologist
Biotechnologist
Biotechnology Research Technician
Botanist
Conservation Officer
Ecotourism Specialist
Environ. Protection Specialist
Environmental Consultant
Environmental Educator
Environmental Health Sanitarian
Environmental Planner
Environmental Scientist
Horticulturist
Industrial Hygienist
Laboratory Asst/Tech.
Life Scientist
Marine Biologist
Marine Educator
Microbiologist (Public Health Micro.)
Museum Curator
Naturalist
Park Ranger
Pharmaceutical Sales Rep.
Plant Ecologist
Plant Geneticist
Plant Physiologist
Research Assistant
Science Teacher/Professor
Science Writers
Science Writers
Scientific Divers
Scientific Illustrator
Technical Writer
Water Quality Biologist
Zoologist
Marketable Skills
Communication
- Writing precise technical reports
- Working as part of a team
- Media, public relations, and public speaking
- Writing precise technical reports and research papers
- Designing and presenting scientific posters
Technical Skills
- Knowledge of plant and animal ecology
- Operating and maintaining specialized scientific equipment
- Conducting chemical analyses
- Culturing body fluids or tissue samples
Recording & Interpreting Data
- Categorizing specimens & experiments
- Studying & describing normal plant and animal physiological functions
- Observing and recording animal behavior or habits
- Observing, characterizing, and recording traits of microorganisms and eukaryotic cells
- capturing and analyzing microscopy data
- collecting and analyzing molecular markers from a wide range of sample types
- performing statistical analyses and reasoning
- bioinformatics analysis
Featured Alumni
Degrees in the Biological Sciences have given alumni opportunities to work in their fields around the world.
Some Biology, Botany, and Zoology alumni have gone on to graduate schools. Others are making a difference as teachers and professors, have documented rare insects in Patagonia, work in orchid conservation, and have become health care professionals.
Alumni Profiles - Biology B.S.
Alumni Profiles - Botany B.S.
Alumni Updates
Tonja (Olson)Tallent
Biological Sciences, 1998
Tonja (Olson)Tallent, 1998, Biological Sciences, worked at a winery as a microbiologist, then for a bio-tech company doing the same. She recently left corporate America and started a business with her husband and now happily runs a tea-bar in Fair Oaks, Calif.
Kevin Morris
Biological SciencesMolecular cellular biology, 1996
Kevin was leader of a team that recently developed the first-ever virus specific targeted therapy for treating COVID-19.
https://www.cell.com/molecular-therapy-family/molecular-therapy/fulltex…
And the video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMYpKVs1fQg
And some of the press:
https://www.cityofhope.org/breakthroughs/city-of-hope-researcher-helps-…
https://www.vice.com/en/article/5dbgab/scientists-remove-covid-19-from-…
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9589611/Queensland-researchers…
The work is now being developed into a Phase 1 trial in Australia and works as a therapy for all beta coronaviruses.
David
Biological Sciences, 1996
David E. McLean, 1996, Biological Sciences, is the current president of the Vermont State Dental Society and a delegate to the American Dental Association. McLean earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery in 2000 and now lives in South Burlington, Vt.
Doug Downie
Biological Sciences, 1994
DOUG DOWNIE, 1994 Biological Sciences, earned his doctorate in Entomology (Population genetics in grape phylloxera) at UC Davis. Downie spent four years doing postdoctoral research on grape phylloxera, mealybugs, and ants. He took an academic position at Rhodes University in South Africa in 2003, where I stayed to 2011. Downie now works at the Dept. of Pesticide Regulation in Sacramento. Along the way he has published poetry and prose and self-published five books of fiction.
Jason W. Cooley
Biological Sciences, 1994
Jason W. Cooley, 1994, Biological Sciences, is currently a professor of Chemistry at the University of Missouri.
Jon Dohlin
Biological Sciences, 1992
After 25 years with the Wildlife Conservation Society-- including 12 as the Director of the New York Aquarium, Jon accepted a new position as CEO of the Fresno Chaffee Zoo in Fresno CA
Judith Stone-Hulslander
Biological Sciences, 1992
Judith Stone-Hulslander, Biological Sciences, 1992, was promoted to partner at the law firm Lathrop GPM. With approximately 20 years of intellectual property experience, Stone-Hulslander focuses her practice on patent preparation, prosecution and client counseling in all areas of biotechnology. She holds a Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics and Microbiology and prior to obtaining her law degree, she worked more than five years as a technical specialist and patent agent. Stone-Hulslander has particularly strong patent experience with therapeutic antibodies and antibody-like molecules for a variety of disease indications.
Douglas Vogt
Biological Sciences, 1989
Since graduating from HSU in 1989 with a BS Degree in Biology I have had several jobs, with only one being remotely related to biology (a one year stint at molecular biology lab). Most of my jobs have been in the clinical and immunochemistry chemistry field. For the last 5 years my job as a lab technician and fluid analyst at John Deere in my hometown of Waterloo, Iowa, has been perhaps the most challenging. What I learned at HSU has provided me with the skills to adapt not only changing jobs, but also to jobs as they change. I recently was promoted to Program Manager so I will be given yet another chance to see what other skills I may have learned in college will be called upon to provide me with the ability to perform my new position to the best of my abilities. Just goes to show that a college education can provide you not only with the ability to perform specific jobs, but also the ability to perform many different types of jobs.
Thank You HSU!
Gail Newton
Biological Sciences, 1989
Gail Newton, 1989 M.A. Biology, married alumnus, Jared Haynes (see above), in 1986 under the redwoods in Eureka. Newton and Haynes have one child, Blythe Newton-Haynes, who is currently attending Hampshire College in Amherst, Mass. Newton began her career in Humboldt County as a self-employed botanist. During her 10 years as a professional botanist, she provided 1,400 specimens to the HSU herbarium (many of which are rare species from remote areas of the North Coast) and restored coastal dune, riparian, and wetland systems. After the couple moved to Sacramento, she spent 27 years employed by the state of California as a restoration ecologist and manager in the Departments of Conservation, Fish and Game, Water Resources, and the State Lands Commission. Newton retired in 2015. They plan to split their retirement time between Connecticut, California, and traveling.
Charles Acosta
Biological Sciences, 1985
Charles Acosta, Biological Sciences, 1985, is retiring in 2021 after spending 34 rewarding years serving high school students. His oldest daughter, Krista (HSU Alum 2012), arranged with the dean to allow him to walk across the stage at her commencement ceremony since he was unable to attend his own. While having breakfast in Eureka the following morning, his photo was captured on the front page of the Times Standard newspaper. After HSU, Charles and his daughter both served in the Peace Corps (Dominican Republic and Honduras) where they both married the love of their lives. Krista married Ekow Edzie and Charles married Leyla Turcios. "Thank you HSU, redwoods, sunsets and APD for the great memories".