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
Asad Ullah
Biological Sciences, 2012-2013
please inform me about admission in master and m.phill program in botany .
also update me about schollership in the mentioned field.
thankyou.
Michael Edward Kauffmann
Biological Sciences, 2012
Michael just published his sixth book on California Trees. Read more about "Discover California’s Native Trees: A Guide to the Arboreal Wonders of the Golden State."
Terri Bidle
Biological SciencesZoology, 2011
Terri Bidle, 2011 Zoology, is beginning a new chapter of her life as a marine education program manager in Southern California. After seven years with the USC QuikSCience program, she will be working with ExplorOcean in Newport Beach, Calif., to bring quality ocean exploration to young people.
Áki Jarl Láruson
Biological SciencesGeneral emphasis, minor in Chemistry., 2010
I am starting my second year as a doctorate student at the University of Hawaiʻi at Månoa. I am focusing on molecular ecology, population genetics and quantitative genetics in the shallow water urchin genus Tripneustes. Thanks to Professor Sean Craig of Humboldt State, I had my first publication as a lead author before finishing my first year of Grad school.
Jessie Perez
Biological SciencesHSU - CIRM Scholar Alumni, 2010
Jessie Perez recently founded a company to help provide clean air during the global pandemic and the company would like to spread the word about a new technology that can keep people safe in the spaces they work, learn, and live. https://www.geekwire.com/2022/former-dod-nuclear-engineer-leads-new-seattle-startup-developing-air-purification-technology/
Kathryn Hedges
Biological Sciences, 2010
Kathryn Hedges, 2010 Biological Sciences, started a handcrafting business in Silicon Valley at TechShop in 2011. She creates jewelry, holiday decor, and souvenirs and sells locally and globally online.
Benjamin J. Crain
Biological Sciences, 2008
Benjamin Crain, Biological Sciences, 2008, recently took a position as an Ecologist with the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center and the North American Center for Orchid Conservation. With a diverse group of collaborators, he conducts research in the Republic of Palau where they study the diversity and distribution of orchids, monitors their dynamics in the Ngardok Nature Reserve, and studies the fundamental ecology of orchids by looking at their relationship with mycorrhizal fungi. The team's goals are to improve knowledge and increase awareness of orchid diversity in Palau, understand the ecology of these plants, and develop strategic plans for conservation and restoration of orchid species and their habitats.
Ruben Isaí Madriz Villanueva, Ph.D.
Biological Sciences, 2007
After graduating from Humboldt State in 2007 (B.S. in Biology & Zoology), R. Isaí Madriz, Biological Sciences, 2007, embarked on a two-year-long bicycle trip through the Americas during which he rode from Chicago to the southern tip of South America, volunteering along the way at wildlife rehabilitation centers and parks. He then attended UNAM in Mexico City and received a master's degree in Electronmicroscopy. In 2011 he married HSU alum, Kristina Lindsay (2006, Women's Studies) and they moved from California to Iowa where he earned a Ph.D. in Entomology from Iowa State. He and Kristina are currently living in Patagonia, Chile where he is a Fulbright-National Geographic Digital Storytelling Fellow focused on rare insects.
Danielle Cudahy (nee LeFever)
Biological Sciences, 2005
Danielle Cudahy (née LeFever), 2005 Biological Sciences, recently became the full-time Optometrist at the local Eureka VA office. In 2010, Cuday graduated from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry at Salus University in Elkins Park, PA. She is expecting her second child in late March.
Tobin Fulmer
Biological Sciences, 2005
Tobin Fulmer, 2005 Biological Sciences, has taken a position with the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality at the El Dorado office.