Why Choose Biological Sciences and What Can You Get Out of It?
Biological Sciences encompasses all of the subdivisions of biological study including biochemistry, genetics, pharmacology, psychology, zoology etc. Due to the wide range of degree courses and specialisations that Biological Sciences has you’ll never be short of options when looking for courses related to Biological Sciences.
Doing a degree course in one of the Biological Sciences will mean in-depth study into how different life forms work and once your degree course is finished you’ll be an expert in your subject.
Biology is a must study subject at GCSE and A-Level and for most courses, Chemistry is also either highly recommended or required. Most courses on offer will be BSc. due to their obvious scientific content.
Where can Biological Sciences take you?
The most obvious career paths following your degree course will be those directly related to your degree course such as becoming a Pharmacologist or a Zoologist.
Many of these degree courses lead very nicely into research positions which will place you in the front line in fighting disease or finding cures for cancer etc. Despite many people seeing Medicine as the only way to become a Doctor, Biological Sciences can also lead to this profession as well as Dentistry or Veterinary Science. Moreover, following graduation, many take up positions in the NHS or Governmental Departments such as the Environment Agency.
Pharmacologist
No, doing Pharmacology does not mean that you are going to become a Pharmacist, working at your local Pharmacy sorting out prescriptions. Pharmacologists will be hired by drug producing companies to perform research into new potential drugs and examine their effects on both animal and human subjects.
The aim of a pharmacologist is to study how different drugs work so they can be used both effectively and safely. There are different subdivisions of pharmacology including clinical, neuro and regulatory pharmacology.
Salaries start at around £25000 per annum and will increase depending on experience to around £80000
Nature Conservation Officer
Not a job that immediately springs to mind when I say biological sciences, however, you’d be surprised at the number of people who take up this job following a degree in the biological sciences.
A conservation officer’s aim is to maintain and protect the local environment and the nature of their work will depend on the climate and type of land that they are located close to. Hence, they could be protecting the coast, woodland, grassland etc.
Salaries start at around £17000 and can rise to £30000 for experienced managers, hence few people go into the job for the money, but instead for the rewarding work that these people do.
If you know what you wish to do following your degree course, then go for it, however if you do not, then be sure to have a look at some of the possible options that may arise following your degree course.