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Career Paths in Biology

The following list shows possible career paths in the field of biology: 

• Research
• Communications
• Education
• Consulting/Advising
• Management
• Organization und Administration
• Professional Services
• Other

The biology that is a part of the classic natural sciences that can be studied at universities is not an applied or a technical science, but rather the fundamental science of everything alive. But even this definition clearly falls short, as it can also include the things that make up life, the things from which life emerges and develops. This preoccupation with life itself always starts with the small and moves to the large before returning to the small again. Biology is the science of becoming and dissolving, of the emergence, development, and change of complex interactions.

Since Darwin at the latest, biology has been a science of systemic thinking and working that can explain how unintended consequences (effects) can create new causes. It is therefore one of the great sciences that can answer our questions about the environment, ecology, and sustainability. Biology imbues an interest in sustainability to all its students and graduates, regardless of whether their studies mainly took place in the library, laboratory, or in the field.

At the latest upon completing their Master’s degree, graduates of biology have a plethora of options on the international academic job market with the diversity of possible focus areas (botany, biodiversity, genetics, microbiology, ecology, physiology, cell biology, zoology); the close relationship with neighboring disciplines like neurosciences, human biology, geography, and pharmacy; and the growing demand in industry, administration, laboratories, and clinics. After a relatively slow period in the 2010s in these latter areas, many jobs don’t have “biology” in the title anymore but simply use the term “project.”

When starting a career, it will be important to establish or prove a certain degree of compatibility with the job market, whether by means of experiences abroad and/or beyond the university or additional vocational training or certifications. Trainee programs are not yet all that common in the field of biology, but the Federal Employment Agency believes that there will be a steady increase of opportunities over time.

Note: The information used to compile the above list is based on information provided by the BERUFENET of the German Federal Employment Agency and surveys conducted with graduates of Marburg University. We would like to thank Edgar Losse from the Marburg branch of the Federal Employment Agency for the suggestions and support.