Career opportunities Science
In the UK graduates can use their degree to find employment that's not necessarily related to their degree subject. This is because the employer is looking for the skills they have developed through their academic study, rather than a specific subject. Science graduates are very marketable in this respect because of their analytical and problem solving skills which are particularly relevant to fields such as business, finance, law and management consultancy.
Given the increased competition for professional positions, it is important to consider a variety of occupational areas. At present, many employers of graduate scientists report difficulties in recruiting suitably qualified professionals, so opportunities do exist for those with the right range of skills. Bear in mind many careers require further study, training and/or work experience beyond your degree.
Careers in science might involve:
- administrative or development work
- analysis, diagnostics and risk assessment
- associated commercial careers (technology transfer, patent agent, data management, regulatory affairs)
- consulting
- environmental management, protection and conservation
- exploration and extraction of natural resources
- product design and development
- science communication.
- science information management and statistical modelling
- scientific research and investigation
- waste management, recycling and sustainability
- writing and editing.
Science qualifications are highly transferable and potential employers include:
- central and local government
- computing and IT organisations
- conservation bodies
- financial institutions
- food and drink companies
- horticultural industry
- genetics and microbiology
- media and communications
- multinational oil companies
- National Health Service
- pharmaceutical industry
- universities, education, think tanks and out-reach organisations
- water industry.
Examples of specific jobs are water quality inspector, countryside manager, science teacher, forensic scientist, biomedical researcher, meteorologist, geophysicist and toxicologist.
There may be career areas not obvious to you; careers in publishing and the media (e.g. scientific journals, websites, communications roles such as press officers or science correspondents, newspapers or trade journals), business and finance, IT and the legal profession. For example, a graduate could work as a patent agent, using a knowledge of intellectual property law to assist clients who wish to obtain legal protection for their invention or discovery. Other roles for graduates include trainee assistant editor, finance analyst, management trainee and army officer cadet.
Opportunities are also available as clinical scientists in hospital laboratories, environmental monitoring (e.g. food, water quality), clinical trials management and forensic science laboratories. Information on opportunities related to health care can be found on the NHS Careers website. The website outlines training programmes at four main career levels for the healthcare science workforce including full details of the Scientist Training Programme (STP) in England. Similar schemes operate in hospital trusts in the other UK nations.
Most science careers require a specific degree and it is important to keep up to date with scientific developments. This is one reason why membership of professional bodies such as The Royal Society of Chemistry and Institute of Physics can help to build your professional network and make you more attractive to employers.
It is becoming increasingly common for scientists to take a second degree such as an MSc or PhD before entering employment and, unlike many other graduate careers, higher salaries are usually paid to those with such qualifications. Opportunities do exist for graduates who choose to start work after their BSc and many employers will encourage scientists to pursue additional study and professional qualifications throughout their working lives.
Employment opportunities for those who wish to follow a career in chemistry can be found mainly within the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, which make a major contribution to the UK economy. Typically this sort of work is offered by just a small cluster of very large companies, some of whom are listed under Potential employers. Example job titles include development technologist, scientific officer and analyst.
Within the chemical industry, research chemists are involved in the development of new products e.g. drugs and coatings. Development chemists take these ideas and design pilot plants that lead eventually to large-scale production; analytical chemists play a crucial part in quality control. More careers information for many of the science specialisms can be found by researching the industry bodies and attending careers fairs or information events (see the careers section of their websites).
Science is currently a shortage subject at secondary school level and extra funding and incentives are potentially available for those wishing to teach physics, chemistry or maths in England, Scotland and Wales. Since November 2011 the Department for Education and the Institute of Physics (IOP) have run an IOP Teacher Training Scholarships programme to attract the best graduates to become physics teachers to help address a shortage of specialist teachers in this subject area. Details are on the IOP website. Teach First are also keen to recruit and train Science teachers through their graduate leadership programme.
Science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) graduates have been drawn together into multidisciplinary teams, but according to Prospects’ 'What do graduates do? 2018/19', almost 40% of UK employers reported difficulties recruiting staff with relevant STEM skills. The National STEM Centre provides further information on STEM in different regions in England.
The growth areas are predicted to be:
- agricultural technology
- bioinformatics
- biotechnology (especially seed development and plant breeding) and biomedical engineering
- environment, energy and sustainability
- healthcare
- pharmaceuticals
- technology transfer (transfer of scientific expertise to commercial products)
- telecommunications.
Campaigns such as WISE (Women into Science, Engineering and Construction) have emerged to tackle the low rates of women in engineering and technology and the growing skills shortage in these disciplines. Several large companies and professional organisations also have mentoring schemes for women. The Women's Engineering Society is another source of information and encouragement for women entering scientific careers.
We advise you to thoroughly research your career choices as early as possible, particularly in relation to experience required, differences relating to where you live, or where the study choices you make may affect future opportunities.
Useful links
These resources will help you explore careers in further detail.
You will also find information about general job vacancy sites, work experience and volunteering at:
Postgraduate Study
Many Science graduates undertake further study on completion of their first degree and/or after gaining relevant work experience. Reasons for doing so include wanting to explore an aspect of their studies in more depth, to further or change their career, because a specific postgraduate qualification is either an entry requirement for their chosen career or would be an advantage if entry is competitive.
Generally postgraduate study can provide opportunities to work in higher education, many areas of research and specialist areas such as scientific journalism.
There are a range of science related OU postgraduate study options, both taught and research awards, including Masters in Science, Medical Physics and Earth Science.
It's important to thoroughly research postgraduate study options as this will help you make the right choice for you. This would include checking you can afford it as the way you pay for postgraduate study is different to how undergraduate study is funded. On the Prospects website you can search postgraduate courses, and find information on funding postgraduate study.
