• Question: What type of degree did you have to get to reach your current job?

    Asked by FreyaS on 17 Mar 2025. This question was also asked by page520cham.
    • Photo: Alice Carstairs

      Alice Carstairs answered on 17 Mar 2025:

      I needed a PhD to get my job, which is helping scientists to communicate their research replacing, reducing or refining the use of animals in research. To be able to do my PhD, I needed an undergraduate degree which I did in biochemistry.

    • Photo: Zoe Vance

      Zoe Vance answered on 18 Mar 2025:

      I also needed a PhD for my current job, it’s a kind of qualification in carrying out research so a lot of research based jobs will need it, although I’m sure you can do research-type science work in some companies with an undergrad (bachelors) degree or a masters.

      You need the undergrad degree for a lot of science work anyway so it would be good idea to get that far and then see what you want to do – maybe you want to go on and do higher degrees in a subject or maybe you’ve had enough of education at that point and just want a job! I did my undergrad degree in genetics and applied for lots of jobs in my last year but in the end all I really wanted to do was stay in academic research so I turned down any job offers and joined a lab to do a PhD.

Comments

  • Photo: Andrew M

    Andrew M commented on :

    My undergraduate degree was in Chemistry, my PhD in Solid State Chemistry. The PhD wasn’t strictly needed for the role I fill now, but I’m still glad I did it.