Biologist

Biologists study living things, like animals and plants.

Salary Range: £14,000 to £70,000

You can get into this job through:

You’ll usually need a relevant degree and often a postgraduate master’s qualification in a subject like:

Employers may also want you to have experience in your area of interest and possibly be working towards a PhD.

You’ll usually need:

4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English, maths and science
2 or 3 A levels, or equivalent, including biology for a degree
a degree in a relevant subject for postgraduate study

You may be able to become a biologist through a higher or degree apprenticeship as a laboratory scientist.

You’ll usually need:

4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship

You could start your career as a laboratory technician and train as a biologist while working by doing a relevant qualification.

Laboratory experience would be useful for this career.

You could join the Royal Society of Biology for your professional career development.

You’ll find more details about careers, courses and training in biology through the Royal Society of Biology and Into Biology.

You’ll need:

Your tasks will depend on your specialism and could include:

improving productivity in livestock or crops
cleaning polluted rivers
protecting plants and animals
developing new methods to diagnose, monitor and treat illness or disease
preventing food contamination or creating ways to dispose of waste safely
designing and carrying out experiments, making observations, writing reports and publishing scientific papers
teaching students, if you’re based at a university or teaching hospital
supervising support staff

You could work in a laboratory, at a research facility or at a university.

You may need to wear protective clothing.

You could move into management, teaching, the media, administration and scientific journalism.