Positions Available: No Ph.D. Required?

Upon completing college, many science undergraduates who don't want to go on to medical school think only one other option exists: pursuing a Ph.D. A Ph.D, however, is not one-size-fits-all. For those not sure of the life-style or time commitment involved, other fast- track options such as obtaining a Master's degree or entering a company exist. Many of these choices do not lie in commonly considered industries or up-and- coming fields of study.

A possible career may lie in the cereal you crunch or the soda you sip. Careers in the food industry are plentiful and in high demand, especially for budding scientists with either a Bachelor's or Master's degree. In technical terms, food science is the application of biological and physical sciences as well as engineering to the processing and manufacturing of foods in order to ensure their nutritive value, safety, and quality. To study the interactions of foods and food components, the field comprises several disciplines including chemistry, animal and plant biology, biochemistry, biotechnology, nutrition, physiology, microbiology, and engineering.

The students are in such high demand that most of students have two to three job offers by the time they end their senior year. These offers range from governmental institutions such as the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Agriculture to various food industries such as breweries and chocolatiers.

Those not looking to go to graduate school right away and who would rather move straight into the work force could consider the agricultural biology industry. It entails research and development of seed crops. The global demand for grain and record commodity prices are driving up demand for faster delivery of new products with better technologies," explains Dave Bubeck, North American research director at Pioneer Hi-Bred International, a leading global source of customized solutions for farmers, livestock producers, and grain and oilseed processors.

Plant breeding is a multidisciplinary field. Those who have entered it have had backgrounds in agronomy, agricultural engineering, plant sciences, entymology, botany, general biology, molecular biology, and genetics. As the field has become more computer based, it is not surprising to find even those with a mathematics or statistics degree. "There are excellent growth opportunities for those with a Bachelor's or Master's degree. The ratio in research and development groups in the seed industry of Ph.D.s to undergrads/Master's students is approximately 1:5," says Bubeck.

Contemplating a career in either medicine or science? You may be able to find the best of both worlds in genetic counseling. With the advent of next generation sequencing technologies, even more is being learned about our genetic makeup. However, there is a great need for this information to be translated to patients or relatives who are at risk of an inherited disorder.

"It's part science, part counseling," explains Angela Trepanier, certified genetic counselor and president of the National Society of Genetic Counselors. "For somebody who really likes science but is not interested in becoming a physician or working on the bench as a Ph.D.-but is interested in working with people-this is a great profession to choose."

The profession is small but growing. Currently there are around 3,000 genetic counselors in the United States and numbers are growing worldwide. Those who enter the field go through Master's programs, of which there are 29 in the United States and three in Canada that are accredited by the American Board of Genetic Counseling. Typically those who enter have some sort of biology or psychology undergraduate degree. However, those in nursing, public health, and social work also apply.

Although genetic counseling first started with the detection of birth defects in prenatal and pediatric patients, "the profession has blossomed and grown," says Trepanier. Cancer genetics became a specialty in the 1990s, and now cardiovascular and psychiatric diseases are up-and-coming focuses. "People who go into it tend to be into lifelong learning since the field is constantly changing," she says. Yet, says Trepanier, one can achieve work and life balance. "There's time to be a genetic counselor and still have a life."

For those who are interested, she suggests contacting and shadowing a genetic counselor for a day. She also advises getting some advocacy and counseling experience so prospective applicants can see whether they can work with people who are in crisis. Alternatively she advises contacting any of the graduate programs. "We want to talk to potential students. We're as interested in them as they are in us," she says.

Source: The Journal of Science, Jacqueline Ruttimann, 8/15/8