Agriculture
Biotechnology
Business-Finance and Marketing
Computational Biology
Environmental Engineering
Pharmaceutical Industry

Biotechnology

Students with B.S. (or A.B.) and M.S. degrees can find numerous positions in which they do hands-on work at the lab bench.  Such work may involve research and development, production or quality-control testing.  Students interested in helping to formulate company policy, helping to choose company research directions or running a research project involving multiple scientists are likely to need a Ph.D.  Some companies will subsidize (or pay for entirely) additional education for employees with B.S. degrees who wish to obtain an M.S. (or M.A.) degree at a nearby university. 

      Students interested in biotechnology should develop a strong background in areas including genetics, molecular genetics, cell biology, biochemistry, and microbiology.  These fields are mostly represented within Area 1/A of the advanced courses for the Biology major.  However, two other courses that are particularly relevant are the Laboratory of DNA Manipulation (Biol 437) and Plant Biology and Genetic Engineering (Biol 3041).  In addition, interested students should gain as much real-life laboratory experience as possible, earning Biol 200 and Biol 500 credits while pursuing an independent research project in a lab that uses the techniques of molecular biology.  There are approximately 300 laboratories on the Hilltop and Medical School campuses that together form the Departments of the Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences.  The vast majority of these labs utilize the general tools of molecular biology while applying these tools to investigate a variety of biological processes and phenomena.  It must be emphasized that with the tools of molecular biology (DNA, RNA and protein purification and analyses, DNA cloning, DNA sequencing, etc.) one can study a variety of problems in virtually any organism.  Therefore, it is not as important to work on any one research problem as it is to gain basic training in the tools of the trade.  Molecular Biology is both a science and a craft for which one must develop "good hands" at the research bench.  As in any trade that requires skill and creativity, one develops "good hands" only through experience and practice.  The biotechnology industry, and graduate and medical schools, preferentially accept students who develop these skills, can work independently with minimal supervision, and can obtain strong letters of recommendation from their research mentors.

The campus Career Center, Career Information Days, advertisements in the back of journals such as Science, Nature, Cell, and local newspaper want ads are all good sources for current openings.  In addition to the library and journals such as "Biotechnology," there are also sites on the internet that allow users to browse biotechnology information resources.  Online job listings and career information are available at: 

Supporting the scientific research endeavor is another industry in which students with a good background in biology and business can excel.  The biotechnology industry needs people who combine management skills with knowledge of the biological basis of their industry.  This industry supplies equipment, supplies, and reagents to labs within the universities, hospitals, companies and government agencies in which scientific research is conducted.  Many salespeople in this industry must meet one-on-one with laboratory managers to sell their products, and first-hand knowledge of the uses of, and scientific bases for, the products they sell is a strong advantage in this competitive area.  Biology students may want to consider a minor in business or economics to position themselves to excel in this industry, either in sales or management.

Biology majors specifically interested in finance or marketing may complete a second major in one of these areas by taking a minimum of 24 credit hours of courses through the Olin School of Business.  General requirements for a second major in either finance or marketing include MGT 100 (The Managerial Environment), MECO 290 (Microeconomics; or substitute Econ 103B plus Econ 401), QBA 120 (Managerial Statistics I, or substitute Math 2200 or 320, Psych 406, SSM 325 or SSM 326), QBA 121 (Managerial Statistics II, or substitute Econ 413, Math 439 or Psych 407), ACCT 2610 (Principles of Financial Accounting) and ACCT 2620 (Principles of Managerial Accounting).  Additional requirements for the Finance second major include FIN 340 (Capital Markets and Financial Management), FIN 442 (Options Pricing), either FIN 447 (Information Flow in Financial Markets) or FIN 448 (Advanced Financial Management), and at least two other advanced finance electives.  Additional requirements for the Marketing second major include: (1) MKT 370 (Principles of Marketing), (2) MKT 480 (Marketing Strategy - Spring semester of senior year), and (3) at least three of the following, with at least one course from group A.  Group A: MKT 377 (Consumer Behavior), MKT 470E (Pricing), MKT 473 (Marketing Research); Group B: MKT 373 (Retail Management), MKT 470 (Advertising Management), MKT 476 (Advanced Retail Management), MKT 477 (International Marketing).

Also possible is a five-year joint-degree program in which students can earn an undergraduate degree and an M.B.A. (Master of Business Administration) through the Olin School of Business.  A desire to pursue this program should be indicated in the sophomore year, with formal application occurring in the junior year.  See the Washington University Undergraduate Programs book for additional information.

Computational Biology

With the sequencing of the human genome and development of high-throughput strategies to collect information on a genomic scale, we have a growing need to design new computational strategies for processing and analyzing biological data, particularly DNA and protein sequences. The application of information science to such problems is often called ‘bioinformatics.’ Other areas, such as biochemistry, cell physiology, evolutionary biology, and neurobiology also are finding an increasing need to use mathematical approaches and computer modeling. Such an approach is often termed “computational biology.” Training in computational biology ideally should include a biology major with course work selected from the appropriate areas of interest, and training in mathematics and computer science. Recommended courses in computer science include CSE 131 (Computer Science I), CSE 201 (Formal Foundations of Computer Science), and CSE 241 (Algorithms and Data Structures). Recommended courses in mathematics include Math 2200 or 320 (Elementary Probability and Statistics); Math 233 (Calculus III, required if you wish to take Physical Chemistry), Math 217 (Differential Equations), and Math 309 (Matrix Algebra). A student interested in bioinformatics would select biology courses from among biochemistry (Biol 451 or 4810), molecular biology (Biol 3371 or 337W), molecular evolution (Biol 4183), and experimental methods (Biol 3491, Biol 3492, Biol 4024, Biol 4342/434W, Biol 437). Computational biology is important also in the study of physiology of biological systems, including the nervous system, as covered in Biol 3151, Biol 328, Biol 3411, Biol 4031, and Biol 404. Because computational biology is a newly developing field, independent research (Biol 500) in bioinformatics is strongly recommended for anyone entering this specialty.

The following sample program provides a biology major with strong training in computational biology (Biology major, bioinformatics orientation):

The pharmaceutical industry is diverse, with opportunities in small biotech start-up companies as well as in the large well-established multi-national firms.  The industry is focused on the development of diagnostics for the rapid accurate identification of individuals with various disease states caused by infectious disease agents, hereditary diseases or acquired progressive disease states, with the development of therapeutic regimens to treat these diseases and with the development of means to prevent disease, often by immunization regimens.  The pharmaceutical industry is also involved in the design, development and evaluation of prosthetic devices.  In the area of development of diagnostic reagents and processes, the disciplines of microbiology, infectious disease research, immunology and molecular biology are particularly useful.  In terms of drug discovery, a background in organic and physical chemistry and computer science, especially with regard to drug receptor interaction modeling, is useful.  Of course, if the drugs are biologics produced by microorganisms or plants, an expertise in microbiology and plant natural products becomes important.  Much modern drug development requires gene cloning and expertise in molecular biology and genetics.  Ultimately, because all drugs must be fully evaluated for teratologic and toxic activities in animals, animal-science training also becomes important.  In the development of vaccines and immunization protocols, individuals require expertise in microbiology and infectious disease research, as well as in immunology, molecular biology, and molecular genetics.  In the manufacture of vaccines one gets into chemical engineering, fermentation, and bioprocess technologies that rely heavily on engineering as well as industrial microbiology.  The development of prosthetic devices relies heavily on knowledge of human anatomy and physiology, and requires considerable engineering skills.  In evaluation of all products developed in the pharmaceutical industry, out of necessity one must conduct clinical studies and these studies involve appropriate veterinary and/or medical training, as well as familiarity with experimental design, statistical analysis, toxicology, etc.  Attending to regulatory issues with governmental regulatory agencies requires more of a business background as does marketing.  These activities all require additional background and skills, but can be based on biology and biomedical science disciplines.  Several schools offer PharmD. degrees, but be aware that some programs specifically require a B.S. in pharmacy for admission to the PharmD. program.  Information on schools of pharmacy can be obtained from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, 1426 Prince Street, Alexandria, VA 22314-2841 (phone: 703-739-2330; http://www.aacp.org)