Employment opportunities in the biological sciences are varied but plentiful overall,
especially in the Bay Area. Hiring success is, of course, enhanced by acquisition
of higher, post-graduate degrees, such as master’s degrees or professional school
degrees in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and the like. It is also enhanced by post-graduate
training programs, especially in the health sciences, where programs such as the
physician’s assistant or clinical laboratory scientist training are available. In
addition, our specialized concentrations (B.S. programs) are designed to train students
for specialized employment or post-graduate programs and give the student an edge
with regard to procurement of employment in those fields over those with the general
B.A. degree in biology.
A large number of graduates of our Molecular Biology concentration work in the biotechnology
industry, a growing industry which constitutes a vital part of the Bay Area economy
and for which the Bay Area is a major world center. Lab technicians in biotech with
bachelor’s degrees start at a salary of $40,000-50,000. Molecular biologists also
are hired by pharmaceutical firms, seed companies, and other companies specialized
in the manufacture or manipulation of biological products.
Many of our graduates with the degree concentration in Microbiology also work in
the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. In industry, gene transfer, storage,
and manipulation are accomplished largely via bacteria. In medical applications,
gene therapy, the replacement of defective human genes with sound genes, is brought
about by viral vectors. This therapy is thought by many to be the next revolutionary
advancement in medicine, akin to the advent of antibiotics and vaccines. Microbiologists
also are the prime movers behind the promising field of bioremediation, which serves
to clean and detoxify waste contaminants in the soil and ground water by means of
"natural" biological intervention rather than by chemical or physical measures.
Furthermore, many microorganisms are pathogenic (disease-causing) to human or other
animals. Students learn the nature of these organisms, the etiology of the diseases,
and ways to combat them.
The Clinical Laboratory Science program, an offshoot of the Microbiology concentration,
is worthy of special mention. The Biology Department instituted the program in response
to a statewide need for clinical lab science technicians. There is a critical shortage,
numbered in the thousands, of hospital technicians in California, including in the
Bay Area. The need is so great that the program is funded by private hospitals.
The program has a post-graduate component (a paid internship) in addition to the
undergraduate curriculum. Once completed, graduates can expect a minimum starting
salary in the high $50 thousand range and with ample room for advancement. Employment
is available at nearly any location in the state.
Graduates of our Systems’ Physiology concentration are primarily prepared for employment
or post-graduate education in health care and related fields. Most of our successful
pre-medical, pre-dental, pre-veterinarian, pre-chiropractic, pre-osteopathic, pre-hospital
administration and public health, and pre-pharmacy students have been enrolled in
this concentration. It serves those who become physician’s assistants, hospital
technicians, and a variety of other health-care occupations. In addition, the concentration
serves those entering the pharmaceutical field, an essential and vibrant industry
in the Bay Area.
The Conservation Biology concentration has four emphases, Botany, Zoology, Entomology,
and Conservation. Students in this concentration study the group of organisms in
which they are most interested, whether plants, animals, or insects, as well as
the interactions between those organisms and their environment (ecology). San Jose
State has a longstanding tradition in these organismal fields and stands as the
last university in the Bay Area and its surroundings to offer education in these
critical disciplines. Nearly all other universities in the state have abandoned
their organismal
biology programs in favor of molecular and cellular biology, so
that San Jose State is one of the very few venues for students interested in the
structure, function, ecology, and natural history of organisms. Graduates of Conservation
Biology take jobs that serve the community and the environment. Commonly, they work
as arborists, entomologists, or animal technicians for the US Parks Service, the
California Department of Fish and Game, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the
US Forest Service, or for city, county, and state parks or other governmental agencies.
They work for environmental consulting firms, seed companies (for which the Bay
Area is a world center), agricultural products’ companies, and biotechnology firms.
San Jose State has long been highly regarded for training future teachers. Graduates
of our B.A. - Preparation for Teaching are prepared for the one-year teacher credential
program (also available at SJSU) and go on to teach middle or high school in particular
subject areas. Those interested in teaching at the elementary as well as middle
school level can enroll in the B.A. – Natural Science, Preparation for Teaching
program.
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