Careers 101: Biology & Chemistry Jobs in California

Published on 2008-06-03

Schools:

An undergraduate degree in biology, chemistry or a related specialty can lead to a career in anything from veterinary medicine to pharmaceutical sales to teaching to chemical manufacturing. A large percentage of biology and chemistry jobs in California are in research and development, either for pharmaceutical and manufacturing companies or at colleges and universities. Research-based careers in these sciences typically require a master's degree or Ph.D. Biotechnology and biochemistry are the sectors expected to show the most employment growth in the coming years. California's top-ranked universities all have excellent biology and chemistry departments. Stanford University has degree programs in biochemistry (Ph.D.), biology, chemistry and many related subjects. California Institute of Technology offers undergraduate and graduate programs in biology, chemistry, bioengineering and other fields, as do UC Berkeley, UCLA and USC.

Employers:

The state of California is in the vanguard of U.S. biotechnological and pharmaceutical research. Over 25% of the nation's biotech companies are based there, but even that number fails to capture the full picture, because they together earn over 50% of all U.S. biotech revenue. The healthcare and manufacturing sectors are also significant sources of chemistry and biology jobs in California.