Department of Biology

Careers in Biology at IUPUI

Many career opportunities exist for biology majors, especially now, with the rise of the biotechnology industry and the sequencing of the human genome. Jobs are available directly after the bachelor's degree (B.A. or B.S.) as entry-level careers in gene sequencing, drug testing and development, immunology, agriculture, and in all molecular, cellular and developmental areas. See the links at the bottom of this page for more information

The traditional careers pursued by biology majors (which require additional training) includes the following professions:
Medicine - allopathic (M.D.), osteopathic (D.O.), veterinarian (D.V.M.), dental (D.D.S.), pharmacy (Pharm.D.), optometry (O.D.)
Research - university professors, private research institutes, public health facilities, pharmaceutical or biotechnology companies (Ph.D.)
Teaching - high school or middle school levels (Teaching Certificate required)

Combining a biology degree with other fields of study promises to open exciting new careers that will be valuable in the near future. A biology degree plus a
Law degree prepares one for a career in genetic privacy or patent law or environmental advocacy
Computer/Informatics degree opens the new field of data management of genetic information
Philosophy/Ethics/Religion degree educates a person to guide society towards ethical decisions concerning cloning, organ usages and life issues
Criminology degree gets a student ready for the new age of forensics such as DNA fingerprinting
Business degree positions a student to work in regulation/financial management in biotechnology

Many opportunities exist at IUPUI for combinations of interests since the campus is also home to schools of law, medicine, dentistry, informatics, engineering, business, and liberal arts. For more information, see

Indiana University School of Medicine (On the IUPUI Campus)
Indiana University School of Dentistry (On the IUPUI Campus)
Indiana University School of Law (On the IUPUI Campus)
Indiana University Kelly School of Business (On the IUPUI Campus)
Indiana University School of Optometry (On the IUB Campus)
Indiana University School of Informatics (On the IUPUI and IUB Campuses)
Indiana University School of Criminal Justice (On the IUB Campus)
Indiana University School of Education / IUPUI (On the IUPUI and IUB Campuses)
Indiana University School of Nursing (On the IUPUI Campus)
Purdue University School of Pharmacy (On the Purdue University Campus)
Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine (On the Purdue University Campus)
Purdue University School of Engineering and Technology (On the IUPUI Campus)
Indiana University School of Allied Health (On the IUPUI Campus) Programs in Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Cytotechnology, Respiratory Therapy, and more