Career Options and Support
Find out more about what you can do with a biological sciences degree and the careers service support available to you.
As a student there are lots of resources available to help you consider your future. The Careers Service website is a great place to start with lots of info and resources on topics such as:
- the options that may be open to you with a Biological Sciences degree, both in and outside the lab
- tools to help you reflect on the skills you develop through your degree and how you might be able to use them in the future
- find out what some of our biological scienes graduates have gone on to do next
Careers Service - What next with your degree?
Biological Sciences students go on to work in a range of different fields, within and outside of science. Which career path you choose is up to you and will depend on your experiences, skills, values, and interests.
The Royal Society of Biology have resources to give you some ideas of where you can go with your degree.
Remember too, that many employers recruit from every degree discipline, opening up further opportunities where you can apply your transferable skills.
Produced by the Royal Society of Biology in collaboration with a number of other professional bodies, the "Next Steps - Options After a BioScience Degree" leaflet offers a comprehensive guide to your options including possible jobs, application advice and information on further study.
Career options with a Biological Sciences Degree
The graduate careers website Prospects has information on job options directly related to your degree subject, as well as other roles where your degree might be useful. It's a good starting point to get you thinking, and to tell you more about what's out there.
Careers Service
The University of Edinburgh Careers Service is here to support you throughout your university degree and beyond, for 2 years after the end date of your course.
There is a wealth of information on the Careers Service Website to help you with career planning including: exploring different options, job search (as a current student or graduate), building experience and putting plans into action.
Careers Service website Careers Service Plus (EASE login required)
They provide a wide variety of information, advice, and guidance from their 1-1 appointments and practice interviews, to the MyCareerHub vacancy database where you can find part-time jobs, internships, graduate jobs, and access the full programme of events and talks.
MyCareerHub How to use MyCareerHub: Finding job Adverts and Employers
Keep up to date with the Careers Service through their social media and blog, Inform.ed.
Careers Service Facebook page Careers Service blog
There will be various events held over the academic year with dates and times to be confirmed. More information will be added here in due course.
Careers Compass
Navigate your way through each year of university with the Careers Compass. The Careers Compass is the model the Careers Service uses in everything they do, it is also a tool to reflect on what you’ve done, explore what you could do, and chart progress along the way.
No matter what your starting point is, it is designed to help you take small steps and actions throughout your time at university.
Online Toolkits
Polish and refine your interview and application techniques through the Interview 360 and CV 360. These tools give you the opportunity to receive useful feedback 24/7 and to reflect on your skills and strengths, and to learn more about yourself. There are also short Career Assessments you can do to help you gain insight into your working style. These are available on Careers Service Plus. Please note you will need to log in to MyEd.
CV 360
Use the online tool to optimise your CV and help you identify and fix errors in spelling and grammar in English.
Interview 360
Practice answering the most commonly asked interview questions, with advice on each.
Career Assessments
Understand your motivations, preferences and values.
Career Essentials
Interact, Watch, Explore – an e-brochure outlining the live sessions running centrally this semester (e.g. webinars, Top Tips series: Applications, CVs, Interviews) plus relevant videos and other resources that can help you.
Videos on MediaHopper
Including Top Tips (Getting started, CVs, Interviews, Psychometric tests), employer insights and more. Useful if you can’t make the live sessions or you like to re-watch.
Kyla Atkinson is your Careers Consultant for the School of Biological Sciences and is based in the Nucleus Building at the King's Buildings Campus. Kyla offers both online and face to face short 1-1 appointments weekly throughout the Semester just for Biological Sciences students. Look out for more information in your weekly newsletter. All appointments are booked through MyCareerHub.
- Head to MyCareerHub
- Click on the "Appointments" tab at the top
- Scroll down to the "Talk to us" section and choose the first option "A discussion with the Careers Consultant for my academic school"
- You can then choose the date and time you'd like to chat to Kyla.
MyCareerHub: Booking an Appointment
Kyla Atkinson
Link Careers Consultant for the School of Biological Sciences, Edinburgh Medical School and the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies
- Kyla joined the Careers Service in 2018, after graduating with a PG Diploma in Career Guidance and Development from Edinburgh Napier University.
- Kyla has Masters Degrees from the University of Edinburgh in Inclusive and Special Education, as well as in Criminology and Criminal Justice. Her BSc is in Psychology and Education from Bath Spa University.
- Kyla works Monday-Friday and is based in the Nucleus Building at King’s Buildings. She is also available on Microsoft Teams.
Contact details
- Email: Kyla.Atkinson@ed.ac.uk