Science

Science graduates can find employment opportunities across all sectors as their skills are actively sought by employers.

Skills you can develop

As well as the specific knowledge gained from studying an OU degree, you'll develop many transferable and work-related skills that are highly valued by employers and which will increase your employability.

The OU Careers Advisory Service defines student employability as: ‘A set of capabilities and achievements that support students in developing their careers, raising their aspirations and enhancing their contribution to society’.

Whatever your motivations for study, your goals and career aspirations, you are entitled to supported personal development planning either as an intrinsic part of your programme of study or through signposted optional activities.  You can view our full Student Employability Policy Statement on our website.

For Science students the employability skills you will develop include the ability to:

• compile, analyse and critically evaluate information
• understand and make informed judgements about science-based issues
• interpret, use and evaluate data
• put together reasoned arguments and question assumptions
• conduct practical and investigative work and be aware of risk assessment and health and safety regulations
• be an effective communicator
• work as part of a team and take on responsibility
• manage time, learn independently and use ICT effectively.

The specific learning outcomes related to the undergraduate degrees in this area can be seen by following these links.

• Environmental Science
• Environmental Studies
• Health Sciences
• Natural Sciences

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Career opportunities

In the UK over 60% of graduates enter employment where a degree in any subject would be acceptable. In this instance what they offer the employer is evidence of the range of competencies which have been developed through their academic study, rather than the specific subject content of their degree. Science graduates are very marketable in this respect because of their analytical and problem solving skills which are particularly relevant to fields such as business, finance, law and management consultancy. This page will focus on careers directly related to Science, however, if you want to explore all of the choices open to you, also refer to the Further Resources section.

Given the current economic climate and the increased competition for professional positions, it is important to consider a variety of occupational areas. At present, many employers of graduate scientists report difficulties in recruiting suitably qualified professionals, so opportunities do exist for those with the right range of skills. Bear in mind many careers require further study, training and/or work experience beyond your degree.

Careers in science might involve:

• scientific research and investigation
• product design and development
• analysis and diagnostics
• science information management
• exploration and extraction of natural resources
• waste management, recycling and sustainability
• environmental management, protection and conservation.

Science qualifications are highly transferable and potential employers include:

• central and local government
• the NHS
• the water industry
• food and drink companies
• the horticultural industry
• multinational oil companies
• the pharmaceutical industry
• conservation bodies
• universities

Examples of specific jobs are water quality inspector, countryside manager, science teacher, forensic scientist, meteorologist, geophysicist and toxicologist.

Other areas of work for science graduates include publishing and the media (e.g. scientific journals, websites, newspapers or trade journals), IT or the legal profession. For example, a graduate could work as a patent agent, using a knowledge of intellectual property law to assist clients who wish to obtain legal protection for their invention or discovery. Other roles for graduates include trainee assistant editor, finance analyst, management trainee and army officer cadet.

Opportunities are also available as clinical scientists in hospital laboratories, environmental monitoring (e.g. food, water quality), clinical trials management and forensic science laboratories. Information on opportunities related to health care can be found on the NHS Careers website. The website outlines training programmes at four main career levels for the healthcare science workforce under the Modernising Scientific Careers programme including full details of the Scientist Training Programme (STP) in England. Similar schemes operate in hospital trusts in the other UK nations.

Most science careers require a specific degree and it is important to keep up to date with scientific developments. This is one reason why membership of professional bodies such as The Royal Society of Chemistry and Institute of Physics is highly recommended and can increase your marketability in a difficult job market.

It is becoming increasingly common for scientists to take a second degree such as an MSc or PhD before entering employment and, unlike many other graduate careers, higher salaries are usually paid to those with such qualifications. Opportunities do exist for graduates who choose to start work after their BSc and many workplaces will encourage scientists to pursue additional study and professional qualifications throughout their working lives.

The Society for Experimental Biology has published a useful booklet of practical careers information and advice for bioscience graduates called Next Steps: Options after a bioscience degree (PDF 1.3MB).

Employment opportunities for those who wish to follow a career in chemistry can be found mainly within the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, which make a major contribution to the UK economy. Typically this sort of work is offered by just a small cluster of very large companies, some of whom are listed under 'Your employers' (see tab above). Example job titles include development technologist, scientific officer and analyst.

Within the chemical industry, research chemists are involved in the development of new products (e.g. drugs and coatings). Development chemists take these ideas and design pilot plants that lead eventually to large-scale production; analytical chemists play a crucial part in quality control.

For OU chemistry students, there is more careers information on the chemistry programme site.

Science is currently a shortage subject at secondary school level and extra funding and incentives are potentially available for those wishing to teach this subject in England, Scotland and Wales. In November 2011 the Department for Education and the Institute of Physics (IOP) launched an IOP Teacher Training Scholarships programme to attract the best graduates to become physics teachers to help address a shortage of specialist teachers in this subject area. Details are on the IOP website.

Science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) graduates have been drawn together into multidisciplinary teams by an industry that now employs 800,000 professionals. The National STEM Centre provides information on STEM in different regions in England. The Confederation of British Industry estimates that by 2014 three quarters of a million extra jobs requiring STEM skills will have been created.

The growth areas are predicted to be

• environment, energy and sustainability
• biotechnology and biomedical engineering
• healthcare
• telecommunications
• pharmaceuticals
• bioinformatics
• technology transfer (transfer of scientific expertise to commercial products)

Campaigns such as Women into Science, Engineering and Construction (WISE) have emerged to tackle the low rates of women in engineering and a growing skills shortage. Several large companies and professional organisations also have mentoring schemes for women. The Women's Engineering Society is another source of information and encouragement for women entering scientific careers.

We advise you to thoroughly research your career choices as early as possible, particularly in relation to experience required, differences relating to where you live, or where the study choices you make may affect future opportunities.

Use the Prospects website to explore career options related to this subject. Click on your subject to see examples of job roles and get information for further research. Detailed information about specific job roles can be found under Explore types of jobs.

If you live in Ireland look at the relevant information on career sectors and jobs with your degree on the Gradireland website.

To find out about ways of gaining experience through volunteering see our voluntary work pages.  You can also use the searchable databases on the following web sites:

• Do it!
• Volunteer Scotland
• Volunteer Ireland
• Volunteering Wales

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Your employers

Rigorous academic standards ensure that OU qualifications are recognised and valued by professional organisations and employers.

Employers of science graduates include multinational oil companies, pharmaceuticals, central and local government, the NHS, water industry, food and drink companies, schools and universities, the horticultural industry and conservation bodies.

As an OU student, you can access the Employer Showcase to find out about some of the employers who are keen to recruit OU graduates.

For students on science degrees the companies within the OU Employer Showcase that are particularly relevant are

• GlaxoSmithKline
• Heinz
• Logica
• Unilever

If you are a student you might want to see further advice from major employers on applications, the skills they require and the value of OU study. Go to our What employers say pages.

As an OU student you can also register for our online vacancy service and receive email notification about job opportunities.

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Further resources

Use the other sections of this web site to

• plan your career
• explore your career options  
• identify your achievements, skills and strengths
• get advice on job seeking.

Don’t forget to check the careers home page regularly for news of events, forums, careers fairs and short courses (modules). If you are an OU student you can participate in and read entries on our online forums.

If you are a current OU student (or finished your studies within the last three years) you are entitled to a careers consultation with a careers adviser in your region or nation. This is designed to help you through the planning process and identify an action plan for your future. (Non-OU students should go to the Contact page of this website for other sources of careers advice.)

Note: you will need your OU computer username and password to access this booklet.

A practical work experience for careers linked to science (PDF 678KB) guide is available for OU Science students to help them further develop their work-related laboratory or field-based experience. It contains information on the types of work experience available, how to contact employers, and what to do if you can’t find a placement.

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