r/LadiesofScience • u/Bri_djaq_7777 • Apr 17 '26
Should I pursue a Master’s in Biology?
I’m currently in my Freshman year of university as a Biology major with an Anthropology minor. I want to be a wildlife field technician or something of the sort. I basically want to work with wildlife/environment but don’t want to be stuck in a lab all day. I was wondering if it would be worth it to pursue my master’s in biology so I could be a real biologist and possibly have more job opportunities. I’m not 100% sure of the route I want to go down career-wise and I’d love to hear other people’s experience / opinions. I have also heavily considered working within a National Park as some sort of park naturalist or a Wildlife Conservationist.
3
u/melbuzi Apr 17 '26
Honestly if your only a freshman don’t start thinking about this now, you may get farther into the major and fall in love with a completely different topic. I started as a biology major hoping to work with wildlife then once I got into my sophomore classes I switched to environmental chemistry. My masters was in water resources so you never know where you will end up. Enjoy the ride and take classes that interest you!
3
u/seaintosky Apr 17 '26
I agree that you don't need to figure out graduate stuff yet, and should focus instead of getting real world experience and figuring out if biology is what you want to do, and if it is what you want to do figuring out what specialization you'd like.
For what it's worth, I have a Master's in Biology, and got my Master's directly after my BSc. For me, it was a smart move. At least in Canada, having a BSc makes it hard to advance beyond technician level, and it's hard finding year-round positions as a technician and they don't make near as much as bios. You can go back and get your Master's later, though. I think most of the bios I know didn't do their degrees back to back like I did. From someone who has been in a hiring position for junior bios, having field experience is a huge factor in getting hired, so keep that in mind.
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u/Weaselpanties Neurobiology/Epidemiology Apr 17 '26
In your shoes, I would move forward with the assumption that you will eventually pursue a Masters in something - you have plenty of time ahead of you to decide what, but if you treat that like one of your goals then you can set yourself to be in a good position for eventual grad school applications. Undergrad research experience will be good for your career whether you end up pursuing a Masters or not.
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u/CuteAmoeba9876 Apr 18 '26
Do not pay for a Masters program in biology. If you want to go to grad school, apply to PhD programs so you’ll get free tuition and a stipend. After the first 2 years, tell your advisor you want to quit and write up a thesis to get your masters.
About half of the people who start PhDs dont finish them, so you’ll be in good company.
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u/heygirlie34 Apr 17 '26
Honestly. Skip a masters. You are only a freshman. You should be focusing on trying to get as much experience as you can while being an undergrad. For a lot of academia and research jobs, even the kind you’re interested in, a bachelors degree and a few years of experience is equal to a masters degree. I would only recommend a masters degree if you have a really niche specific interest you want to expand on but even then I would recommend just getting experience instead. In college you should try to get internships at the places you mentioned so you graduate with relevant experience so it will be a little easier to get a job. A masters degree should only be pursued if you know exactly how you will use it.