Biology scientists study living organisms and their relationship to their environment. About two-fifths of all biology scientists work in research and development. Biological scientists may work in labs and use lab animals or greenhouse plants, electron microscopes, computers, electronic instruments, or a wide variety of other equipment to conduct their research. A good deal of research, however, is done outside labs.
Some biologists work in management or administration.
The Ph.D. degree is usually required for college teaching, independent research and for advancement to administrative positions. A master's degree is sufficient for some applied research jobs, and a bachelor's is sufficient for some non-research jobs. Employment is expected to increase faster than the average for all occupations through 2006. Most growth will be in private industry. Efforts to clean up and preserve the environment will continue to add to growth, and biological scientists will also continue to conduct genetic and biotechnical research and help develop and produce products developed by new biological methods.