Career Planning
If you’re interested in microorganisms and their interrelationships with other organisms in nature, or the application of the science of microorganisms in medicine, agriculture and industry, then microbiology is the right major for you. Over the past 10 years, 97% of our graduates have been employed or in graduate programs within 6 months of graduation.
Preparing for graduation and seeking employment? Then visit the CALS Career services page for additional assistance.
Visit the Microbiology Careers page for a quick overview about options in this growing field, or visit the ASM Micro Careers page for a more in-depth explanation. You can also view the Pre-health Professions page to learn how Microbiology prepares you for a variety of specialized fields in the health care field, or visit the ISU Graduate Program in Microbiology page if further study in Microbiology is what you desire.
Microbiology Careers
Career opportunities:
Opportunities after graduation might include some of the following:
- Hospitals and public health agencies
- Biotechnology firms
- Pharmaceutical and vaccine development companies
- Agricultural microbiology
- International agricultural research centers
- Government labs (CDC, NADC, USDA)
- Tissue culture and diagnostic laboratories
- Infectious diseases
- Food safety
- Botanical gardens and nurseries
- Biorenewables
- Public policy organizations
Career counseling as well as help with summer employment, internships, career information at Agriculture Career Services and University Career Services Career counseling, information on job fairs, interviews, resume building, resume referral services
Still not sure what you want to do or can do with a Microbiology degree? Then watch the ASM career link on the home page to hear from actual Microbiologists and why they chose Microbiology.
Pre-health Professions
When considering a health field, Microbiology is excellent preparation for further schooling in a variety of health professions. Whether you are interested in human medicine, vet school, dentistry, pharmacy or medical lab science, a degree in Microbiology can help you get there.
Coursework at ISU includes:
- Medical Microbiology
- Immunology
- Required courses in chemistry, physics, biology, and math which meets the science based prerequisites for admission to your professional school as well as preparation for MCAT.
- Optional courses include: Phage Discovery Lab, Insects and Our Health, Medical Bacteriology, Virology, Parasitology, Global Health, Gut Microbiome
Visit the following links to see how the coursework in Microbiology meets the requirements for admission into:
- Medical School requirements at the University of Iowa (PDF)
- Veterinary School requirements at ISU (PDF)
- Medical Lab Science requirements (PDF)
- Pharmacy requirements at Drake (PDF)
- Physician Assistant requirements at DMU (PDF)
- Dental School requirements
Here are just a few links that may help you make decisions for your future plans in a health career.
Student Spotlight: Alex Bray
Senior microbiology student Alex Bray reflects on his biotechnology internship at Corteva Agriscience, where he contributed to transgenic crop research across lab, field, and greenhouse environments.
Graduate Program - Microbiology
The Interdepartmental Microbiology (IM) Graduate Program at Iowa State University offers both M.S. and Ph. D. degree opportunities in all aspects of prokaryotic and eukaryotic microbiology. A large number of University departments and affiliated national laboratories in Ames participate, bringing together faculty with expertise in biochemistry, ecology, genetics and molecular biology, biogeochemistry, biorenewables, food safety and security, veterinary microbiology, medical microbiology, plant pathology, virology, entomology, immunology, parasitology, mycology, and microbial genomics, among others.
The interdepartmental nature of the program enables a curriculum of breadth, depth, and rigor, and maximizes opportunities for graduate students to pursue the research topic of their choice. As a major research university, Iowa State offers state-of-the-art facilities and instrumentation, both in individual labs and university wide service facilities.
If you are ready to take the next step toward a successful career in microbiology or a related field, apply now.