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Our students complete their doctoral studies fully prepared for a variety of career options.

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What do our students do after graduation?

Alumni statistics for students graduating between 2004 and 2014 (as of 2014)

The majority of our graduates pursue careers as scientists in academia or industry. Approximately:

• 31% are involved in post-doctoral training
• 18% work in the biotechnology/pharmaceutical industry
• 11% hold academic positions equivalent to Assistant or Associate Professor
• 10% are research scientists

Other students use their degree in non-research professions:

• 13% in business or law
• 6% in medicine
• 11% other, including education, communication, and policy

Academic careers

• Historically, 30-40% of our graduates have gone on to academic faculty positions or equivalent positions at research institutions after completing postdoctoral training.
• Our alumni are on the faculty at more than 50 universities around the world that include many top-ranked research institutions.

Non-research careers

We are proud of the variety of ways that our recent graduates are using their training to benefit society in non-research careers such as:

• Science educators at the high school or college level
• Opportunities as science writers or editors or work in science government policy
• Careers in patent law, consulting, or business

The MIT Earned Doctoral Survey also provides information about paths pursued by Biology graduate students right after they obtain their degrees.