Health and Sciences encompasses various career options with high employment needs.
Healthcare is expanding rapidly, and with an ever-increasing elderly population, the demand for qualified healthcare and medical professionals will not likely decrease soon. Healthcare occupations range from medical doctors to dental hygienists to healthcare administrators.
Community health professionals are frontline public health workers who have a close understanding of the communities they serve. They build individual and community relationships by increasing health knowledge through various activities such as outreach, community education, informal counseling, social support, and advocacy.
Natural sciences professionals can work in private and public sectors, including research organizations, consulting firms, and local or state governments. Federal opportunities are available with agencies like the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Department of Energy, and the Environmental Protection Agency. Recent graduates may find entry-level roles such as scientist, field analyst, research assistant, or laboratory technician. They can also pursue careers in education, health, and technology with further education.
Where UMD Alumni Have Worked or Interned
Info from graduation survey and the UMD Reed-Yorke Health Professions Advising Office.
CareFirst, Chesapeake Bay Trust, Centers for Advanced ENT Care, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Center for Vaccine Development & Global Health, Children’s National, Department of Health and Human Services, Deloitte, Food and Drug Administration, Kaiser Permanente, Kennedy Krieger Institute, MedStar Health, Millipore Sigma, National Institutes of Health, Potomac Hudson Engineering, RoosterBio Inc, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Career options if you have a...
- Biological Technicians
- Care or Case Worker
- Chemists and Materials Scientists
- Community Health Outreach Worker
- Conservation Scientists
- Environmental Scientists and Specialists
- Environmental Planner
- Health Advocate
- HIV/AIDS Educator
- Humanitarian Response Manager
- Microbiologists
- Public Health Advisor
- Refugee Coordinator
- Research Associate
- Research Assistant
- Wildlife Biologists
- Women’s Health Specialist
- Anthropologists and Archeologists
- Epidemiologists
- Healthcare Administrator
- Healthcare Social Worker
- Physician Assistant
- Physical Therapist
- Social and Community Service Manager
- Audiologists
- Biochemists and Biophysicists
- Medical Scientists
- Physicists
- Speech-Language Pathologists
Health and Sciences Careers on YouTube
Ways to Gain Experience
Student Organizations
- American Medical Student Association
- American Medical Women's Association
- American Physician Scientist Association
- Black Pre-Med Association
- Charles R. Drew Pre-Medical Society
- Latinx Pre-Health Society
- Pre-Anesthesiologist Assistant Club
- Pre-Dental Society
- Pre-Genetic Counseling Society
- Pre-Nursing Society
- Pre-Optometry Society
- Pre-Occupational Therapy Association
- Pre-Pharmacy Society
- Pre-Physician Assistant Club
- Pre-Physical Therapy Association
- Pre-SOMA(Student Osteopathic Medical Association)
- Pre-Surgical Society
- Science in the Evening Non-Traditional Student Society
- Student Dental Advisory Board
- Undergraduate Student National Dental Association
Sciences
Multidisciplinary
- Out in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (oSTEM)
- Pre-health societies (pre-medical, pre-dental, allied health)
- Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Latinos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS)
Astronomy
- Astronomy Community Engagement (ACE)
- Graduate Resources Advancing Diversity with Maryland Astronomy and Physics (GRAD-MAP)
- Terrapin Astronomical Society (AstroTerps)
Atmospheric and Oceanic Science
Biological Sciences
- Beta Psi Omega
- Pre-health societies (pre-medical, pre-dental, etc.)
- Nu Rho Psi (National Honors Society in Neuroscience)
- Biological Sciences Graduate Program Student Association (BISI GSA)
- Black Scholars in Biology
Chemistry and Biochemistry
- Alpha Chi Sigma
- American Chemical Society: UMD Student Affiliates Chapter
- American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) UMD Student Affiliates Chapter
- Graduate Student Organization
- National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE)-UMD Chapter
Entomology
Geology
Mathematics
Neuroscience
Physics
- Graduate Resources Advancing Diversity with Maryland Astronomy and Physics (GRAD-MAP)
- Graduate Student Committee
- Mental Health Task Force
- Physicists of Underrepresented Genders (formerly Women in Physics)
- Physics Undergraduate Committee
- Society of Physics Students
- Undergraduate Quantum Association
Campus Programs
Professional Associations
Tips for Finding a Job & Internship
- Suppose you have pre-health career interests, including the goal of attending medical or dental school. In that case, you are highly encouraged to connect with the Reed-Yorke Health Professions Advising Office as early into your time at UMD as possible.
- Subscribe to the Health Professions Advising Office list-serv to learn about clinical opportunities, student pre-health societies, internships, and more.
- Connect and learn about the University Career Center @ CMNS.
- As a student, take advantage of the numerous opportunities to participate in competitions, projects, and conferences to gain experience and learn firsthand from professionals in the field. Grades are important, but they are not everything. Companies pay attention to your activities beyond your classes because they demonstrate your passions, interests, and skills.
- Most of this industry’s internships are unpaid or low-paying; being a medical scribe is a great way to gain experience and get paid part-time. Traditional hiring processes exist. You will apply and be interviewed over the phone, followed by an in-person interview.
- If interested in research, connect with the Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) on campus.
- Don’t rely on job postings on job boards to find internships or jobs in health and sciences. Research the organizations, hospitals, laboratories, and clinics you would most like to work for and go on their websites to learn more about potential internships and job openings. Contact them directly if you do not see information about internships and jobs on their website.
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