Careers & Alumni

What can biology majors do after graduation? Find out from a few of our alums.

Two biologists examining a tank of zebra fish

Biology Careers

The Department of Biology at the University of Mississippi is a comprehensive life science department with faculty working in many diverse areas of biology. We are a collaborative department, sharing interests and expertise, and we train students to think broadly, to use interdisciplinary approaches, and to develop innovative insights into fundamental biological processes.

Our graduates establish such a wide range of careers and become leaders of their organizations because of the core set of skills at the heart of our liberal arts education.

A liberal arts education at UM will empower and prepare students to deal with complexity, diversity, and change through a broad knowledge of the world. Liberal Arts is everything you care about most:

  • Writing and speaking with confidence and skill
  • Critical thinking 
  • Quantitative skills and data analysis
  • Celebrating human expression through the arts
  • Navigating complex moral and ethical situations
  • Engaging the power of your citizenship
  • Discovering solutions to the pressing issues facing our world

Our graduates...

... are working in many different sectors of the economy, with the largest percentages working in healthcare, education, business and finance, STEM, and government.

  • Oncologist, Alabama Oncology  
    Product Specialist, AOC Medical       
  • Dentist, Armstrong & Dyre Dentistry
  • Physician, Kennedy Comm Health Center  
  • Physical Therapist, Baptist Germantown Rehab.  
  • Medical Tech, Baptist Memorial Healthcare
  • Pediatrician, Batson Hospital for Children  
  • Fertility Specialist, Fertility Assoc. of Memphis  
  • Physician, Gastrointestinal Assoc.
  • Dentist, Golf Coast Pediatric Dentistry  
  • Allergist/Immunologist, Hattiesburg Clinic
  • Self-employed family physician
  • Nurse, Houston Methodist Medical Center  
  • OB/GYN, Jackson Healthcare for Women  
  • Cardiologist, Jackson Heart Clinic
  • Clinic Coord., Kosko Eye Clinic  
  • Nurse, Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital  
  • Anesthesiologist, LifeLinc Anesthesia  
  • Pathologist, Mayo Clinic
  • Surgeon, MS Sports Med. & Orthopedic Center  
  • Veterinarian, Scenic Hill Vet Hospital
  • Medical Tech, Jude Hospital  
  • Physician, Neshoba Cty Gen. Hospital  
  • Internist, Ochsner Medical Center  
  • Podiatrist, Ognibene Foot Clinic  
  • Optometrist, MS Band of Choctaw Indians

  • Teacher, Ocean Springs Middle School  
  • Dir of Technology, Grenada Schools  
  • Teacher, Memphis Schools  
  • Principal, Holly Springs School District  
  • Teacher, Southaven HS  
  • Counselor, MS School for Math & Science  
  • Chief Medical Officer, UM Medical Center  
  • Physician, Baylor College of Medicine  
  • Associate Provost, Belhaven  
  • Research Nurse, Duke Medical Center  
  • Faculty, Hinds Community College  
  • Faculty, Indiana School of Medicine  
  • Chair Science Dept, MS Gulf Coast Comm College  
  • E-learning Coord, Northwest MS Comm College  
  • Genetic Counselor, Baylor College of Medicine  
  • Faculty, Univ of Vermont Medical Center  
  • Orthopedic Surgeon, Univ of Alabama–Birmingham
  • R&D Biologist, UM Natl Center for Physical Acoustics
  • Physician, UNC-Chapel Hill  
  • Biosafety Officer, Mississippi State Univ  
  • Faculty, Itawamba Comm College  
  • Safety & Training Specialist, Univ of Mississippi     

  • Pres/CEO, Citizens Bank & Trust
  • Corporate VP, Wells Fargo
  • Chairman, New Orleans Financial Group
  • Management Consultant, PricewaterhouseCoopers
  • Owner, Bernet Agricultural Services
  • Crop Advisor, Farmers Supply Co-Op
  • Dir of Landscape Services, Urban Greenscapes
  • Program Manager, FedEx
  • Owner, Burdock Group
  • Pharmacist, Greenwood Drugs
  • Pres, Interact Development Solutions
  • Gen Counsel, C&C Marine & Repair
  • Realtor, Caldwell Banker
  • Landman, Purple Land Management
  • Pres/CEO of SDS International
  • Store Manager, Belk
  • Founder, Ripple

  • Sr Radiochemist, Grand Gulf Nuclear Station  
  • Environmental Specialist, GAI Consultants
  • Flight Test Pilot/Engineer, Weststar Aerospace  
  • Environmental Inspector, Accent Compliance
  • Wildlife Biologist, Herring Environmental Services  
  • Manager of Inside Sales, Qiagen
  • Environmental Associate, Georgia Pacific  
  • Systems Engineer, Amoco
  • Dir. Global Quality, Celgene  
  • Exec Sales Rep, Eli Lilly
  • Sr Clinical Specialist, Medtronic
  • Engineer, Aerojet Rocketdyne-Stennis Space Center
  • Energy Systems Engineer, Lockheed Martin  
  • Research Scientist, Proctor & Gamble
  • Oncology Product Support, Thermofisher Scientific
  • Lab Coord., Eurofins Pharma Discovery Services  
  • Operation Supervisor, Exel
  • Assoc Scientist, Reliagene Technologies  
  • Branch Manager, Dexter Instruments  
  • Data Management, Vizient
  • Environmental Safety Manager, Baker Envr Services  
  • Co-Founder/CEO, FlavorDoctor Foods
  • Clinical Research Assoc, IQVIA Human Data Science  
  • Vice President of Finance, C-Spire
  • Systems Engineer, IBM
  • Operations Manager, S&R Construction    

  • Chair of Safety Panel, NASA Johnson Space Center
  • Biologist, MS Dept of Wildlife & Fisheries  
  • Operations, US Envr Protection Agency  
  • Health Comm. Specialist, Centers for Disease Control  
  • Environmental Scientist, US Dept of Environmental Quality  
  • Microbiologist, US Food & Drug Admin  
  • Environmental Analyst, MS Dept of Environmental Quality  
  • Cancer Control, MS Dept of Health  
  • Worksite Wellness, MS Dept of Health  
  • Botanist, US Dept of Agriculture  
  • Fisheries Biologist, USDA Sedimentation Lab  
  • Public Health Educator, TN Dept of Health  
  • Exec Medical Director, Cherokee Nation  
  • City Planner, City of Portland  
  • Chief of Naval Operations, US Navy  
  • Nurse, US Air Force  
  • 1st Lieutenant, US Marine Corps  
  • Supervisory Biologist, US Army R&D  
  • CEO, AAA Ambulance Service  

Meet a few Alumni

See real world examples of where a Biology degree can take you.

Keyana Mitchell Washington

Keyana Mitchell Washington

Pediatrician at Gwinnett Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine

How did your experience at Ole Miss help shape your interests and future career path?

See Keyana Mitchell’s Answer
Clarke Holmes

Clarke Holmes

Owner, Founder, and Physician at Impact Sports Medicine and Orthopedics PLLC

Please discuss your path since graduation and career goals at this point.

See Clarke’s Answer
Dr. Demondes Haynes

Dr. Demondes Haynes

Associate Dean for SOM Admissions at UMMC and Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine

How, when, and why did you decide to study biology?

See Dr. Demondes’s Answer
Amanda Gerard

Amanda Gerard

Pediatrics Genetic Counselor at Texas Children's Hospital

How did your experience at Ole Miss help shape your interests and future career path?

See Amanda’s Answer
Dr. Brandon W. Lewis

Dr. Brandon W. Lewis

Study Director at AmplifyBio

Please discuss your path since graduation and career goals at this point.

See Dr. Brandon W.’s Answer
Morgan Glidewell

Morgan Glidewell

Registered Nurse, Baptist Memorial Hospital (De Soto)

What is the value of your biology major in today’s world?

See Morgan’s Answer
Cellas  Hayes

Cellas Hayes

Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford University

What has your journey in science and research been like?

See Cellas ’s Answer
Martha  Frances Dalton

Martha Frances Dalton

Anatomic Veterinary Pathologist

Why did you decide to major in biology?

See Martha ’s Answer
Norris Edney

Norris Edney

Vice President and Deputy Chief of Staff at Talladega College

What is the value of a liberal arts education in today's world?

See Norris’s Answer
Sam Haskins

Sam Haskins

Retired Human Resources Development Advisor at Fed Ex

Tell us about the path that your education/career has taken since UM.

See Sam’s Answer
Marinda Logan

Marinda Logan

Health Scientist, Center for Disease Control and Prevention

When and why did you decide to major in biology?

See Marinda’s Answer
Shelia Parker

Shelia Parker

Safety, Health & Environmental Manager, US Dept of Agriculture

What is the value of studying biology at UM?

See Shelia’s Answer