2 answers
taylor
Student
Kerrville, Texas
6
Questions
2 answers
Michael Law
Regulatory Affairs
29
Answers
Fort Worth, Texas
Updated
Michael’s Answer
I was in pre-med. Undergrad in Cellular and Molecular Biology with a minor in Chemistry. I also worked in a skin research lab doing analytical work on lipids and cell culture.
Randall Detra
Industry: Environmental testing/research. Academic: chemistry, biology, physical science
22
Answers
Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania
Updated
Randall’s Answer
Judging by your hashtags it appears you are interested in toxicology. Of course I heartily approve!
There are several paths you can follow if you choose to enter toxicology. It may depend on the type of toxicology you wish to engage. You might select human toxicology, environmental toxicology, animal toxicology, agricultural toxicology, analytical toxicology, and others. As an undergraduate I was focusing on physiological toxicology with a slant toward invertebrate physiology. So I majored in Biology with a minor in Chemistry. As an undergrad you would do well to be a generalist. Some institutions may put you in a much tighter cubby hole and that may be good for you but it would not have been good for me. Broad training helped me score very high on my Graduate Record Exam and I went for a master’s degree in Zoology with a research specialization in invertebrate physiology. This honed me for a Ph. D. program in Entomology with a research emphasis in insecticide toxicology. All this went very well for me. I might add that much of my research involved analytic chemistry which opened the door to a post doctoral research opportunity with drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics in horses.
So, ultimately the program you “major” in will depend on what your institution or institutions have available to you and your personal inclinations. As I suggested above, I would recommend starting out generally and then narrowing your programs in graduate study.
There are several paths you can follow if you choose to enter toxicology. It may depend on the type of toxicology you wish to engage. You might select human toxicology, environmental toxicology, animal toxicology, agricultural toxicology, analytical toxicology, and others. As an undergraduate I was focusing on physiological toxicology with a slant toward invertebrate physiology. So I majored in Biology with a minor in Chemistry. As an undergrad you would do well to be a generalist. Some institutions may put you in a much tighter cubby hole and that may be good for you but it would not have been good for me. Broad training helped me score very high on my Graduate Record Exam and I went for a master’s degree in Zoology with a research specialization in invertebrate physiology. This honed me for a Ph. D. program in Entomology with a research emphasis in insecticide toxicology. All this went very well for me. I might add that much of my research involved analytic chemistry which opened the door to a post doctoral research opportunity with drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics in horses.
So, ultimately the program you “major” in will depend on what your institution or institutions have available to you and your personal inclinations. As I suggested above, I would recommend starting out generally and then narrowing your programs in graduate study.