Microbiology

After completing the Microbiology major, you’ll be well placed to move into the workforce, further study, or graduate research.

Career outcomes

Studies in microbiology could lead to a career in infectious disease, diagnostics, molecular biology, biotechnology, vaccinology, antimicrobial chemotherapeutics, or biosafety and regulation.

With further study, you could find yourself in a research career investigating infectious microbial agents, their genes and their mechanisms of disease.

Employers in this field include:

• Medical research institutes such as WEHI, the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and the Peter Doherty Institute
• Hospitals such as the Royal Melbourne Hospital and the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
• Government departments of health, innovation, agriculture and environment
• Biotech and pharmaceutical companies such as CSL and GSK
• Universities and public research institutions.

Further study

You can complete an honours year in Microbiology and Immunology as part of your bachelors degree or you can immediately move into graduate studies.

Graduate degrees

If you wish to continue your studies at graduate level, this major is a great lead-in to many specialist science and health degrees. Graduate degrees you could consider include:

• Doctor of Dental Surgery
• Doctor of Medicine
• Doctor of Optometry
• Doctor of Physiotherapy
• Master of Biomedical Science
• Master of Biotechnology
• Master of Public Health
• Master of Science (BioSciences)
• Master of Science (Epidemiology).

Depending on the subjects you take in your undergraduate degree, a range of other graduate degrees may be possible – in fields as diverse as medicine, science and technology, health sciences, teaching, law, business, humanities and more.

Graduate research

If you complete an honours year or a masters course with a significant research component, you can go on to study a PhD (Doctor of Philosophy), or another graduate research program.

• Doctor of Philosophy – Science
• Doctor of Philosophy – Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences.

This will set you up for a rewarding career in research with a university, research institute, hospital or biotechnology company.