Career Paths
What Kind of Preparation Does Merrimack Provide?
Cell and Molecular Biology, Biotechnology and Biomedical Science
The Cell and Molecular Biology and Biotechnology concentration prepares students for careers in genetic engineering and biotechnology industrial or academic research laboratories. Many students, particularly those interested in attending medical and graduate school, entering careers in the Biotechnology industry, or working in an academic laboratory setting, would benefit from this concentration. Less emphasis is placed on the organismal, behavioral and ecological aspects of biology. Students learn more of the cellular nature of the world, and how to accurately measure and thoughtfully manipulate it.
- Merrimack Biology and Chemistry Departments that have a reputation for offering rigorous courses which emphasize research methods.
- The senior thesis research option puts students in close contact with faculty and provides an opportunity for majors to put their own mark on the body of scientific literature.
- Graduating seniors are prepared to enter the workforce directly with their baccalaureate degree, or proceed on to graduate schools or medical programs. The Boston area represents one of the richest job/career markets in the world for biotechnology and biomedical sciences.
Pre-Medical/Pre-Dental/Pre-Veterinary
In the Pre-Medical/Pre-Dental/Pre-Veterinary concentration, students receive counseling early in their careers to prepare for the rigorous application process to professional schools (medical, dental, etc.). Merrimack's Health Professions Advisor meets with students early in their freshman year to help choose a program of study and inform students of important application timetables. Students may opt for careers in podiatry, osteopathy, or optometry - these professional schools have similar prerequisites for application.
- Merrimack students have successfully entered many outstanding programs, including Dartmouth Medical School, Drexel University Medical School, Georgetown Medical School, Tufts University College of Medicine, New York Medical College, Tufts University Dental School, Tufts University Dental School, Massachusetts General Hospital School of Health, Massachusetts College of Pharmacology, and the New England School of Optometry.
Ecology and Environment
Students may also choose a concentration in Ecology and Environment. Merrimack College's geographic location gives students access to diverse off-campus sites, including the Shoals Marine Laboratory, Plum Island Sound and an array of field sites that represent the terrestrial, freshwater, estuarine and marine habitats in the region.
- Our ‘environmental geography’ places the student in the middle of a real-world laboratory where students and faculty can engage in real-world environmental research and problem solving.
The Merrimack campus is also an ecological field site where wetlands, forests, successional communities and wildlife habitats can be studied. Merrimack also has well-equipped instrumentation laboratories available to students and faculty for a range of quantitative studies in water chemistry, soils, tissue analysis and environmental monitoring.
Bio-Psychology
By combining courses from the Departments of Biology and Psychology, students can prepare themselves for a variety of interesting career options in neuroscience and Bio-Psychology.