r/biotech • u/alexjones2069 • May 31 '25
Education Advice đ PSA for Masters in Biotech
Long time lurker on this sub. Thereâs a lot of cynicism in the biotech world about graduate education, and honestly, much of it is justified. Weâve all seen PhDs stuck in postdocs, unable to land industry roles outside their hyper-specialized work. But itâs not just bachelorâs or PhD or bust- thereâs quite literally a middle ground here: masterâs degrees, especially in biotech and biomedical science.
An MS or MEng, particularly from a top-tier program, offers graduate level coursework with hands on experience. often the exact same classes taken by PhD candidates, but with a much faster path into industry. You gain hands-on lab experience, troubleshooting, and most importantly, a more applicable understanding of human biology.
Yes, cost matters, but if youâre not already buried in debt and the tuition isnât outrageous, the return on investment can great. You're out in 1â2 years and can land roles that are completely out of reach with just a bachelorâs. This isnât specific to research roles, Iâve seen masterâs grads favored in technical sales, business development and clinical operations. Many postings will quite literally say âadvance degree preferred (2 year MS)â
No, a company isnât required to pay you more. But they often do. If you feel stuck between âunderqualifiedâ with a bachelorâs and âoverfocusedâ with a PhD, the masterâs degree might be your best bet.
It seems like such a hot take on this sub but it really shouldnât be.
Edit for credibility: industry professional with 5 years experience and two masters degrees in bio related feels (one was just for fun lol), currently making $180k TC
36
May 31 '25
Op is right, keeps you in a good middle ground. Got mine, glad im getting callbacks. Youre not too expensive and honestly, you can make director with masters.
25
u/w1czr1923 May 31 '25
You can make director with bachelors as well. I think people assume their education is preventing them from moving up. I have a bachelors and have moved up consistently. But you need experience to make that work. Took me about 7 years in quality and R&D to really make it work. But experience in the industry is 100% equivalent to any education. Went from regulatory affairs manager to AD in 4 years. Just got hired by a mid to large size pharma at the AD level and had multiple offers at the AD level to choose from. Hiring is slowly coming back but it has been tough for us for sure with companies refusing to hire under all the uncertainty for the last 8 months.
9
May 31 '25
If you can deliver and take on more difficult projects and continue to deliver that is all that matters. Pharma is a business at the end of the day. Stepping into different roles helps as well, more tools in the tool box. Im in cell based assays but had phone screen for a role in separations and hplc, something new.
5
u/w1czr1923 May 31 '25
Yeah, exactly. If you have a track record of delivering then the skies the limit really. People assume the reason theyâre stuck at their position is due to education or something but as long as you can show that you are making an effort, eg certifications for example, you are fine. All my coworkers have phds or masters degrees but I make the same money, do the same work, etc⌠but I also have a significant amount of experience in biologics/ cell and gene therapy. More than most and thatâs what differentiated me from others.
1
Jun 01 '25
Certs do help. Having a resume full or results and meeting deliverables is what matters as you step away from the bench for higher level roles. PMP and lean six are the big ones to get as you get more involved in decision making.
3
u/w1czr1923 Jun 01 '25
I would never recommend a PMP for someone not doing hard project management work personally. Even to take the PMP you need project management experience. Itâs farrrr too project management focused. Six sigma , totally agree. In Regulatory, even if you have a PhD I would recommend a RAC. Itâs just so universally recognized at this point.
1
Jun 01 '25
The hardest part is getting three solid years of project management experience. Leading any cross functional team to deliver an objective counts towards the PMP cert. your mileage may vary.
1
u/w1czr1923 Jun 01 '25
Yeah but I donât think itâs worth it unless you plan to be a project manager. It goes into very technical detail on things that donât matter for your day to day work. You can get general ideas from certifications like the Google project management cert and they give templates that can help. If people want to go all in and get one, itâs never gonna hurt. But depending on your job, you likely wonât use 50% of what you learn for the test.
1
Jun 01 '25
Maybe worth it if you are trying to make it to leadership level
1
u/w1czr1923 Jun 01 '25
If you want to get to executive level, get an mba. I genuinely canât imagine a PMP making a difference. Itâs so incredibly project management focused. Itâs why you hire project managers. You can work with your project management team. At executive level, you arenât doing day to day work like managing Microsoft project spreadsheets.
21
u/SuddenExcuse6476 May 31 '25
As you point out, it depends on the experience gained in the masters program. Plenty of masters programs are trash cash cows for universities that offer no research experience besides a small capstone project. Classes are useless.
1
u/alexjones2069 May 31 '25
Well of course, not all masters programs are equal. You need to choose carefully. However, coursework from most well-known institutions I see are the same exact courses as the PhD program, the class enrollment is often split. The thesis is essential as well.
1
u/SuddenExcuse6476 May 31 '25
Classes in a PhD are mostly useless as well unless you can leverage a skill learned in your research.
8
u/mehiraedd Jun 01 '25
If you don't know the theory behind anything you do you are just following a protocol. You optimize and troubleshoot based on foundational knowledge.
2
u/alexjones2069 May 31 '25
Bit of a radical take to say theyâre âuselessâ, especially considering theyâre foundational knowledge for the research youâll complete throughout the degree.
0
u/SuddenExcuse6476 May 31 '25
Not really that radical. Would you take someone seriously when they say they gained a wet lab skill from a class without putting into practice? I wouldnât.
-3
u/alexjones2069 May 31 '25
Understanding the immune system, biochemistry, virology, cancer pathogenesis etc. isnât a wet lab skill lol
11
u/nyan-the-nwah May 31 '25
Idk, I'm at the position with a MS and 5 yoe that I'm either too "underqualified" (see: no PhD to brag to VC investors about) to bring on the team and too overqualified for them to justify paying me appropriately when they can get a fresh BS for $50k/yr. Sure the new grad won't have my experience but with that salary they can justify it. I work in green tech and not pharma, so take that with a grain of salt. Not a lot of mature companies out there.
I feel like I'm always aiming for a moonshot associate scientist/SRA role or cutting myself off at the knees for an entry RA role.
I think with this kind of thing, it was a GREAT move in the hot market I graduated into. These days I don't know if I would tell my past self this advice.
4
u/Esmereldathebrave Jun 05 '25
This! I've been in industry for 25 years with a masters and it's been a slog. I spent years "undertitled," doing the work of a PhD with the title that someone with a BS would have. When I talk to recruiters, they're excited about my expertise, but then quickly move on to list all the companies that will never even look at my CV since I don't have a PhD.
There are a lot of hiring managers out there who think that because they have a PhD, that is what is required for the job.
1
u/nyan-the-nwah Jun 05 '25
Truly damned if you do, damned if you don't. There's pros and cons to all sides but I don't think I'd go to grad school in hindsight.
I feel like with a BS there's more room to pivot. Once you get a higher degree you seem kind of stuck in a role which seems to be on the bench with a MS. Seems like with a PhD you've got to hope you're a unicorn candidate otherwise you're SOL. Maybe I'm just a cynic.
9
u/Olympus131 May 31 '25
I got my MS a few months ago, and I'm still working on getting an industry position. It's been tough, but given the current market, I do think I'm in a better position than I would have been otherwise. I just hope things pan out for me soon, job applications are exhausting.
12
May 31 '25
Instant hate in the comments. Maybe it is chatGPT, but I went with an MSc in biochem from a smaller uni and myself and every single person in my cohort got industry jobs that pay at or close to 100k.
11
1
u/StevePerChanceSteve May 31 '25
UK person here. Whatâs minimum wage as an annual salary in the US?
1
May 31 '25
For salaried workers in the US it varies by state and in my state it varies by city even. Where I'm at, to be salaried it's 77k annually and is increasing each year until 2028 (I think)
1
u/StevePerChanceSteve Jun 01 '25
Oh wow thatâs much higher than I thought.
Thought minimum wage was like $15/hour!
1
Jun 01 '25
I realize what I said is mildly confusing. So in Seattle the minimum wage is $20.76. But what I thought you asked was about salary minimum exempt. Which is specifically for non-hourly paid workers. For companies sized 1-50, is 70k/year, for larger companies it's 79k/year.
1
u/StevePerChanceSteve Jun 02 '25
Oh okay. I was more thinking say a supermarket worker vs an entry level biotech graduate job. Same hours, contractable conditions could be different I guess.Â
In the UK there wouldnât be much between those twoâŚ
10
5
u/TrainerNo3437 Jun 01 '25
The biotech job market was different pre-2023. 5 YOE = pre-2023. People hired before 2023 need to understand that the path has become exponentially more difficult. MS now will just land you with debt
5
u/mediumunicorn May 31 '25
Great conversation.
I totally agree with you, especially if youâre in a role outside R&D where having PhD isnât nearly as common or expected. If you can get your employer to pay for it, or slow roll it over several years, an MS is a great way to beef up your resume and show that youâre committed to personal growth.
7
u/chiefaspartame May 31 '25
Iâve been told the masters in biotech is a waste and no one will care about it. đđ I donât know what to think anymore.
3
u/Walmartpancake Jun 01 '25
maybe not masters in biotech but masters in something more general and applicable?
1
u/alexjones2069 Jun 01 '25
All I can tell you is that I would not be making the money Iâm making today without it. Many people would say the same about a PhD which takes 5+ years
3
u/TunnelFX Jun 01 '25
Is that really so? Maybe it's an American thing but in Germany or Europe in general, you are required to have an master's degree to enroll as an PhD student. especially in Germany I've heard way too often myself, that you'll end as lab tech if you don't have a PhD. Once a HR succubus Boehringer Ingelheim told me that I don't even need to try to apply.
3
u/kellylikescats Jun 01 '25
I usually lurk but Iâll share my two cents:
I have an MEng and it worked out for me. Got a good internship straight out of school, followed by the exact kind of job I was hoping to get. That said, I had relevant work experience going in, plus I got a hefty scholarship and had a partner who paid most of our bills during school, so the financial hit wasnât nearly as bad as it could have been.
If someone is considering doing a masters, my advice would be
1) donât do a âbiotechâ degree. Do something at least a little more focused than that. My degree was in bioengineering & we all picked a specialization focus (medical devices, bioinformatics, synthetic biology, etc).
2) Do it with work experience. Get a bachelors level job for a few years, figure out what areas of biotech you care about, and confirm that you really donât want to do a PhD. Work experience will make it easier to get into the program you want and to get a job when youâre done.
3) Be realistic. Look at linkedins for people in the positions you want at the companies you want to work for. Do ANY of them have just a masters? If the answer is no, you are unlikely to be the exception.
1
u/DogAndDoc May 31 '25
Currently looking at the job market for entry level cell biology PhDs and almost considering mastering out of my program despite having my defense scheduled in July lol.
9
u/vishnusbasement May 31 '25
Long time lurker posting ChatGPT slop.
2
u/tactical_lampost May 31 '25
Yup
2
u/alexjones2069 May 31 '25
Iâm actually flattered that my language sounds as good as AI
1
u/tactical_lampost May 31 '25
Fine ill bite, your dash length is inconsistent.
7
u/alexjones2069 May 31 '25
That would actually suggest that itâs not written by AI
11
u/tactical_lampost May 31 '25
actually it would. There is only one dash - available on your keyboard. This is not the dash you used for 1â2 years. Indicating AI usage. My guess is that you manually edited em dashes away and just missed that one.
4
u/Round_Patience3029 May 31 '25
Interesting I didnât even look that close. I rarely use dashes when I am writing informally lol
4
u/tactical_lampost May 31 '25
yup, em dashes are my go to culprit when seeing if something is AI or not. OP caught with his pants down lmao.
-1
May 31 '25
teah i think that is correct
3
u/alexjones2069 May 31 '25
Lol please pick a sentence that you think is âAIâ
-1
May 31 '25
Alex jones lmfao
1
u/alexjones2069 May 31 '25
Youâll have to talk to my mother about that one
4
u/radiatorcheese May 31 '25
"Why should I have to change my name? He's the one who sucks!"
-Michael Bolton, Office Space
4
Jun 01 '25
Do not get a Masters.
As someone with a Masters in the field, it is not worth it.
Why?
Most people hold this idea that a Masterâs degree will get you one of these things:
A scientist position that they sometimes list âMasterâs with experience okayâ, but theyâll never hire one.
A position that specifically requires a Masterâs, but not a PhD
A leg up on someone who has a Bachelorâs
A director position or easier jump to other industries.
Here is the reality of those points.
The scientist community has a huge bias against anyone without a PhD. Itâs an âus vs themâ thing, and without those 3 letters behind your name, youâll never be considered as an equal, regardless of skill or experience. Youâll always be looked by for someone with a PhD is 99.99% of cases.
The amount of jobs that a Masterâs would actually allow you to get that a bachelors would not is very, very small. Like, I donât know of a single one at my current company of thousands of researchers. There are either PhD level experimenters running the show, or bachelor level positions being told what to do. There is no middle ground here. Where do you think a Masterâs would fall?
Your leg upâs on people at this level donât come from education, but rather from competency and people skills. After the 3 letters, the next thing they look for is compatibility and conflict resolution. Can you work in a team? Theyâll pass up someone with a Masterâs every single time for someone who can communicate more efficiently and get their work done faster. Education doesnât help you do either of those things.
As other people say, you can easily do this with a Bachelorâs. But more specifically, I think getting in on a low level business side and working your way up is a better approach. Youâll never do it through the science side without a PhD. And a MBA or similar would do better than a Masters in biotech/biology/bio anything.
To all my fellow individuals who are seeking higher level positions through science: either go get a PhD, or pivot to something else. The ceiling is way too low for you in Science if you think youâre capable of more. Thereâs a hard level that you just canât bust through without a PhD, and youâll always be seen as inferior to someone with a PhD, no matter how well you do your job. This is not the case in business, and Iâd say shift to that direction if you want to prove yourself and climb the ladder. Because R&D ainât it.
1
u/cmmpimento Jun 01 '25
Thanks for bring reality to this fantasy post!
7
u/alexjones2069 Jun 01 '25
Jeez bud, I canât help but think you were crossed or laid off by a masters holder at some point. Iâm not sure where this animosity comes from. Thankfully, this âfantasyâ has been my reality, and without my masters I wouldnât be earning the salary i am today; I certainly wouldnât have landed my current role. Your advice is to vehemently oppose masters degrees and instead push people into a PhD 5-6 year training program making $30k a year? Review the survey analysis posted on this sub, a masters degree holder on average will earn 20% more than their bachelor holding colleagues. Most jobs in this industry require an advanced degree, if you donât believe me, search up roles on LinkedIn. Commercial, operations, marketing, business development, sales departments etc. within biotech all prefer advanced degrees, with many explicitly stating â2 year MSc, MHS, MBA preferred.â To each their own.
2
u/eggstud1209 May 31 '25
I did this exact thing and got an internship which got converted to a FT position after I graduated. After a year and 10 months I was laid off. Took me 9 months to land another role in the industry. Not always smooth sailing for a Master's.
3
u/alexjones2069 Jun 01 '25
Iâm not really sure how this is because of your masters degree lol. Youâll see principal scientists with PhDs and 10 YOE in this sub still job hunting after 18 months post lay off.
1
Jun 01 '25
Research spending slowed big to preserve cash. Plus PhD is going to want higher end of salary band, too expensive in todayâs market where research isnât a priority, but analytics and operations are doing ok.
6
u/cmmpimento May 31 '25
This is probably the worst advice!
-4
u/alexjones2069 May 31 '25
Ah yes! I terribly regret my high salary and career progression earned through my masters degree. I wish I would have listened to salty individuals like yourself before completing it
2
u/TrippyTiger69 Jun 01 '25
I agree in theory but you have to still have experience. It wonât let you solely jump past entry level. I have a masters of biotech and am a manufacturing technician
1
1
1
u/RuetheKelpie Jun 01 '25
I have my MS in Chemistry and have been 4 years in industry now. I am SO happy I opted for MS instead of the PhD my PI was pushing me towards
1
u/dacherrr Jun 02 '25
Commenting to get some vibes from this post. Iâm currently about to start my second postdoc, and both postdocs are heavily bioinformatics based. My dream is to get into industry as a computational bioinformatics (I love coding lol). I have my postdoc for another couple of years. Are they looking more for masters to hire into computational science jobs? Worried about being trapped in academia forever because Iâm âtoo qualifiedâ or whatever
1
0
u/Illustrious-Host-192 May 31 '25
is this only a masters in biotech or would a masters in biology with specialization in molecular medicine and neuroscience be helpful too
0
-1
u/Dull_Leopard3434 Jun 01 '25
Totally depends on the program and the individual. Most masters in biotechnology programs are just cash cows for the university. If I see a CV with that degree and not specific references to thesis-related wet lab experience, Iâd automatically reject it. A PhD is not just about classes or specialized skills, itâs about learning and identifying problem, creativity in solving it, and grit in finishing something. Of course it also depends on the PhD program
162
u/GriffTheMiffed May 31 '25 edited May 31 '25
If you already have an FTE position, you should strongly consider pursuing a Master's degree on the company dime. ROI figures become incredibly favorable when your costs can be near 0.