Masters, PhD or a Job?

What are the options for me when I graduate?

What next: a Masters, PhD or a job?

Before you consider the next step, make sure you are making the right decisions whilst studying for your undergraduate degree. For people interested in an eventual career in the pharmaceutical industry there is evidence that many people make the wrong choice, and then have difficulty getting into the type of work they wish to do.

The following findings have been taken from the Pfizer Skills Report (the full text can be accessed from the link on the right hand side of this page):

"It is vital to ensure that education and training provides the requisite skills base.  From the deficiencies described in our report it is clear that this is currently often not the case.  There are several commonly shared areas of concern across disciplines;
1) a lack of knowledge of the basics e.g. chemists who cannot describe what a mole of compound is, or clinicians with little knowledge of the principles of clinical trial design,
2) a lack of knowledge as to how to apply theory to actual practice e.g. graduates who can only follow a prescribed protocol and do not have the skills to develop new methodologies independently and
3) a lack of practical skills e.g. in vivo biology and toxicology or the awareness of the types, uses and applications of complex technologies." (Pfizer, April 2007)

Therefore, make sure you have a sound grounding in the fundamentals of your discipline and the practical abilities to apply the knowledge you have learnt.

For more information to help you make the decision between further study and employment, take a look at: Why a Masters or PhD?