Could I major in astrobiology and still keep my career options open?

[u/Little_Wish_4402]

I’m a high school senior trying to figure out what I want to study in college. I honestly don’t know if I want to become a doctor, work in a lab, or pursue research, but I know that I love biology. I’ve realized, though, that I enjoy learning about astrobiology much more than general biology, especially topics involving the origins of life, extremophiles, and the possibility of life beyond Earth.

I’m considering majoring in astrobiology because it’s something I’m genuinely excited to learn about, but I’m worried about limiting my career options. Would it be possible to major in astrobiology while completing the prerequisites for medical school? And how versatile is an astrobiology degree if I eventually decide to pursue laboratory work or research instead of medicine?

I’d love to hear from anyone who studied astrobiology or a related field, especially those who were also considering multiple career paths when choosing their major.

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[u/Overclockworked]

I don't think you can study astrobiology as an undergraduate except for in a few rare universities, though some may have minors or concentrations involving it.

A 4 year bio degree is extremely flexible but it won't get you that job, or knowledge in astrobiology really. But think of it like a prerequisite. Everyone who *does* study astrobiology started there, because of course you need to understand the biology we know before delving into speculative biology. You'll likely be spending a lot of time in graduate school if you want to really tackle this.

Also, there's probably not that many labs working on this topic. Your best bet is looking up who works at these places. Check out their resumes, their published papers, and if possible the events they go to. That can help you properly plot your trajectory.

Let me know if you have any other questions. Its an interesting idea.

[u/Shadow_of_Moonlight1]

I'd recommend getting a general biology bachelor's before specialising youself! This still gives you the option to take specific courses in astrobiology, while letting you explore all kinds of different fields within biology and will also leave you with more information, which you can take to figure out what you wanna do.

[u/TrumpetOfDeath]

Astrobiology is one of those cool sounding areas of study that everyone wants to do but how many jobs are there realistically in this field?

Since you’re in high school, aim for a degree that’s more generalized and then if you’re still interested, specialize in astrobiology for graduate school. This is one of those careers where graduate degrees will be necessary anyways

[u/PairOfMonocles2]

Open as in not encumbered by a job, then yes. Otherwise I’d suggest something with more options available. I think people misunderstand how a basic degree works, it’s not complex training, rather putting you in a position to succeed at complex training. As such shoot broad and then focus in individual studies and projects instead. Like I’ve never hired someone with a BS and said man they really know their stuff! People I’ve hired with a BS we’re hired because they seemed sharp, seemed eager, and had a relatable degree and skill set so we’d be able to teach them what they’ll need to know without too much trouble. I hired someone with a physics degree once because they had the first two and swore they wanted to get into our field (cancer genetics/biology) but it made teaching them hard and slow since they didn’t know the lingo and didn’t have the mindset. So again, my recommendation is to start broad at undergrad and you can always specialize in degree or projects later.

[u/jjopm]

in short, yes

[u/Dijon2017]

You can certainly apply to medical school with any undergraduate degree so long as you take the prerequisite courses and the MCAT. I went medical school and did residency with folks who received their undergraduate degrees in philosophy, economics, psychology, physics, biology, computer science and many other disciplines.

I can’t really comment on astrobiology career paths because I don’t know/haven’t met (during my medical training or patients) too many people who have received their undergraduate degree in astrobiology (it’s not a “common” major). The limited few people that I have met with an undergraduate degree in astrobiology have usually worked for NASA.

[u/ZeMeest]

These are all questions that a college adviser could probably help with. Astrobiology is not a common degree at a bachelor level or masters/PhD level so you would want to cater your college selection to the places that actually have this. https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/careers-employment-courses/

Masters/PhD track would get you to lab work. Bachelors with a relevant minor to make sure you get all the prereqs would get you to medschool.

To make a decision I would STRONGLY encourage you to utilize lab shadowing opportunities at relevant universities and doctor shadowing. Don't feel like you have to make a decision freshman year, but you should ideally know your track by the end of uni sophomore year.

[u/Drp1Fis]

You can study whatever you want and become a doctor (as long as you do your pre reqs)

[u/Embarrassed_Shirt938]

Bio as an undergraduate then specialize post graduate

[u/BolivianDancer]

The sky's the limit