Microbiologist Salary
Microbiology is a field of biological science that is highly specialized. Microbiologists study microscopic organisms such as viruses, bacteria, algae and fungi. They study how these organisms grown and record characteristics they observe about them. A microbiologist usually specializes in a particular area such as agricultural microbiology, food microbiology, immunology, environmental and industrial microbiology.
If one wishes to be employed as a research and development microbiologist, a doctorate degree is required. It should be noted that a master’s degree is sometimes acceptable for certain types of research and development work. A person with a bachelor’s degree in microbiology can find employment as a lab tech, an aide to a biological scientist or a biology teacher’s assistant. While many colleges and universities offer bachelor degree programs in microbiology, most do not offer graduate degrees in this field.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics or BLS, the field of microbiology is expected to grow quickly as an occupation with more and more openings becoming available. These positive projections are expected to occur through the end of 2014. The BLS reports that the average microbiologist earned just under $58,000 a year in 2006. Of course, since this data is several years old, one could safely assume that the median annual salary for a microbiologist is now over the $60,000 mark.
A beginning microbiologist with a bachelor’s degree can expect to earn just over $20,000 and those holding doctorate degrees can earn upwards of $40,000 until they gain more experience wherein they will earn more money. On a bright note, the salaries for microbiologists do increase rather quickly with time and the higher of a degree level one possesses will result in a higher salary. The median salary for microbiologists with over eight years’ of experience is just over $79,000 a year. Microbiology is like many other careers regarding the fact that educational level, experience and location of employment play major roles in how much a person working within this field will earn.
In addition to a salary, a microbiologist also is privy to many types of benefits. He or she can expect to receive paid holidays, sick time and to be provided with outstanding healthcare coverage for both him/herself and their family. The field of microbiology is also a rewarding one as a microbiologist has the opportunity to make ground-breaking discoveries and to travel.