A Virologist



What does it take to become a virologist? To become a virologist it takes a lot of hard work and dedication. Another requirement is having a Bachelor of Arts ot Bachelor of Science Degree, which takes four years to recieve. Then you would proceed onto Graduate School to earn a Masters Degree and a PH.D., usually in microbiology. That takes anywhere from four to ten years. After graduate work, it is important to do about three to five years of post-doctoral training work in Laboratories to develop research interests and publish work.

Virologists spend many hours in their Laboratories conducting experiments (very time consuming). Most virologists work about ten to twelve hours/day, on six to seven day weeks. A virologists salary depends on the position one has. A lab technicians salary starts in the low $20,000 range; government researchers make between $40,000-100,000; full-time professors make between $80,000-100,000; and physicians salaries start at $100,000 and only go up!!

The outlook for virologists are good. Physicians have benefit of job security and high pay. Government jobs also have high sercurity and good pay. Virology is much more secure than othe fields.


find out what a virologist does

virologist's typical daily routine

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