ShareWhen hiring, employers in the field of biosciences are those who most value candidates with PhDs
This is also one of the fields where having a high level of English and other languages is more relevant.
AQU Catalunya has just published the latest report on the employability and university education of graduates in the field of Biosciences. This study, which analyses graduates' employment outcomes, their satisfaction with the education received and gathers the opinions of employers, demonstrates these degree programmes' popularity. The most conclusive data in this regard are in terms of the demand for public places to study for any of the bachelor's degrees that fall within this field, which includes Biomedical Sciences, Biotechnology, Biochemistry, Biology and Pharmacy. In fact, demand exceeds supply by 169.7%, a percentage that increases still further in the case of Biomedical Sciences, where it reaches 227.4%.
Of all the people surveyed, most claim to have chosen this discipline because of their interest in it as a career. A total of 74.1% attest to this, while in the case of Biomedical Sciences this figure increases to 89%. This interest is rewarded by the training they receive, with the overall satisfaction of graduates in some of the aforementioned degree programmes being significantly higher than that of the Catalan Higher Education system (SUC) as a whole, up to 7.7, four tenths above the general overall satisfaction rate. This high degree of overall satisfaction extends to the external work placements and final bachelor's degree project, where it is once again above the SUC average. This combined with other factors amounts to 77.7% of the people surveyed saying they would repeat their degree programme.
The high preference for bachelor's degrees in this field and the high degree of satisfaction among graduates is compounded by the high employment rate following graduation. A total of 87.3% of Biosciences graduates are working three years after graduation. However, the data vary depending on the bachelor's degree chosen. For example, in Pharmacy it stands at 94.7% and in Biology, the lowest of the group, 79.8%. The quality of employment is also high, since 7 out of 10 graduates in this field perform functions specific to their degree programme. Again, however, there is a marked internal disparity, because while 89.4% of Pharmacy graduates perform functions related to their studies, in Biology the percentage is only 59.4%.
In regard to the employers' opinion, of the eighteen fields analysed by AQU Catalunya, Biosciences was the one in which having a PhD was the most relevant. In addition, this same field holds third place in regard to the need for a high level of English and fifth in terms of having a high or medium level of proficiency in other languages. Although 39.3% of Biosciences employers state that they struggle to recruit staff, this field is the third least problematic in this respect. The lack of graduates with the necessary skills for the job is the main reason for these recruitment difficulties.
As for skills in need of improvement on the part of recent graduates hired, 60% of the employers surveyed highlight the ability to plan, write, launch and/or coordinate research projects and 52% state integrating the knowledge obtained into a professional and research environment. In general, however, employers in Biosciences are satisfied with the skills of the recent graduates hired; they are the third field with the highest average value in this regard (7.6 out of 10).
Employability and university education in the field of Biosciences