Careers in Other Research-Based Health Professions

Please note: Pomona College does not offer these health professional programs. This information is merely for the purpose of providing an overview and academic requirements to our undergraduate students.

Biotech & Life Sciences Industry

Biotechnology harvests biological processes to create technology that improves human health and the health of our planet. According to the Biotech Innovation Organization, biotechnology provides breakthrough products and technology to heal the world, fuel the world, and feed the world. “Biotech provides products to combat debilitating and rare diseases, reduce our environmental footprint, feed the hungry, use less and cleaner energy, and have safer, cleaner and more efficient industrial manufacturing processes.”

The healthcare field, in particular, benefits from novel drug discoveries and manufacturing. The 2019 California Life Sciences Industry Report provides an exciting outlook of the booming biotech hub in California. Jobs in biotech and life sciences are vast and include Research & Development scientists, manufacturing engineers, clinical trial managers, regulatory affair specialists, medical affair specialists, business project managers, global supply chain managers, etc.

Training

Each college or university has specific requirements for applying to their Masters programs. Graduate programs generally take up to two years.

Undergraduate Academic Preparation

Taking courses in basic sciences such as Biology and Chemistry, and/or courses within the Science, Technology and Society program at Pomona would be useful preparation. Biostatistics and computer programming would be good preparation for Biotech as well. Exploring "More Resources" below can provide further guidance.

Admissions Testing

Graduate Record Examination (GRE)

More Resources

Health Administration

Healthcare administrators are individuals who care for people, but function on the business end of patient care, with roles in leadership, management or administration of medical facilities. Healthcare administrators generally have a diverse set of skills and responsibilities such as managing staff, finance, public relations, patient rights, long-care administration, healthcare policy, health information management and more.

Training

There are many opportunities in health administration which include hospital administration, health insurance and consulting. People who work in healthcare administration generally work in hospitals, health departments, nursing homes, health insurance companies, medical consulting firms, and pharmaceutical companies. Degree options include a Masters of Healthcare Administration or Master of Business Administration.

Many employers require applicants to have an MBA focused in healthcare management to demonstrate that they understand principles of combining medicine and business, and have adequately prepared for leadership in the healthcare industry. Also, many employers prefer health administration candidates to have experience in a healthcare setting. 

Undergraduate Academic Preparation

Many majors can lead into healthcare administration, including PPA and Division II majors.

Admissions Testing

Graduate Record Examination (GRE)

More Resources

Webinars | American College of Healthcare Executives (ache.org)