College: How Many Years?
Although it is common for a student to change his primary interest from one science to another during his college training, he should have in mind from the beginning the sort of broad career he wants and the amount of time that preparation will take.
For example, a bachelor’s degree in one of the physical or geological sciences such as physics, chemistry, biology, geology, archaeology, agriculture, metallurgy, or mathematics usually requires four years. Some engineering programs require five. A medical student, on the other hand, sometimes takes only three years of college and then goes directly into medical school without a bachelor’s degree but with six to eight years of training still ahead of him.
Physical and Biological Sciences
Most scientific endeavor today is undertaken by teams composed of individuals with doctor’s, master’s, and bachelor’s degrees in the sciences. These teams have supporting technical and administrative personnel to help them function efficiently.
In the physical and biological fields, scientists with doctor’s degrees have probably spent three to six years in college after they received their bachelor’s degrees. They are likely to head the team and to have the responsibility for planning and directing research and development projects.
Individuals with master’s degrees have spent about two years in graduate school. They have some research training and undertake scientific projects under direction, although they may also have some responsibility for planning and supervising.
The bachelor’s degree is not a research degree, and team members without graduate training are not likely to direct research. They probably spend their time conducting fairly routine research duties under the guidance of more highly trained supervisors.