What Can You Do With a Biology Degree

From aquariums to courtrooms to emergency rooms, Adelphi biology graduates are building careers in a variety of fields.

For science lovers, a degree in biology is the perfect fit. At Adelphi University, biology students benefit from a robust curriculum that equips them for success in a variety of fields.

"Rapid expansion in biotechnology, health technology, corporate sustainability and data analytics has driven high demand for employees with backgrounds that an education in biology delivers far beyond traditional academic or clinical roles," said Matthias Foellmer, PhD, professor and chair of the Department of Biology.

Adelphi's curriculum ensures a broad education in several core areas of biology, including genetics, evolution, ecology, physiology, developmental biology, molecular biology and cell biology. Students enrolled in the undergraduate and graduate program also get hands-on research opportunities, receiving training in qualitative analysis using advanced state-of-the-art methods and applying the scientific method.

"We prepare our students for today's careers in the biological and medical professions, but also offer several transferable skills which makes our students suitable candidates for employment opportunities in a wide variety of fields," Dr. Foellmer said.

These three alumni prove just how versatile a biology degree can be.

Put a Science Mind to Work in the Courtroom

When Hira Javed '16, MS '18, JD, enrolled at Adelphi for the BS in Biology program, she was set on becoming a pediatric neurologist. But while volunteering at a hospital during grad school-also at Adelphi-she met a nurse practitioner who had switched to advocating for patients' rights. "She started fighting on the legal side for her patients, and I thought that sounded awesome," Javed says. That chance encounter led her to explore a legal career-and ultimately swap the MCAT for the LSAT.

An Adelphi professor helped her identify her legal specialty, pointing her toward patent law, something she'd never considered before. "They said to me, 'If you want to go to law school and you still really love science, have you considered patent law?'" she recalls. "That was definitely a pivotal moment in my career."

After earning her law degree, Javed joined a Washington, D.C., law firm, where she practiced patent litigation and privacy law. Her biology background proved more useful than expected. "Studying biology helped me become very detail oriented, and to use the analytical side of my brain," she says. All of those hours she spent sifting through dense scientific papers at Adelphi translated directly to legal work, too, teaching her to zero in on the key pieces of data methodically rather than getting lost in the details.

In April 2026, Javed took her career a step further, accepting a clerkship with a magistrate judge in the Southern District of Florida. "When you take a step back and realize you're helping move justice forward, it's a really powerful feeling," she says.

Help Migraine Patients Reclaim Their Lives

Monika Mikolajczak '17, MD, still thinks of the fruit flies she cared for as a biology undergrad at Adelphi. Practically every morning for nearly two years, she came into the lab to prepare fly food and count the flies for a mitochondrial research project-work that eventually contributed to a published paper. "I wouldn't have had that opportunity if I'd gone to a school with much larger classrooms," Dr. Mikolajczak noted. "It's not easy to get into a lab and do research-there's a lot of funding that goes into it, and not everyone wants students involved with their research."

That experience in the lab also honed the critical-thinking skills she relies on as a headache medicine fellow at Mount Sinai. "My biology education taught me to think through evidence and avoid jumping to conclusions," she said.

Her path to that fellowship wasn't a straight one. While becoming a physician was always a calling, she pursued other early ambitions, including physical therapy and, before that, shark research. But it was during her four-year neurology residency at Northwell Health that she found her calling. During rounds with a mentor in her second year, she watched a nerve block bring near-immediate relief to a migraine patient in the emergency room. "Anyone with migraines knows how terrible the emergency room can be-there's a lot of light and noise, it's not a fun place to be. So if you end up in the emergency room with a migraine, you're desperate at that point," Dr. Mikolajczak said. "Just helping him regain his function and be able to leave the emergency room feeling better was so rewarding."

Turn a Study Abroad Trip Into a Dream Career

When Candice Marcos '12, MS '14, MA '16, started her undergraduate biology degree at Adelphi, she had her sights set on medical school. Looking for ways to stand out as an applicant, she signed up for a three-week study abroad trip to Australia focused on environmental science. What she found there changed everything. Snorkeling and conducting field research in the water, she came home with a new direction. "After that, I decided I wanted to be in the field of marine biology," she says.

Now, Marcos is head of education at Shark Reef Aquarium in Las Vegas, Nevada, where she uses her biology degree every day. In particular, her experience researching marine animals while a grad student at Adelphi helped her understand these creatures, knowledge she regularly shares with visitors to the aquarium. Her six-year stint as a science teacher in Nevada also equipped her with the skills to develop education programs that resonate with visitors, as well as provide professional development for her staff members.

"My career combines my two worlds-biology and education," Marcos says. "I teach important animal conservation concepts while getting up close to the animals."

She stresses that her dream job wouldn't have happened without a willingness to say yes-even to opportunities that seemed unrelated. Case in point: a part-time dental assistant role she almost left off her résumé turned out to be one of the things that set her apart from other candidates for her current role. "Don't be afraid to take the side quest because you're still gaining skills," she says. "It's better to try something and know for a fact that it's not for you, than to not try it and always wonder 'What if?'"