Career

Upon graduating from the Master’s Programme in Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology, you will be well prepared to continue further with your studies or proceed directly to a career in working life. As a microbiology graduate, you can work for example in research and development, surveillance in healthcare, food and environment, administration, consultancy, business management or in the education sector.
Career prospects for graduates

As a Master of Science graduating from the Master’s Programme in Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology, you will be well prepared to:

  • continue your studies toward a doctoral degree
  • specialise as a hospital microbiologist
  • proceed directly to a career in working life

As a microbiology graduate, you can work in the following sectors:

  • Research and development (universities, research institutes, companies)
  • Surveillance/monitoring in healthcare, food and environment (food industry, medical and diagnostics industry, regulatory authority)
  • Administration, professional roles and consultancy (companies, ministries, supervision offices, EU)
  • Business and management (companies, ministries, supervisory offices, EU)
  • Teaching and education (universities, universities of applied sciences, vocational schools, high schools, comprehensive schools, organisations). 
Statistically, the situation for microbiologists proceeding to employment has been very favourable.
Alumni stories

In the articles, our alumni share their experiences about studying in the Master's Programme in Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology, career opportunities and their professional lives.
Career services

Studies are part of your career. The Career Services at the University of Helsinki supports, in cooperation with the degree programmes, the growth of your expert identity as part of your studies and with separate services. 

From the start of your studies until one year after the completion of your degree, the Career Services supports your career path by:

  • giving career counselling and job-seeking support, 
  • arranging info sessions, workshops and events, 
  • providing suitable job and traineeship offers for students,
  • sharing the university’s subsidy for traineeships and  
  • facilitating group mentoring programmes.
Group mentoring programme: UNITalent

Do you want to build a career in Finland? Get valuable insight into Finnish working life and build your professional networks by applying to our group mentoring programme. 

In the HelsinkiUNI International Talent Programme (UNITalent), a group of international talents is hosted by a local company or organisation. 

Successful applicants will get to:

  • learn about expert work first-hand from a local organisation.
  • hear about different kinds of career paths in a specific sector in Finland.
  • start building their professional network in Finland.
  • support the host in gaining an international perspective by sharing their perspective. 
  • learn career management skills. 

International master’s degree students at the University of Helsinki can apply as well as Finnish students who have completed their degree abroad.
Improve your career options with Finnish

Although international students can get by with English in the Helsinki region, learning Finnish will significantly improve your career options after graduation.

The University of Helsinki offers free Finnish language courses for enrolled international degree students. The beginners and intermediate level courses are not only a way to learn the language, but you also learn more about Finnish culture and get to network with other international students across the fields.
Doctoral education

As a graduate of the Master’s degree programme, you will be able to proceed to scientific postgraduate studies (i.e. doctoral degrees) in several fields of the biosciences. In addition to the disciplines of microbiological sciences and biotechnology, you could undertake a postgraduate degree in related sciences such as biomedicine and forest science.

 
Where students work after graduation?

The University of Helsinki conducts career monitoring surveys to collect information on graduate employment and the skills needs of employers. Career monitoring aims to determine how well a university education can meet the requirements of professional life. The data collected are used, among other things, for developing the career skills of current students.

According to the surveys, general skills gained from the studies include :

  • the ability to describe their skills (this had been the most important factor for their employment)
  • the ability to learn and adopt new things as well as self-direction/initiative
  • cooperation skills
  • problem-solving skills and stress tolerance.
International experience, organisational work or hobbies, and social media activity have been important or highly important for the employment of some respondents, even though these factors don’t stand out at the University level"
Alumni of the Uni­versity of Helsinki

After graduation, the world is wide open and full of possibilities. How can you venture forward to make the career path you want? What kind of work would you like to do? What kind of life should you lead? The Helsinki alumni community is there to support you as you transition from the University to the world of work.

All previous University of Helsinki degree and exchange students, as well as staff, are our alumni. As a member of the University of Helsinki alumni network, Finland’s largest network of experts, you get valuable support, knowledge and contacts for your working life.
More about the programme