<p>Unless you go into industry and work your way up through a company (typically not in a research area), you are pretty much going to have to get an advanced degree in any biological sciences to make a substantial career out of it. The entire field is really geared to training for academic careers, but if she wants to do science anywhere, she’ll have to get a PhD. Without a PhD, you plateau quickly in academia or industry. Bioengineering may be an exception. Chemists and people with computer (coding)/math skills could also be exceptions, but aren’t typically going to leading projects. But as far as really being a scientist, doing your own experiments and stuff, you’ll likely need a PhD. So, for a non-MD track, plan on 4 years undergrad, an average of 5.5 years for a bioscience PhD, and another 3-5 years as a post-doc. You are certainly talking about up to 15 years of training before you might see your first real position in industry or academia. The good news is you don’t have to pay for grad school and you’ll get stipends during grad school…so essentially you’ll get paid the whole time.</p>
<p>MDs can also get into science, although they aren’t trained to do science in straight med school, but they can get into it later. Of course you can shoot for MD/PhD programs, which are typically 6-7 years long (4 years med school, 2-3 getting your PhD). Those programs are longer, but your med school tuition is paid for, and like other PhD programs, you’d get a stipend, sometimes for the length of the program. They’re a good deal if you want to be a physician-scientist, but extremely competitive to get in even at bottom-rung school. </p>
<p>Pitt is a good place to go for any of these goals because there is so much research going on, and so many different types of research to explore, and any applicant will absolutely have to show a health dose of interest and experience in research for any PhD or MD/PhD program.</p>