Zoologist Salary

The average zoologist salary in the United States is pegged at USD 58,700 p.a. according to one source. As with most other professions the zoologist salary increases with each additional qualification and the amount of experience that the zoologist has garnered in his specialty area. Now what exactly does a zoologist do?

As a zoologist you would study the structure, physiology, development, and classification of animals. To become a zoologist you require a bachelor's degree and at least 4 years of experience in the field or in a related area. You need to take classes ranging from molecular biology to organic chemistry to physics, among others. Specialty classes like ecology, herpetology, evolutionary ecology, and zoogeography can be taken as well to help you understand the specialization you seek to choose. A Bachelor's degree takes about 130 credit hours, or 4-5 years of school at a university or college. To conduct research, you'll need a Master of Science degree or a Ph.D. in biology or a related science. A Master's degree takes 2-3 years of additional schooling, and a written thesis. A Ph.D. requires 4-6 addtional years of schooling, including a written dissertation.

A zoologist can opt for a wide variety of jobs such as a lab technician, veterinarian, animal caretaker, trainer, breeder, wildlife biologist and so on. Most of these jobs involve being in the field for data collection and then analyzing the data and writing reports. To be a good zoologist, one needs to be creative and have a love for nature and wildlife. It goes without saying that you need to possess an ability to work in tough conditions.

However, more than the zoologist salary or the job description, the reward of being a zoologist is that you're doing something that you really love to do. Though the career discourages you with low entry salary, limited advancement, and the possibility that you may have to move a long distance to take a job, it also provides immense satisfaction. Here is a chance for you to undo some of the damage that humans have caused to the planet thus causing the extinction, or near extinction, of many animals.