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Toxicologist

What To Learn

High School

What high school courses should you take if you're interested in this career? Get your answers from the Health Science cluster Biotechnology Research and Development pathway.

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Chemistry is the starting point, says Dietrich Mebs, secretary of the International Society on Toxinology.

"As a medical or pharmaceutical student starts with pharmacology, a chemical student gets contact with an analytical lab," she says. "Toxicology is a lot of chemical analytical work."

"A firm foundation in hard sciences is essential," says Linda S. Birnbaum. She is the director of the environmental toxicology division of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. "Take as many courses in biology, chemistry, mathematics and even statistics as you can."

The Society of Forensic Toxicologists recommends that people wanting to specialize in forensics get training in biochemistry, physiology, pharmacology and pathology in addition to analytical chemistry.

Advanced education is a must, says Keith Solomon, director of the Center for Toxicology. "If you want to truly go somewhere in this field, an undergraduate degree is probably not enough. You should be thinking of graduate school."