As a student who’s majoring in a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S.T.E.M.) field, your field of study is diverse, challenging, and offers a wide array of opportunities. In the 21st century, scientific and technological innovations have become increasingly important – especially as the global world grows and changes. Do you love your major, but you aren’t sure where you can go with it? Use the information on this page to help you launch your S.T.E.M. career!
Career Exploration
You can dive into many S.T.E.M.-related careers through the following sites. They include information on nature of the work, required education & training, salaries, skills needed, and much more:
- ONET Online: STEM Careers Cluster
- Occupational Outlook Handbook: Life, Physical, & Social Science
- ORISE STEM Career Outlook
- The Secret Life of Scientists and Engineers
Getting Experience in S.T.E.M.
Once you have a better idea of what path you want to take in S.T.E.M., your next step is to think about getting some hands-on experience within your field. Whether you continue your education in a graduate program or go straight into the workforce, having internship experience will put you ahead of the game. Here are some examples – based on various areas of interests – on ways to try out different S.T.E.M. careers:
Biological Sciences
Chemistry
- CCE Summer Undergraduate Research Program
- SCI Scholars Internship Program
- ACS International Center (search for global internships)
- American Chemical Society Internships portal
Environmental/Geography/Geology
Neuroscience
- Carnegie Mellon – University of Pittsburgh Joint Summer Undergraduate Program in Computational Neuroscience
- UT Medical Cole Neuroscience Center
Math/Stats
- Summer Institute in Biostatistics
- UnitedHealth – Healthcare Analytics (Master’s)
- List from American Statistical Association
To find other opportunities, use one of the following search engines:
- National Science Foundation
- Pathways To Science
- Science Careers
- BioSpace
- Chem/Eng Jobs
- S. Department of Education
Agriculture and Environmental Sciences Career Newsletter
Interested in a receiving a career newsletter through Handshake related to agriculture or environmental science? If you do not already receive this newsletter, you can sign up at tiny.utk.edu/newslettersignup.
Getting InVOLved
While an internship will get you some great experience off-campus, there are some neat ways to get experience on campus. Check out these organizations and opportunities in VOLink to get started today:
Student Organizations
- Tech CarniVOL
- Pipeline: Vols for Women in STEM
- Out in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (oSTEM)
- Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS)
- Forum on Science, Ethics, and Policy (FOSEP)
- The Physics Journal Club
- Health Physics Society
- Women in Physics
- Society of Physics Students
- Ask a Scientist
- Math Club
- VolHacks
Campus Programs
For more assistance with launching your S.T.E.M. career, call the Center for Career Development at 865-974-5435 to meet with the S.T.E.M. career coach.