Online Degrees

Natural Sciences Management Careers

The average value of the Bachelor degree needed to become a Natural sciences managers is $2,211,128.00.

Points of Interest

• Natural science managers will hold advanced degrees in the specialty field they manage.
• Most natural science managers have previous experience in the specialty field they manage.
• Many natural science managers will hold additional degrees such as an MBA.
• 36% of natural science managers are employed in manufacturing industries.
• 33% of natural science managers are employed in scientific, professional and technical services.

Nature of the Work

Natural science managers are typically responsible for planning, coordinating and directing activities within their particular field. They are often also responsible for research and development. Fields normally associated with the natural sciences include mathematics, statistics, physical sciences like chemistry, geology and physics as well as life sciences like agriculture, biology and medicine. The activities they are responsible for overseeing could include basic research or commercial applications. Coordination of testing, quality assurance and production are common areas of responsibility. Natural science managers will be supervising the technicians, scientists and support personnel working on these projects. They will be instrumental in determining staffing needs, hiring, training and evaluating the work they do. The y must also have strong administrative capabilities. They will often be responsible not only for resource allocation but also budgeting and hiring. They will often be defining and implementing administrative policies, standards and procedures. These could range from determining sound methodology to environmental standards. While it is critical for the natural science manager to have strong technical background, it is equally important they have good communication skills. Directing the people working on the projects and delivering progress reports to other departments and higher management are routine activities. Being able to communicate succinctly and effectively both verbally and in writing is very important to successfully doing the job. Natural science managers will frequently be required to present budgets, requests for resources and obtain approval to initiate new projects. Being able to communicate these needs effectively to decision makers who may not understand the technical aspects such programs is very important.

Training, Other Qualifications, and Advancement

Natural science managers will need to have a strong technical background in the field they are managing. Advanced degrees in the specialty managed are often a prerequisite. Because the nature of the work involves them being able to explain the technical aspects of a project to people without that expertise, they must also possess exceptional communication skills. Many companies prefer to hire from within. Natural science managers often started as scientists in the field they are managing. In order to move into the management realm they must have higher degrees in their chosen specialty. Most will have a Ph.D. in their field. Some have a masters in their field but often also hold additional degrees. Often these degrees will be administrative in nature. Business, finance, law and communication degrees often give the individual additional credibility when seeking to move into a management role. Many companies offer tuition reimbursement to employees who continue their education while they are employed. Normally the employee will need to demonstrate that the coursework they are taking will make them a more valuable asset to the company. While continuing to gain training in the field they are currently engaged in clearly meets this criterion, most companies will recognize an employee's attempt to prepare themselves for advancement by expanding their knowledge base in relevant areas.

Employment

The largest portion of natural science managers are in Alaska, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey and Delaware. More specifically the cities with the highest concentration of these jobs are Durham North Carolina, Olympia Washington, Fairbanks Alaska, Farmingham Massachusetts an Santa Fe New Mexico. Industries that employ the most natural science managers are scientific research and development, pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing, architectural, engineering and related services and government. When it comes to earning top wages, oil and gas extraction, aerospace product and parts manufacturing, pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing are the industrial leaders.

Job Outlook

Most organizations have made the job posting for natural science managers both internal and external. While there has historically been a preference for promoting scientists already involved in an organization to the position, this practice is slowly declining. Currently there is an increasing trend toward hiring outside consultants to fulfill the role played by the natural science manager. Consequently, the opportunity for those with the experience and necessary credentials to sign with a technical consulting firm is on the rise. Promotion from within an organization will require the candidate to demonstrate they have the additional skills necessary to be successful in a management role. This can be done by acquiring an administrative or business related degree. It can often also be done by taking the initiative to step into temporary roles that would involve interaction with other departments. These interactions would provide the opportunity to demonstrate many of the interpersonal skills necessary to manage people. Skills like communication and leadership are difficult to assess on paper but, can be easily demonstrated 

Projections

The outlook for the natural science manager is directly tied to the outlook of the scientists, mathematicians and support staff they would supervise. As these positions increase or decrease, so will the opportunities for natural science managers. Some of the fields expected to grow rapidly in the next few years include environmental and medical sciences. Between 2008 and 2018 Environmental sciences is expected to grow 28%. Over the same period of time medical sciences is expecting an increase of 40%. Overall, there are expected to be 15% more natural science managers in 2018 than there were in 2008.

Earnings

The earnings for natural science managers will vary according to a number of factors. The individuals specialty and level of responsibility will have significant influence on their earning potential. Additionally, the sector they are employed in and where they are employed will also affect earnings. Generally, those employed in medicine and pharmaceuticals will have the highest earning potential. The median wage in 2008 was $144,640 annually. Natural science managers in research and development earned a median wage of $136,310 in the same year. Those employed by the federal government in 2008 earned a median annual income of $102,410. Agriculture, engineering and related services compensated natural science managers a median annual income of $98,980 in 2008. State government employed natural science managers garnered a median salary of $69,220. What region of the country you are employed in will have some impact on your earning potential as well. Generally speaking, natural science managers will earn more by working on the east coast. The highest paying states are Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, California and Virginia. In most cases, the natural science manager will also have additional benefits such as retirement plans, life and heath insurance, bonuses and expense accounts. Those in the private sector frequently are able to participate in stock option plans and even receive stock as part of their compensation package.

Related Occupations

Natural science managers are engaged in activities closely related to the work of several other occupations.

• Agriculture and food scientists 
• Biological scientists 
• Chemists 
• Pharmaceutical and medical scientists 
• Atmospheric scientists 
• Geologists 
• Hydrologists 
• Physicists 
• Mathematicians 
• Environmental scientists 
• Astronomers 
• Top executives

Sources of Additional Information 

To learn more about the work natural science managers do it is important to know more about the work they supervise.

• Agricultural scientists Purdue University and the U. S Department of Agricuture http://www.agriculture.purdue.edu/USDA/careers
• American Society of Agronomy http://www.agronomy.org
• Crop Science Society http://www.crops.org
• Soil Science Society of America http://www.soils.org Institute of Food Technologists http://www.ift.org 
• Biological Scientists American Institute of Biological Sciences http://www.aibs.org
• Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology http://www.faseb.org
• American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology http://www.asbmb.org
• The Botanical Society of America http://www.botany.org
• American Society for Cell Biology http://www.ascb.org
• Ecological Society of America http://www.esa.org
• American Society for Microbiology http://www.asm.org 
• Chemists American Chemical Society http://www.acs.org 
• Medical scientists Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology http://www.faseb.org
• National Association of M.D.-Ph.D. Programs http://www.aamc.org/students/considering/research/mdphd/
• American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) http://www.aapspharmaceutica.org
• American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics http://www.aspet.org 
• Atmospheric Scientists University Corporation for Atmospheric Research http://www.ucar.edu/student_recruiting
• American Meteorological Society http://www.ametsoc.org 
• Geologists American Geological Institute http://www.agiweb.org
• American Association of Petroleum Geologists http://www.aapg.org 
• Hydrologists American Institute of Hydrology http://www.aihydrology.org 
• Physicists American Institute of Physics http://www.aip.org
• American Physical Society http://www.aps.org 
• Mathematicians American Mathematical Society http://www.ams.org
• Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics http://www.siam.org 
• Environmental Scientists American Geological Institute http://www.agiweb.org
• Society of American Foresters http://www.safnet.org
• Society for Range Management http://www.rangelands.org

Related Jobs

People with the educational background, skills, and desire to become a Natural sciences managers might be well suited to work as Biological technicians as well.