Science Graduate Jobs 2026: Roles, Pay and Entry Routes
TL;DR
- Science graduate jobs sit in labs, hospitals, factories, the field and the office.
- Typical starting pay runs from about £26,000 to £32,000, and passes £60,000 with experience.
- Most science graduate schemes last two years and pay £27,000 to £45,000.
- A degree helps, but apprenticeships and conversion courses open the same doors.
What is a science graduate job?
Science graduate jobs are roles where you use biology, chemistry, physics or data skills to solve real problems. The work can happen in a lab, on a factory floor, outdoors or in an office. You might test a new medicine, check that food is safe, study the climate or help design a satellite.
The sector is wide. It runs from academic research and hospitals to energy, food science, forensics and pharmaceuticals. That range means you are not tied to a lab coat for life if you would rather move into project work, policy or sales.
Science graduate jobs: the roles and what they pay
Pay depends on the role, the employer and your experience. These are typical starting ranges for common science roles.
| Role. | Typical starting pay. | What you do. |
|---|---|---|
| Analytical chemist. | £26,000 to £30,000. | Tests medicine, products and forensic samples. |
| Biomedical scientist. | £31,049 to £37,796. | Runs the lab tests that help doctors spot illness. |
| Laboratory technician. | £18,000 to £25,000, up to £35,000 with experience. | Prepares samples and keeps labs running. |
| Research scientist. | £25,000 to £40,000, up to £50,000. | Designs studies and runs experiments. |
| Regulatory affairs officer. | £30,000 to £65,000. | Checks that products meet safety and legal rules. |
| Clinical research associate. | £30,000 to £60,000. | Manages and monitors clinical trials. |
| Data scientist in life sciences. | £35,000 to £70,000. | Finds patterns in large sets of scientific data. |
Senior and specialist roles can pass £80,000 to £100,000. Private firms, especially in biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, tend to pay more. These figures come from Prospects sector data, published in March 2026.
Science and pharmaceutical graduate schemes
A graduate scheme gives you structured training, mentoring and often rotations across teams. Most programmes last two years. Schemes usually start at around £27,000 and reach £45,000.
| Employer. | Starting salary. |
|---|---|
| Lloyds Banking Group. | £45,000. |
| Sellafield Ltd. | £40,802. |
| BP. | £39,000. |
| NHS. | £35,392. |
| MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology. | £35,000. |
| South Wales Police. | £32,250. |
| AstraZeneca. | £32,000. |
| AWE. | £31,000. |
| Transport for London. | £31,000. |
| Environment Agency. | £30,685. |
| Cranswick. | £28,000. |
| Morrisons. | £28,000. |
| National Crime Agency. | £26,370. |
Many schemes add funded qualifications, private healthcare or relocation support. Public sector schemes often bring stronger pensions and more holiday. See our guide to graduate schemes for how the application process works.
Entry routes: degrees, apprenticeships and study
Most science roles ask for a degree in a STEM subject. Some ask for a specific one. Chemistry suits drug development and analytical work. Biology or pharmacology suits research and life sciences. Food science or nutrition suits food technology.
Grades matter for the competitive schemes. The NHS Scientist Training Programme asks for a 2:1, or a 2:2 with a relevant Masters degree. Other employers look for a strong record of lab work or research projects.
Around one in seven science graduates go on to postgraduate study, and chemistry and physics graduates often go further. Prospects Luminate's What Do Graduates Do? 2025/26 found that almost half of science graduates were in full-time work 15 months after graduating.
You do not always need a degree to start. Apprenticeships let you earn while you learn, for example as a pharmacy technician. Conversion courses in data science or bioinformatics also help career changers move into the sector.
Skills that science employers want
- Attention to detail. Mistakes in a lab or a factory can be costly.
- Data skills. Python, R and statistics are now normal in science work.
- Clear communication. You will explain complex work to people outside your field.
- Problem solving. Experiments fail, and you need to work out why.
- Teamwork. Projects pull together chemists, engineers and analysts.
If you want to sharpen these for applications, our guide to the graduate skills gap shows the gaps employers name most often. You can also check your CV against science roles with our free CV checker.
Science and pharmaceutical careers beyond the United Kingdom
Science skills travel well. Each market has its own regulator and its own routes. In Kenya, pharmacists must register with the Pharmacy and Poisons Board before they can practise. In Uganda, the National Drug Authority oversees medicines and research. In the Philippines, the Food and Drug Administration licenses drug makers, and government science scholarships help graduates fund further study.
National research institutes, universities and public health bodies in all three markets also hire science graduates. Local manufacturing of medicines and vaccines keeps creating lab and quality roles.
If you would rather work with patients than samples, our guide to healthcare graduate jobs sets out the clinical routes.
The Bottom Line
Science graduate jobs are steady and easy to move between. Pick a role, learn the data tools, and get any lab or project experience you can. Then apply early, because the best schemes close months before the start date.
For the wider picture, see our list of data science graduate jobs.
Ready to start your science career? Join Padgrad. Our free tools help you build a strong CV and find graduate roles in the United Kingdom, Kenya, Uganda and the Philippines.
By Ori