Gain Experience

Most careers in the Science + Health field are research-oriented. With UCSB being a highly ranked research institution, we recommend that you take advantage of research opportunities during your undergraduate experience. One way to pursue this is through connecting with your professors and TAs. Review your department’s website to learn about the research being conducted on campus. If any topics intrigue you, we recommend that you reach out to the researcher to express interest. If you know them, make an appointment to discuss potentially contributing to the team during their office hours. In addition, there are research opportunities available outside of UCSB. 

Some sites where you can find these include:

• Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary
• EUREKA!
• Materials Research laboratory (MRL)
• UC LEADS
• UCSB Environmental Studies Undergraduate Research
   

Learn More

For more research opportunities, review our Research page and the UCSB Undergraduate Research website.
 

Internships are a valuable manner for you to attain hands-on experience in a field before acquiring your degree. Although they are often unpaid, they do provide you advantages, such as: a more competitive resume and CV, connections in the industry, the opportunity to apply your education into practice, and insights into your strengths and weaknesses. Begin by looking for internship opportunities through your Handshake and LinkedIn accounts. The more that you utilize these accounts to search for opportunities, the more specialized their suggestions will become for you. 

In addition, consider looking at these sites for relevant opportunities:

• Center for Disease Control and Prevention
• US Department of Energy
• US Department of Health and Human Services
• US Food and Drug Administration
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
• Work in Biotech
   

Unpaid experience is equally as valuable as paid experience. In the Science + Health fields, there is often an abundance of volunteer opportunities available. Whether you are surveying land, assisting at a hospital or medical facility, or taking lead in a student organization, your experience is relevant! Because Santa Barbara has one of the largest concentrations of nonprofit organizations in the US, we encourage you to explore those in the area for volunteer opportunities. 

In addition, check out our Extracurriculars page for access to all campus organizations to become involved in at UCSB. If you find a cause or program which you are passionate about, consider taking on leadership roles to gain the interpersonal skills and transferable necessary for careers in Science + Health. Do not hesitate to showcase these on your resume and CV!
 

Learn More 

For extracurricular opportunities in the medical, veterinary, dental, pharmacy, physical therapy, podiatry, and optometry fields, visit UCSB Health Professions Advising’s Extra-Curricular Experiences page.
 

UCSB’s Education Abroad Program (EAP) provides students with the opportunity to pursue coursework that is not offered on-campus. In addition to gaining interpersonal skills such as cultural awareness, linguistic abilities, and international connections, EAP also allows you to pursue research and internships abroad. Oftentimes, the research happening at other universities is not the same as what is offered at UCSB, thus it is valuable to take advantage of opportunities elsewhere. 

Here are links to programs available by major:

• Biological Sciences
• Chemistry + Biochemistry
• Earth Science
• Environmental Science
• Geography
• Mathematics
• Physical Science
• Physics
• Psychology
   

In addition, check out the Capital Internships program for opportunities in Washington, DC and Sacramento, during which you can pursue internships and research opportunities in your field of choice.