What degree do you need to be a toxicologist?

You need a Ph.D. in toxicology to be a toxicologist. PhDs in physiology, cell biology, biochemistry, or another similar biological science are also acceptable. Before obtaining your Ph.D., you must first get a bachelor's degree in toxicology, cell biology, pharmacology, or other related disciplines.

What is the role of a toxicologist?

The role of a toxicologist is to use their knowledge of the sciences to find out how chemicals and substances affect living systems. Their work helps guide policymakers' decisions regarding public health, occupational safety, and environmental protection.

How To Become A Toxicologist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a toxicologist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Dr. Betsy Smith

A toxicologist is a person with an in-depth knowledge of science who often works in the pharmaceutical industry. Your work has to do with understanding chemicals and other substances in order to know whether they are harmful to humans or other living organisms. You are to work closely with a chemist and a biologist. Your job involves guiding on issues associated with toxic. You will also be responsible for developing purification processes and carry out tests on the toxicological specimen. As a result, your day-to-day task will involve reviewing, recording, and approving samples.

As a toxicologist, you will manage sample inventory and comply with a computer database of regulatory compliance information. You must possess risk assessment skills and have excellent knowledge of chemistry and product safety. A master's degree in a related course is the most common qualification among toxicologists.

You will earn a minimum of $68,213 annually, an equivalent of $32.79 hourly in the United States.

What general advice would you give to a toxicologist?

Dr. Betsy Smith

Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Elmira College

I would advise students just graduating to be flexible and open-minded in their job search. Chemistry is a challenging major, and students who succeed in it have learned how to learn, so they shouldn't assume that pure chemistry is the only thing they can do. One growing field is biomedical research, and chemistry majors are often qualified for jobs in that area. If you have other strengths, like writing, there are often jobs that can combine them as a technical writer or work for a science journal. There are jobs out there that might be perfect for you that you haven't heard of until you see an ad for it, so be open to different possibilities.

ScoreToxicologistUS Average

Salary

5.9

Avg. Salary $75,601

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.3

Growth rate 17%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.15%

Asian 23.28%

Black or African American 6.49%

Hispanic or Latino 9.76%

Unknown 4.14%

White 56.18%

Gender

female 48.55%

male 51.45%

Age - 39

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39

Stress level

6.3

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.8

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.7

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a toxicologist

Explore toxicologist education requirements

Most common toxicologist degrees

Bachelor's

57.3 %

Master's

17.3 %

Doctorate

15.5 %

Start to develop specific toxicologist skills

Skills	Percentages
Risk Assessments	13.40%
Chemistry	9.60%
Product Safety	5.77%
FDA	5.76%
Toxicology Studies	4.97%

Complete relevant toxicologist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New toxicologists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a toxicologist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real toxicologist resumes.

Research toxicologist duties and responsibilities

Manage sample inventory via in-house laboratory information management system (LIMS) and implement additional systems for sample and chemical organization.
Review in-house and contract toxicology studies on Monsanto products to ensure compliance with FDA and EPA regulations.
Evaluate, verify and certify patient results from multiple levels of testing; ELISA, LCMS, MSMS
Review and report both positive and negative initial drug screening data from the laboratory, and release results into the LIS.

Prepare your toxicologist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your toxicologist resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a toxicologist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable toxicologist resume templates

Build a professional toxicologist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your toxicologist resume.