Professional opportunities for toxicologists: the requirements of the private sector for education/teaching

Toxicology, as a multidisciplinary field, provides career opportunities for graduates with medical (human or veterinarian), pharmacological, pharmaceu tical, biological, microbiological, molecular biological, chemical, biochem ical, genetic or other backgrounds. However, in today's environment special ists with a university degree in toxicology or a postgraduate training in t oxicology have a clear advantage. Postgraduate diplomas are now available i n most industrial countries. In addition, to be successful, modern toxicolo gists in the private sector also need a good understanding of how to turn a scientific project into a successful product, an expertise generally acqui red by on-the-job training. Last, but not least, the rapid progress in esse ntially all toxicology-relevant sciences makes continuous training mandator y. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.