Jobs With a Chemistry Degree

Chemistry majors develop numerous skills throughout their education. They are able to identify chemical compounds as well as what the interactions between those compounds would be. They learn laboratory research skills along with how to document and clearly explain their research. With these skills a chemistry graduate may pursue a job in industry, academia, government or another, non-traditional area.

Industry

• According to the Younger Chemists Committee of the American Chemical Society, 60 percent of chemistry majors end up with a job in industry. Industry chemists work towards developing new products for private companies. They may work as a research, development or production chemist. More specifically, they may be known as food scientists, medical researchers or even flavorists--those who develop the chemical compounds that flavor foods and beverages. People in these occupations help develop innovative new products, medicine, machinery and even processes for creating things.

Academia

• Some chemistry graduates choose to use their knowledge to teach others about chemistry. They may find jobs as school teachers who teach basic science classes, or as professors and lecturers at the university level. University professors often serve as researchers for the university programs and projects. They must balance teaching and research, which can often be difficult as competition for these types of positions are high. Some chemistry grads may find their way to academia by becoming lab technologists or instrumentation specialists--those who care for and manage the technology being used by academic research programs.

Government

• Chemistry graduates can find employment in many different departments of the government, such as the National Bureau of Standards, the National Institutes of Health, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Defense, the Environmental Protection Agency, Agricultural Research Service Investigation or the Food and Drug Administration. In these departments chemistry majors may be leading research, product development, weapons development, testing, investigation or they may advise on policymaking.

Non-traditional

• There are various other employment opportunities that require some knowledge of chemistry. A chemistry graduate may be employed by a museum to help restore, preserve and authenticate certain artifacts and works. A chemical patent attorney must use both his background knowledge of chemistry and his law degree to determine whether or not something is worthy of a patent. Chemistry grads might also find work as dietitians--planning meals and educating others about nutrition, technical writers--writing and editing chemistry specific literature, or pharmacists.