Career Paths
Careers
The Chemistry Department has a long history of success in placing undergraduate students into excellent medical, dental, pharmacy and graduate school programs. Ultimately, our graduates (B.S./B.A.) have gone on to careers in industry, academia, government service, the health sciences, and private business.
A chemistry degree provides a solid background for careers that can grow and change as the individual changes or as the marketplace changes.
A degree in chemistry or biochemistry (B.S./B.A.) offers many career options because chemistry is a central science.
- Research: Discover new concepts and laws about matter and the universe, or apply chemistry to a range of industrial (e.g. catalysts, process optimization, quality control) and societal needs (e.g. ethics, environmental law, medicine/pharmaceutics).
- Leadership: Manage production facilities, businesses, research groups, or entire laboratories; or work in areas such as law, sales, marketing, consulting, purchasing, health and safety, and environmental science.
- Teaching: Teach in high schools, two- and four-year colleges and universities, and in corporate training centers to sustain and advance the quality of the work force.
Web pages/Resources for careers in chemistry and biochemistry
One of the most powerful web page is offered by the American Chemical Society, which presents students and teachers with a view of various career areas within the chemical sciences. It reports two- or four-page interviews with chemists working in different areas and includes information on educational requirements, employment outlook, salaries, and the skills needed to pursue a career goal in each area.
An alternative is the Chemical & Engineering News web page with an average of more than 350 open chemistry positions posted every month.
The Global Chemical Network is a specialist networking site for any chemist looking for a job opportunity worldwide.
