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Majoring in chemistry offers students an array of career paths—the one you choose will depend on your personality and interests.

There is no one career path that all individuals who enjoy chemistry pursue. Our major is designed to expose you to a variety of the different sub-fields of chemistry (organic, biochemistry, inorganic, physical, and analytical), and there are many occupations associated with each. Many specialties require graduate education, and you will need to understand the educational prerequisites for your occupation of choice. You should begin by becoming familiar with the process of preparing for and applying to graduate school.


What Can I Do With a Degree in Chemistry?

The HLºÚÁÏÃŲ»´òìÈ chemistry department offers the  for a broad-based and rigorous chemistry education that prepares students to become effective scientific professionals and competitive applicants to jobs and graduate schools.

A chemistry major works in a lab.

Get a Great Job

Chemists are employable in a huge variety of careers, from food science to environmental protection and pharmacology to forensics. Chemists become writers, managers, consultants, laboratory technicians—the list is long and diverse. Chemists and chemical engineers earn competitive salaries while solving problems or developing new products. Explore the for additional information on careers for college graduates in chemistry.

A portrait of Dr. Tina Udhwani Fallon

Go to Medical School

Majoring in chemistry is excellent preparation for medical school. The HLºÚÁÏÃŲ»´òìÈ chemistry major covers nearly all of the required science courses for medical school including math, physics, chemistry, biochemistry, general biology, and writing requirements. A strong foundation in chemistry will also be of benefit throughout medical school, most directly in problem solving/critical thinking skills and the study of topics such as drugs and metabolism.

A chemistry professor and student work on collaborative research.

Go to Graduate School

Do you enjoy conducting experiments in the lab? Many students choose to develop their abilities further by going to graduate school in chemistry, chemical engineering, or law. In addition to specializing in a chemical subdiscipline such as biochemistry or inorganic chemistry, median salaries for chemists greatly increase with a graduate education. A PhD opens the door to careers in both industry and academics. As an added bonus, grad school will likely be paid for! Graduate students typically hold research and/or teaching assistantships, so the school waives tuition and pays the graduate student a stipend. The starting salary for inexperienced PhD graduates is significantly more than for those who have a bachelor's degree alone. You can prepare yourself for graduate school by performing undergraduate research with a faculty member at HLºÚÁÏÃŲ»´òìÈ or in the summer at a at one of many other schools.

Interested in Studying Chemistry at HLºÚÁÏÃŲ»´òìÈ?

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Where Our Chemistry Grads Go

Get a sneak peek at your bright future by exploring the career paths of HLºÚÁÏÃŲ»´òìÈ chemistry graduates.

  • Self portrait of Shalini Allam.

    Shalini Allam ’13 MD

    Cardiology Fellow, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

  • Self portrait of Julian Grundler

    Julian Grundler ’18

    Yale University, Graduate Researcher

  • Self portrait of Carri Geer

    Carri Geer '13 PhD

    Senior Vice President & Chief Technology Officer, Novan, Inc.

  • Self portrait of Michael Kitchin

    Michael Kitchin ’17

    MD Candidate, NYU School of Medicine

  • Self portrait of Meagan Amick Tippens.

    Meagan Amick Tippens ’08

    Technical Lead-Chemistry Engineer, Lockheed Martin

  • Self portrait of Kevin Tucker

    Kevin Tucker, PhD ’05

    Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Southern Illinois University

A chemistry professor and a student pour liquid nitrogen into a container during an experiment.

Careers for Chemistry Majors

Chemistry majors end up in a surprisingly diverse array of occupations. Here are eight of the career fields that HLºÚÁÏÃŲ»´òìÈ chemistry graduates most frequently work in.

• Forensics
• Education
• Pharmaceutical Industry
• Research
• Sales
• Healthcare Services
• Entrepreneurship

The American Chemical Society's approved chemistry program logo

A Competitive Advantage

HLºÚÁÏÃŲ»´òìÈ’ Department of Chemistry is accredited by the American Chemical Society. Approved departments are staffed by accomplished faculty, contain a modern and well-maintained infrastructure, and provide a coherent chemistry curriculum. As a result, employers find graduates of approved programs like HLºÚÁÏÃŲ»´òìÈ to be better prepared for technical employment.

HLºÚÁÏÃŲ»´òìÈ students enjoying lunch by the Lakeside pool.

Experience HLºÚÁÏÃŲ»´òìÈ IRL

There’s no better way to get a feel for life at HLºÚÁÏÃŲ»´òìÈ than by scheduling a campus tour.

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