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Employment opportunities for chemistry major graduates.

Chemistry is a fundamental science that has a wide application in all of the physical sciences, the biological sciences, and the social sciences. Chemistry and its applications are found in all aspects of our environment and society. The solutions to many of our current problems will be found using chemistry.

Today, the employment outlook for chemists is excellent and projections indicate it will be even better in the near future. Careers in government or private industry include:

  • New Materials - chemists have played an historic role in the development of polymers and today are finding new polymers, new cramics, superconductors and new combinations of materials for applications in aerospace, electronics, medicine, building, and transportation industries. (Three polymer courses have been recently added to the curriculum).
  • Energy - chemists are playing an important role in the development of materials for solar energy cells, new lasers, nuclear fusion research and in batteries and fuel cells for energy storage.
  • Health - the development of chemotherapy reagents, pharmaceuticlas, and time release drugs are areas for chemists. Chemists also play an important role in recombinant DNA technology and genetic engineering. (See the Biochemistry Major and curriculum).
  • Forensics - a chemistry degree provides an excellent background for the wide variety of chemical analyses used in forensics.
  • Environment - monitoring the environment and the development of recycling processes for waste and reusable resources are chemical problems.
  • Education - our nation is confronted with an urgent need for improving science education at the pre-college level. The challenge is great and the rewards for good teachers at the high school level are personally staisfying. (See the Secondary Education Major: and curriclulm.

    • Many other opportunities exist for chemists in agriculture, business, law, and in forensic laboratories. Graduate education in chemistry, chemical engineering, molecular or cell biology, environmental sciences, life sciences, and oceanography are some of the many opportunities open to chemistry graduates. Many chemistry graduates at UWRF go on directly to graduate school to earn advanced degrees; others enter employment in goverenment or industry; some arrend programs in medical or veterinary sciences or pharmacology; and come choose to enter the teaching field.

     

    Post Graduation Choices for UWRF Chemistry Graduates

    Post Graduation

     

    Areas

    Examples

    Graduate School

    Chemistry, Material Science, Polymer Science, Immunology, Virology

     

    Univ. of Minnesota, Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison, Iowa State University, Texas A&M

    Professional School

    Pharmacy, Veterinary, Medical, Law

    Univ. of Minnesota, Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison, Iowa State University

     

    Chemical Related Industries

    Product Development, Quality Control, Environmental Testing, Forensic Analysis

     

    3M, Hazeltine Labs, H. B. Fuller, Aldrich Chemical Company, BCA

    Secondary Education

    Teaching chemistry and related classes

    Middle School or High School

     

     

    About one third of UWRF chemistry majors go on for graduate study and more than half go directly to employment in industry. The following table is a summary of our chemistry major’s post graduation activities over the past six years.  

     Graduation summary for the last six years (1999-2004) at UWRF.

    Chemistry Major Graduates

    82

    Women Chemistry Major Graduates

    54%

    Graduate School

    32%

    Chemical Industry

    61%

    Professional School (Vet, Med)

    4%

    Secondary Education

    4%

     

    The following information is from a recent American Chemical Society survey published in Chemical & Engineering News (April 19, 2004). The employment outlook for chemists is down from previous years but is still good.  The following two tables outline some employment statistics for all chemists in the U.S..

     

    Employment Rate for Chemists

     

     

    Employed

     

    Grad/Prof School/

    Seeking

     

    Degree

    Full Time

    Part Time

     

    Postdoc

    Employment

    B.A./B.S.

    33%

    8%

     

    49%

    7%

    M.S.

    47%

    7%

     

    33%

    10%

    Ph.D.

    42%

    3%

     

    51%

    4%

     

     

    Employment Areas for Chemists

     

    B.A./B.S

    M.S

    Ph.D.

    Academia

    23%

    30%

    35%

    Industry

    66%

    62%

    60%

    Government

    12%

    7%

    5%

     

     

    Salaries for Chemists

     

    Starting Salaries by Experience

     

    < 12 Months

    12-36 Months

    > 36 Months

    B.A./B.S. Chemists

    $32.0

    $35.0

    $39.0

    M.S. Chemists

    $44.5

    $45.0

    $54.0

    Ph.D. Chemists

    $63.3

    $72.5

    $77.5

     

     

     

     

     

    Starting Salaries by Degree

     

    B.A./B.S

    M.S

    Ph.D.

    Male

    $32.0

    $47.6

    $66.5

    Female

    $32.0

    $43.0

    $55.0

     

     

     

     

     

    B.A./B.S

    M.S

    Ph.D.

    Academia

    $30.0

    $36.3

    $42.0

    Industry

    $33.0

    $50.2

    $73.0

    Government

    $32.7

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    -

    Median Salaries in Thousands of Dollars

    Created by: Jeff Rosenthal
    Wednesday, 03-Oct-2007 14:50:57 CDT