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Chemistry

 

Occupational Possibilities

Chemistry majors develop skills that may lead to a wide variety of occupational tracks. Trained to think both analytically and creatively, chemists solve practical as well as research problems-skills that are readily transferable to many careers. Many chemistry majors go on to law, medical, business, or graduate schools, but they are prepared for careers in such diverse settings as research, education and government, and industry.

The following list, presents a sampling of positions that chemistry majors often accept. Some of the listed occupations, such as art conservator, require additional skills, knowledge, or training. Advanced graduate study is generally expected for those positions marked with a * on the list.

Government

  • *Regulatory chemist
  • Safety inspector
  • *Agronomist
  • County health department inspector
  • Water works supervisor
  • Superfund quality assurance manager
  • Federal Drug Administration inspector
  • Wastewater treatment system supervisor
  • Occupational Safety and Health Administration enforcement agent

Education and Training

  • *Professor
  • Art conservator
  • Science teacher
  • Scientific editor
  • Program director, professional society
  • Museum education programs coordinator
  • Laboratory manager
  • Technical writer

Industry

  • *Certified hazardous materials manager
  • *Pharmaceutical research chemist
  • Application chemist
  • Industrial hygienist
  • *Patent lawyer
  • *Chemical information specialist
  • Market research analyst
  • Sales manager
  • Textile dyes analyst
  • Environmental compliance officer
  • *Research scientist
  • *Polymer chemist
  • Analytical chemist
  • Chemical salesperson
  • *Chemical engineer

Medicine and Health

  • *Primary care physician
  • *Toxicologist
  • Environmental risk assessor
  • Radiation health specialist
  • *Nurse-Anesthetist
  • *Pathologist
  • *Medical examiner
  • *Serologist
  • *Dentist
  • *Pharmacist
  • Food scientist/technologist
  • *Life scientist

 

 

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Skills and Abilities

Chemistry majors develop the analytical and creative skills necessary to ask questions about their observation of nature and to develop experiments to answer those questions. These observational and imaginative abilities allow them to see both qualitative and quantitative relationships as well. The list below is a representative sampling of specific skills and abilities which chemistry majors develop and which are applicable to a variety of occupational areas. For example, both a research chemist in a pharmaceutical company and the editor at a scientific press would regularly need to maintain accuracy while applying knowledge creatively.

Technical

  • Processing data
  • Solving quantitative problems
  • Calculating
  • Tabulating data
  • Sampling for surveys
  • Using laboratory equipment
  • Maintaining precision and accuracy

Investigation

  • Remaining objective
  • Reviewing relevant data
  • Applying concepts
  • Utilizing formulas
  • Gathering information
  • Observing carefully
  • Asking questions
  • Designing experiments
  • Applying knowledge creatively

Analysis

  • Summarizing research findings
  • Attending to details
  • Analyzing data
  • Testing hypotheses
  • Developing theories
  • Clarifying problems
  • Identifying relationships between problems/solutions
  • Reasoning by analogy
  • Perceiving patterns/structures
  • Applying logic to problems
  • Evaluating data and results

Communication

  • Writing for technical and non-technical audiences
  • Organizing and reporting data
  • Designing charts/graphs
  • Informing/explaining
  • Reporting results and conclusions orally and in writing

 

 

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Career Planning and Resources

Internships

 

Job Search

 

Professional Associations

For More Information

...about careers, graduate and professional schools, internships, professional associations, or job descriptions contact:

University Career Center
110 Burge Union
(785) 864-3624

For information about majors and concentrations in chemistry:

Chemistry Department
2010 Malott Hall
(785) 864-4670

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