I am attending the University of Arizona this fall. I would like to do a double major in chemistry and political science, so the B.A. is ideal for me. Furthermore, I enjoy chemistry and I can complete the math courses required for a B.S., but I know I would be happier studying a more well-rounded curriculum, as my passions lie in public service and legislation.
Realistically, I am still unsure of what kind of career I want after college. I would like to go to law school eventually (hence the reason for the double major), but I want secure professional opportunities in between graduating and applying to law school so I can pay for it.
Is the B.S. necessary to land a decent-paying job in a chemistry-related field?
Chemistry at the BA/BS level is not generally a high paying field, although better than biology. Chemical engineering is likely better.
Here is University of Arizona’s career survey, including by major: http://www.career.arizona.edu/sites/www.career.arizona.edu/files/CDS%20College%20Specific%20Report%202015-16%20112316.pdf . Median pay that graduates with jobs found:
Median Jobs/ Major
Pay Responses
$40,000 62/125 Political Science
$40,000 7/30 Chemistry
$66,900 32/47 Chemical Engineering
No specific major is necessary for law school, though some may be helpful for certain types of law (e.g. a science or engineering major for patent law). I.e. you do not have to major in political science to go to law school. Of LSAT takers, political science is the most popular undergraduate major, but makes up only about a fifth. http://lawschoolnumbers.com/application-prep/ugraduate may be of help when planning your undergraduate study as a pre-law student.
For most lab-related jobs that you could get with a chemistry bachelor’s degree, the important thing will be convincing people you can technically do the job. BS v BA is not nearly as meaningful as relevant lab experience, especially research experience (vs coursework). So either BA or BS is OK if you get involved in relevant research.
However, for your situation, since you want to go into public service/legislation, I would think that your time between college and law school would be better spent working in a non-lab setting, possibly working for a regulatory agency (EPA, state Dept of Health, Air Resources Board, etc) or an environmental consulting firm. I would imagine a lab job would pay somewhat better (not sure about this, honestly), but the experience of doing repetitive LC/MS analyses or routine synthetic preps would probably do little to prepare you for your eventual career direction. So if you accept this line of reasoning, then BA vs BS is probably a meaningless distinction, and in fact BA would be better if it allows you more freedom to double major or minor in poli sci.
I think ChemE is the best option, because it gives you a solid backup plan if law school doesn’t work out. Also I don’'t think law school has any specific pre-requisites, so the double major is entirely your prerogative not a necessity.