<p>Considering majoring in chemistry.</p>
<p>It’s always good to explore career options before you choose your major. I am still yet to graduate but most B.S in chemistry usually get employed as a lab technician or research assistant. I believe most chem graduates return to grad school within 5 years. I’m not gonna lie, it’s very hard to get a job with only B.S in chem these days. Read this thread on this forum, it might be helpful.: <a href=“Chemical Forums: Problems with employment with a BS in Chemistry?”>Chemical Forums: Problems with employment with a BS in Chemistry?;
<p>Personally, I recently determined that chemical engineering would suit me better so I’m considering going to M.S in chemical engineering or transferring now if possible.</p>
<p>[Chemistry</a> Jobs, Careers & Professional Development - American Chemical Society](<a href=“American Chemical Society”>American Chemical Society)</p>
<p>This site is really helpful for any chemistry major. Pharmaceutical/medicinal concentrations would most likely give you the best employment options.</p>
<p>You’re going to need to get a PhD if you don’t want to end up doing someone elses bullcrap work. There are exceptions to what I’m about to say, but you must remember they are exceptions</p>
<p>BS graduates work as lab technicians…almost always.</p>
<p>Wherever you end up working, you’re most likely going to be in a team under a principal investigator or team leader. Now lets say your team is trying to find a new drug that will fight drug resistant bacteria…the person with the BS will be synthesizing all of the theoretical compounds, doing the majority of the actual laboratory work. The person with the MS will take all of the synthesized compounds and subsequently test them all on the bacteria…still a lot of work. The person with the PhD interprets the data and organizes it for future publications/research projects…not that much work and they get paid the most.</p>
<p>If you like doing the grunt work for less than 40k a year, then stick with the BS…but if you actually want to delve into novel research & development you should go straight from a BS to graduate school and get your PhD. Going to work for a few years is only for people who actually can’t get into grad school at the time or don’t know how much it sucks to just have a bachelors in chemistry.</p>
<p>But wouldn’t it be also a good idea to make some money after college before you enter ph.D program?</p>
<p>Every PhD program I’ve looked into pays your tuition, gives you full healthcare coverage, and a yearly stipend that ranges from 20-28k</p>
<p>I like chemistry and all, but if I had to take any subject up to a PhD, especially something like chemistry, I think I’d go crazy.</p>
<p>^If you can’t imagine getting a PhD in chemistry, it’s understandable, but it also suggests you might not like working in chemistry either (I will venture a guess taht being a lab technician for someone else in chemistry would be less pleasant that doing research in chemistry at the PhD level). </p>
<p>Some chemists go into law school and become patent lawyers. Some get an education degree or certificate and teach science in HS. Some go on to get an MBA and can use both degrees managing in a related industry. Lots you can do but it seems the better paying and more enjoyable professional jobs are ones that require more than a four year degree.</p>
<p>Yeah I’d only be getting a 4 year degree. I don’t want to waste any more of my life in school. I thought I could do more with a BS though. There are a lot of small labs here that do blood work and DNA testing etc. Also what about people who need chemists in industry like paint, bleach, food suppliers etc. Surely I could get a job there with a BS in chemistry for a decent salary?</p>
<p>How about chemical engineering? Are you interested in it? </p>
<p>On a side note, I once talked to a guy who has ph.D in chem and he said his wife with a B.S in chem and MBA earns more than him.</p>
<p>Not really. It sounds like watered down chemistry with economics and physics thrown in. And it feels a little commercial to me and I’ve heard it’s notoriously hard. Nope, not something I could see myself doing.</p>
<p>For all intents and purposes I plan on becoming a teacher. An English teacher actually. If I can manage two majors in English and Chemistry. I just want options if I change my mind. And I might change it.</p>
<p>Also I don’t need to make a lot of money, well for CC standards anyway. If I could make 50 to 60K that would be a lot of money to me that I could live off. I am not materialistic.</p>
<p>Become a chemistry college professor. It is such a great job. Flexible hours + great pay + doing something really good. </p>
<p>Going into the research stuff is not fun unless its all in your heart. Eat, breathe, sleep about chemistry. Most of the time you will probably be reading up on current scientific journals and coming up with grant proposals.</p>
<p>I work for a very large chemical company. BS chemists are hired as technicians with a starting salary of 45K-50K. BS chemists who have been working here for 20+ years are making in the range of 60K-70K. MS chemists start at aout 55K-60K and max out at about 80K-85K; PhD’s are hired at 75K-80K and max out at about 120K.</p>
<p>Thanks mrsref. That’s some information I was looking for. What would be a technician entail exactly? I hope it wouldn’t be too dreadfully repetitive. I don’t like repetitive things. What would be the difference between the BSs job and the MSs job?</p>
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Not really. It sounds like watered down chemistry with economics and physics thrown in. And it feels a little commercial to me and I’ve heard it’s notoriously hard. Nope, not something I could see myself doing.
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Since when does chemical engineering involve economics?</p>
<p>^ I heard chemical engineers have to know about a certain amount economics… can’t be sure though</p>
<p>Lab technicians basically handle samples, analyze using instruments and report the results. You can’t do your own research and will have tough time rising up the corporate ladder.</p>
<p>I believe MS Chem are allowed to direct a research project or manage labs. Most people I talked to said if you want postgrad degree go for Ph.D and MS isn’t really worth it</p>
<p>At the company I work for, the BS / technician job will entail doing the lab work that an MS or PhD needs done. It can get repetitive. </p>
<p>In general, the BS chemist reports to a PhD., spends 80-90% of their time at the bench and writes simple lab reports. </p>
<p>The MS chemist works in a group with PhD’s and BS chemists, collaborates with the PhD (but usually designs their own experiments), goes to the bench to actually perform the experiment, and is responsible for analyzing data and writing more in-depth reports.</p>
<p>The PhD runs the project. Designs experiments to be carried out by others, rarely works at the bench themselves. Analyzes data, goes to meetings, networks, attends seminars, reads journals, writes patents. Supervises the BS and MS chemists in the group. Ultimately responsible for all experiments and documentation.</p>
<p>The chemical engineers I know have nothing to do with economics. It’s all about getting the process to work in the plant: safely, efficiently, and resulting in a product with the same properties as the “glassware” prototype.</p>
<p>I think he was referring to the BS chem with an MBA as the one that involves economics. It’s surely a route that a lot of people take, and will be better paying…if you’d rather delve on the administrative side of chemistry.</p>
<p>Chemical engineers make bank. There’s tons at my school and they all come out of their BS with 70k+ jobs and a hefty signing bonus. But that’s just too much physics for most people.</p>
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<p>You should really try and find an undergraduate research position in a lab. A PhD in chemistry is not really “school.” You spend your first year taking graduate courses, and that’s usually it. The rest of your years in graduate study will be mainly research and chemistry that you will be doing when you actually go out into the industry. You’ll spend your second year most likely doing research under an advisor, at the end of your second year you will create your own project (your thesis), and then spend the next two years experimenting and working on defending your results. The defense of your findings will be what ultimately earns you your PhD. After your 1st year you’re done with classes and after your 2nd year you’re pretty much independent. Graduate study in the hard sciences is not the same as getting an upper level law or business degree (where you take classes throughout your stay).</p>
<p>Although if you want to simply be a teacher (not a professor), then getting a PhD would be overkill.</p>
<p>Hi,</p>
<p>I’m a chemistry major at UC Berkeley planning on going into consulting/business. Chemistry is a good major to have for business (if you are interested in that route) because 1)it’s analytical and 2)highly quantitative. I really recommend doing a business/finance/accounting/econ minor or major along with it. If your school doesn’t offer minors/majors in those areas or if you don’t have time, just take business classes.</p>
<p>One bad thing is that chemistry majors, from my experience, are perceived as nerdy and not very sociable. Offset this with leadership and internship experience–the more, the better. You need to show that you are able to produce results effectively.</p>
<p>Hope that helps :)</p>
<p>Hello, </p>
<p>I’ll be joining uc davis this fall and i was planning to major in chemistry. I was just wondering if there are any differences regarding job possibilities and salaries between a BA and a BS in Chemistry! </p>
<p>Help much appreciated!!</p>