<p>I'm currently a junior working on a BS degree in Chemistry w/ a minor in Mathematics. I've always known that there are not many great job prospects for people with just a BS Chem degree aside from technical work, so I'm looking at some grad school options and would like to hear some feedback. </p>
<p>So, here are my two options: go to pharmacy school for 4 years or obtain a Masters in ChemE in less than 1 year (30 semester units).</p>
<p>My main concerns with pharmacy school is time and expense. Since I do not want to move too far away from home, the two schools in mind are UCSF and UOP. However, another downside to that is UCSF's admission to their pharmacy program is SUPER competitive and UOP is a private school-- and since I already attend a private university, I cannot afford to pile up on more loans.</p>
<p>As for getting a MS in ChemE, I would most likely want to work at a biotech company, like Genentech, developing new drugs and technology.</p>
<p>I've always wanted to do something in the pharmaceutical sciences-- I love chemistry, and I especially love organic chem. I would like to weigh the pros and cons of my two options, considering time and financial prospects. Any help?</p>
<p>I would say that you should go for chem engineering if you want to develop drugs. However, employers generally like a BS in chem eng for that… Why do you go into just chemistry in the first place?
The reason employers like eng bs’s is because the people who get them can get PE licensing. Now, it is important to know that this varies by fied in engineering; you should post this question in the engineering forum to see if you need the licensing or if the chem eng MS will work.
If they say the MS is worthless, then I would go ahead and apply to pharmacy school. The good thing about that is that with that degree you don’t HAVE to be a pharmacist…that is generally what people who get the degree do, but you can apply that degree to the pharmaceutical development setting that you have dreamed of.
If you do happen to get rejected by pharmacy school, then you can look into getting a degree in pharmaseutical science instead of a doctor in pharmacy. Some schools offer it; I don’t know if the schools you are looking at offer it or not.</p>
<p>So, to sum it up, if the engineer people give you a go on the whole engineering MS, then by all means do it. But if they don’t, go for the pharmacy degree. It will be a little bit harder to get into the job you want, but it won’t be extremely difficult, and it is very possible.</p>
<p>Hey Joynjoyness23-- thanks for your response :)</p>
<p>I would have liked to have gone for a BS in Chemical Engineering, but my school does not offer that specific major. We do have a school of engineering, though, which is strange. </p>
<p>Another factor I would like to consider is money. My view of the situation is that I can get a MS for 1 year and then start working for a decent salary verses going to pharm school and potentially losing 3 years worth of pay-- not to mention gaining more debt from school. However, it is generally known pharmacists make more than engineers so their salary would eventually pay off in time. As conceited as this may sound, I’m torn between the financial prospects of a pharmacist verses an engineer.</p>
<p>I’m sorry about about the school not offering your major thing; and it’s weird that the school doesn’t offer it… one would think that they would put two and two together to create the whole chem engineering thing.</p>
<p>Thinking it over, I’ve realized that since you can get your MS in such a short time, and for less, that might be your best option. And if it does work out, fantastic; if it doesn’t, maybe you can go to pharm school after that. I mean you’ll know if you can get a job in chem engineering in 2 years- if you can and it all works out, good, if it doesn’t, you still have time to go to pharmacy school. The thing is, I have no idea if you can get into pharmacy when you have a master’s- I would think that you would be okay since you got your b.s. in chem but I could be wrong.</p>
<p>Oh and by the way, I don’t think it’s conceited to worry about financial prospects, especially now when the economy is down. It is more pragmatic of you to think that way- you want to be able to have a good job so you can provide for yourself, and maybe someday, a family. I am still weighing the possibilities of pharm school versus getting a master’s in bioinformatics and getting a research job, since my dream is to do some sort of research in industry, maybe even genetic engineering. However, the prospects of that don’t look too good. </p>
<p>I have heard that engineers can make 6 figures as their career matures- but I think some of that is due to the fact that some engineers go on to bigger and better things in the business industry. Still, if that’s job you want, do it. You’ll have a better life working a job you love with a decent salary than a job that makes a lot of money but is a bore or is awful in your perspective.</p>
<p>Another possibility is a Professional Science Masters degree. It might take less time and provide you some specific skills which will help you get into the industry you are interested in.</p>
<p><a href=“http://http://www.npsma.com/%5B/url%5D”>http://http://www.npsma.com/</a></p>