Okay so I’m very interested in sciences and know I want to major in chemistry or biochemistry… The problem is I might want to do pharmacy and apply to pharmacy school OR I want to be a chemistry teacher or work In chemistry field… But when I look at pharmacy school prerequisites, they have classes like human anatomy that aren’t included in some of the chemistry or biochem curriculums of the colleges I’m looking at… (umass, uconn, northeastern, others)…I don’t really want to do a pre pharm program because I might want to teach chemistry…any suggestions on what I should do
You can take the classes for pharmacy school in addition to the requirements for your chemistry major. Many students do this for pharmacy school, for medical school, and for a number of other professional schools, when they don’t major in something that incorporates all of the prerequisites into the major requirements. If you’re interested in pharmacy school, then taking the prerequisites will be a good idea to keep the door open. It’s not like taking the prerequisites will stop you from teaching chemistry. Along the way, you’ll probably start to figure out which path you want to go down (working in schools/tutoring/teaching and/or working as a pharm tech or around pharmacists will help), and you may stop taking pharm school prerequisites or you may change your major or you may do a million different things. But you shouldn’t not take the prerequisite courses because you might teach chemistry. If you do that, then your essentially choosing not to go to pharmacy school, although you can do a postbacc program to get the prerequisites if you don’t take them during college (but that will take more money and time).
I would advise against considering working in the field with a chemistry major as the jobs are low paying, dead-end, and unstable [think $15 an hour temp jobs]. Teaching is a possibility (better than trying to get a job with just chem/bios) but you need to get into a chemistry education track and take education courses. Any of the healthcare professions would be the best option of all so be sure to take the appropriate prerequisites.
Otherwise hitting the job market with a BS in either Bios, Chem, or Biochem is the worst of all the options you listed.
If you go for a teaching credential, you will probably be required to have some non-chemistry science courses as well. If you put the pre-pharmacy prerequisites in you might be able to use these courses to double purpose.
@sschoe2 thank you! Could you give some examples of healthcare positions that I could look into with a BA in chem?
You don’t want to get the BA in Chem. It’s the BS you need. Aren’t there any electives in the program that don’t have to be departmental upper division?
@JustOneDad wouldn’t I get a BA in chem if im leaning towards secondary education?
You wouldn’t have to get the BA for teaching. You appeared to have other interests, above. To keep those other options open, you really need to be in the BS track.
The only healthcare job you could get with just the undergrad science degree is possibly medical technologist/clinical lab scientist or some admin job. CLS is kind of a dead end bottom of the food chain lab job so I wouldn’t recommend it. Otherwise plan on a healthcare professional school, med, pharm. PA, PT, OT, Optometry etc.