<p>I know that a BS degree in chemistry does not offer great job opportunities, but what about a masters in chemistry? Are job prospects better? And what about a PhD? I ask this because I find the chemistry curriculum to be more interesting than the chemical engineering curriculum, but chemE has better job prospects.</p>
<p>It really depends on specialization and whether you choose to go to Academia, Public sector aka Government, or Industry.</p>
<p>In a word… NO!!! BS/MS chemists are lumped into the same lousy category for the most part. Most job ads will say BS/MS or BS with 4 years experience MS with 2 years. Not worth it.</p>
<p>I probably won’t go into academia, but what is the different between working in government and in industry?</p>
<p>What about PhD?</p>
<p>MS degrees still face roughly the same terrible prospects as BS degrees–most permatemp stuff through places like aerotek, manpower, or kelly services. PhDs constantly chase after post doc after post doc making less than 40k per year. To put this in perspective, my boss, who earned his PHD from Penn, appeared in over 300 journal articles, some of which were the number 1 cited papers in a few JACS journals, and that also appeared on almost 30 patents lost his job and took almost 10 months to find a job. If he has that much difficulty with that kind of resume and 20 years experience, how easy is it for brand new phds? The only ones that seem to have luck are analytical PhDs, but if you go that route you have to have a very high tolerance for very repetitive work in quality control or method development.</p>
<p>Wow that’s pretty crazy, I’m kind of scared to go that route. But again I don’t find chemical engineering courses to be that interesting. Perhaps I should still get a degree in chemistry, but go be a high school teacher?</p>
<p>Tons and tons of Phds these days apply to govt positions because they’re pretty much the only jobs left that pay decent wages with benefits. Competition for govt science jobs is insane. Everyone has tried to flee to the government now that the chem industry here is in ruins.</p>
<p>Like I’ve said before in other posts, learn something with computers if you can (CS minor).knowing a programming language can help your resume. You may find a job after you get out but in all liklihod it will be low paying or not very stable. Suffer through the job for a few years and train to get into the FBI as a field agent. Physical science is one of their preferred majors. Their agents can make $70k or more with good benefits at the height of their careers (with pretty decent job stability). I also wouldn’t rule out living overseas if you ar hellbent on staying in chemistry. You have to go where the jobs are.</p>
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<p>…how? And B.S Chem E can do anything that B.S Chemistry can do</p>
<p>Maybe, but the chem E curriculum is extremely boring, or at least it was to me when I spent my first two years on it (the chem engineering adviser, who advised me on a project that was published in an undergrad journal, was disappointed to see me go but supported me in doing something I enjoy). When I was in chem E classes I dreaded each class and lived in a state of constant misery. In the chem major I look forward to every class and find myself reading journal articles for fun because it’s just that much more interesting.</p>
<p>I want to specialize in materials chemistry for my PhD though, and I’ve heard that area has much better job prospects than chemistry does in general. Can anyone attest to that?</p>
<p>Failing that I’ll probably go into physical chemistry or chemical physics.</p>
<p>I’m also a math minor and I’m trying to get into a computer programming class for spring so that I’ll at least know a little bit of it. I meet all of the prerequisites to get into the introductory class for engineers and computer science majors, but I’ll just need to find out who I need to call to get the appropriate permit. Do you think taking just the intro class will help me? It’s unfortunately all I have room for in my schedule.</p>
<p>I’ve been applying for Fed jobs for years. Heck I even applied to an FDA job way out in the boonies in Arkansas a month ago (Jefferson, Ar). Competition is unbelievable one position reported back they had over 1,000 applicants.</p>
<p>ACS stats are about 15% of the 40% of chem grads that are employed full time work for the govt which includes the state/local govts which don’t pay nearly as well.</p>
<p>Have you thought about looking into Materials Science & Engineering, Chandi?</p>
<p>I’ve been looking into it. That was originally the way I wanted to go when I was a chem engineering major (my school only offers grad programs in materials science and engineering, not an undergrad degree). I know my school offers a one-year masters in materials science and engineering that I could apply for and I’m looking for similar programs at other schools. I know and have always known what I want to do, I’m just looking for the best route to do it. Part of it is I mostly want to do research.
Hopefully I’ll get further insight by taking a graduate level class in polymer physics in the fall. I know I love the work I’ve been doing in a polymers lab for the past year.</p>
<p>For polymer work you’d probably be better served in a ChemE department at most schools than MSE, but if you are hoping to go the MSE route for grad school you can certainly do chem for undergrad. Materials science tend to get people from all sorts of fields. For example, in my year I remember people that had their undergrad degree in physics, chemistry, chemical engineering, electrical engineering, and someone with mechanical engineering.</p>
<p>yg7s7, I like learning about all the individual molecules, elements, how they react with one another. The chemE curriculum feels like a whole more physics than chemistry.</p>
<p>After my early experience with chemE I’m not sure I’d want to go back to it. Is there much of a difference between doing materials chemistry through a chemistry department and going to an MSE department and focusing on materials chemistry?</p>
<p>With a materials science department you’d probably see a lot more on “solid” matter, generally metals and semiconductors and how/why they behave as a solid. In chemistry you’re probably going to look a lot more at individual molecules and their properties. I think even in the polymer classes you’ll see within materials you’d get a lot of “bulk” stuff instead of calculating energy states for electrons and whatnot.</p>
<p>Ok, I think my interests lean more towards materials chemistry in that case. Thank you. :)</p>
<p>Couldn’t you channel your love for chemistry research and become a patent lawyer?</p>
<p>Patent law is where a ton of washed up scientists or recent grads, that have lost their jobs or simply can’t get, one go to. I wouldn’t touch law with a 40 ft. pole, lots of law students are having terrible times trying to find jobs that will pay them enough so that they can pay off $150k in loans in a reasonable amount of time. There’s simply a massive oversaturation of the legal labor supply.</p>