<p>What are useful minors for a chemistry major?</p>
<p>Lots of things. You could spin the science with a biology or geology or physics minor (any of these will give you a different appreciation for chemistry), add a language, or work the other side of your brain with something like philosophy or creative writing. Econ or business can have practical value later on. The choice probably depends on why you’re majoring in chemistry in the first place, and what you eventually hope to do with it. Maybe just minor in whatever else interests you, regardless of its relationship to chemistry.</p>
<p>Lots of possibilities, depending on what’s available at the school you attend…
Geology, physics, math, materials science, textiles/fiber science, art history (for art conservation), food science, environmental science/toxicology, soil science, biology, neuroscience, history of science, nutrition, botany/plant science, marine science, economics/business, psychology (e.g., sensory psychology), optical science, technical writing, journalism (for science journalism), forensic science, science education…</p>
<p>Computer Science and Mathematics</p>
<p>Thanks guys. I’m going to attend UC Davis in the fall. I’m hoping to go to grad school for a PhD after undergrad, and get a job somewhere as a researcher.</p>
<p>Lunatic, just to let you know, a Ph.d isn’t really needed for research. A masters is more than enough, unless you plan on going into Academic research. But at that level, it’s more about paper pushing for grants and funding, than actual research. A Ph.d also isn’t a guaranteed job, especially in industry. Industry jobs, want people with experience. They would rather hire someone with a Bachelor’s and a few years experience or a masters with a few years experience over a freshly minted Ph.D. I most likely will be doing a Chemistry major as well, and if I do go to graduate school, I’ll probably get a Master’s in A-Chem(Analytical Chemistry) as that’s probably one of the better things to specialize in, at this point in time.</p>
<p>As for useful minor’s, biology, geology, computer science, physics, math, material science, the list goes on and on.</p>
<p>Really, a PhD isn’t really needed for research? I thought that a masters in chem isn’t that helpful. and a BS degree doesn’t help much either. Not planning to go into academia, probably industry for me.</p>
<p>And I’m looking into the minors…hmmm maybe comp sci! We don’t have a mat sci minor.</p>
<p>If you’re not going into academia, you might look into a Professional Masters degree program. [Science</a> Masters > ScienceMasters Home](<a href=“http://www.sciencemasters.com/]Science”>http://www.sciencemasters.com/)</p>
<p>That is interesting. But it seems like it’s not as widespread…like for California, basically only the CSUs have it. What do employers think about it?</p>
<p>In California the UCs are research institutions who admit graduate students into doctoral programs. They do award masters degrees but usually the recipients are students who intended to get a PhD but failed to achieve the required level of academic proficiency. The CSUs are prohibited from having doctoral programs and are intended to prepare graduates for immediate entry into the labor force. Therefore, the CSUs are the only public universities that offer terminal MS programs and degrees.</p>
<p>I gotta disagree with Scientificmind. I disagree so much I don’t know where to start, so I’ll start where we agree:</p>
<p>A PhD is no guarantee of a job, and a tenure-track research position is indeed a lot of grant writing and administrative work. Tenure-track faculty oversee research, they don’t do it themselves. But research is still their primary job and although they’re not the ones actually mixing reagents, they are very much involved in the intellectual process and give final approval before any results are made public.</p>
<p>Now for the rest of it… </p>
<p>1) In industry, a PhD chemist is a totally different animal from a B.S. or M.S. chemist. They are not considered for the same jobs, and your statement that a bachelor’s level chemist with a few years of experience would be hired before a brand new PhD is totally false. A graduate research program IS experience, and industry hires PhD chemists precisely for the experience they have from grad school. A PhD is needed now more than ever for a research position in industry or government.</p>
<p>2) A master’s degree in chemistry used to mean more than it does today. These days a master’s degree in chem is really just a shiny bachelor’s degree and is worth about as much as a B.S. with two years of experience. What you said about B.S. or M.S. and PhD might sometimes be true of B.S. and M.S., depending on the circumstances.</p>
<p>3) You’re going to need to re-think your plan of getting a master’s degree in analytical chemistry. Most graduate programs in chemistry don’t accept students who are only interested in a master’s degree because it takes admission away from someone who is there for a PhD. Anyone leaving a major university with a master’s in chemistry either flunked out of the PhD program or decided to quit. Job listings almost always specify bachelor’s or PhD; I can’t remember the last time I saw one that mentioned having a master’s degree.</p>
<p>I’m a PhD analytical chemist who worked in industry, taught for five years at a major university, and now works with the university in science education programs.</p>
<p>spdf, thanks, that was very informative. What is the job market like for PhD chemists in industry or government?</p>
<p>The job market for PhD chemists is pretty weak compared with what it was a few years back, but that’s true of pretty much every field right now. Some grad students are even delaying their defense by a semester or two because they haven’t found work. Recent PhD graduates I know have found work with Dow (in Texas and Massachusetts), in academia, and in government. I don’t personally know of anyone who finished their PhD and left grad school without a job, but I’m sure there are some.</p>