Career Options
Careers for Chemistry Majors
- Product Development Chemist
- Chemistry Librarian
- Lab Technologist
- Oceanographic Chemist
- Patent Lawyer
- Hospital Administrator
- Environmental Engineer
- Perfume and Cosmetics Chemist
- Textile and Dye Chemist
- Forensic Chemist
- Quality Control Chemist
- Government Chemist
- Exhibit Developer
- Chemical/Pharmaceutical Salesperson
- Chemical Researcher
- Chemical Demonstrator
- Art Museum Chemist/Restorer
- Financial Analyst
- Clinical or Medicinal Chemist
- FBI Agent
- Writer/Editor
- Professor/Teacher
Starting Salary*
A chemistry major’s typical starting salary is $39,117. The typical salary after 10-19 years is $72,860.
*Note: Salary information is provided for general reference only. APU does not guarantee the accuracy of the figures listed, and cannot predict or promise a specific salary for any graduate. For the most current salary estimates, please visit www.payscale.com.
Job Titles Held by Former Chemistry Majors
- Director of Biomaterials Laboratory, Massachusetts General Hospital NMR Center
- Senior Director of Business Development, Dynogen Pharmaceuticals
- Supervisor of Analytical Chemistry and Radiochemistry, ABB Combustion Engineering Nuclear Operations
- Research Scientist, D.E. Shaw Research, LLC
- Senior Scientist in High Throughput Synthesis, PTC Therapeutics
- Chemist, Xerox Corp.
- Analytical Chemist, Validation Resources
- Wine Chemist, Napa Valley
- Chemical Engineer, Hewlett-Packard
- Quality Control Chemist, Valvoline Oil
- Chemist, Intel Corp.
Famous People with Chemistry Degrees
- Linus Pauling (chemist and peace activist)
- Gordon E. Moore (cofounder of Intel and the originator of Moore’s Law)
- Alexander Borodin (chemist and composer)
- Francesco Bellini (organic chemist)
- Robert H. Grubbs (chemist)
- Frank Capra (film director)
- Isaac Asimov (science fiction writer)
- Indra Nooyi (Chairman and CEO, PepsiCo)
- Jack Welch, Jr. (Chairman and CEO, General Electric)
- Janet Reno (Attorney General of the U.S.)
- Margaret Thatcher (Prime Minister of the U.K.)
- Helen Patricia Sherman (astronaut)
Note: This information is current for the 2009-10 academic year; however, all stated academic information is subject to change. Please refer to the current Academic Catalog for the most current and controlling information. For additional information, please contact the appropriate office.
