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Major · Physical Sciences

The science of matter, and what happens when it changes

Chemistry, General covers the composition and behavior of matter — from molecular structure to large-scale chemical reactions — through both theory and laboratory work. About 12,173 degrees are awarded annually across more than 1,366 colleges. The bachelor's is typically a launching pad to graduate or professional school, not a direct-to-career credential.

Schools offering
1,366
Annual completions
12,173
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$67k

About this major

Chemistry as a formal major sits at the foundational end of science — closer to first principles than to immediate application. The curriculum is built around understanding what matter is made of and what happens when it reacts: molecular structure, thermodynamics, reaction kinetics, spectroscopy, and the mathematical language that ties those phenomena together. Laboratory work is not an add-on; it's embedded throughout, with organic chemistry labs, analytical techniques, and instrumental analysis running alongside the lecture sequence from the first year. The CIP definition frames it as studying the composition and behavior of matter, including its micro- and macro-structure and the processes of chemical change — a description that tracks closely with the actual curriculum.

The major attracts students who are drawn to understanding why reactions happen, not just that they do. It rewards people who find methodical experimental work satisfying rather than tedious and who can hold both mathematical abstraction and physical intuition at the same time. The workload is real: calculus, physics, and multiple tiers of chemistry lab simultaneously are the norm through the first two years.

On the career side, Chemistry is one of the more graduate-school-dependent majors in the sciences. The five-year median earnings for bachelor's completers sit around $66,702 — solid but not exceptional. The occupations with the highest ceilings in the data, including natural sciences managers at $161,180 and postsecondary chemistry faculty at $86,220, require credentials well beyond the bachelor's. Students who enter the workforce directly from the bachelor's most commonly work as chemists ($84,150 median, 4.9% projected growth) or forensic science technicians ($67,440 median, 12.8% growth — the strongest growth figure in the career set). About 12,173 degrees are awarded annually across more than 1,366 colleges, making it a moderately-sized major with strong presence at research universities.

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

Occupation Median wage Job growth Typical education
Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education $65k -1.6% Bachelor's degree
Natural sciences managers $161k +3.7% Bachelor's degree
Chemists $84k +4.9% Bachelor's degree
Chemical technicians $58k +3.7% Associate's degree
Chemistry teachers, postsecondary $86k +2.2% Doctoral or professional degree
Forensic science technicians $67k +12.8% Bachelor's degree
Food science technicians $49k +4.8% Associate's degree
Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$67k

Associate's vs Bachelor's — early-career earnings

Associate's

$61k

Bachelor's

$67k

Who this major is for

You may thrive here if you are genuinely curious about molecular-level phenomena — the kind of curiosity that makes you want to understand why bleach and ammonia react dangerously, or how a drug molecule fits into a receptor site, or what determines whether a reaction releases or absorbs heat. That intellectual orientation matters because the curriculum is demanding enough that external motivation (prestige, default to "hard science") tends not to carry students through organic chemistry. The major also fits well if you're planning on graduate or professional school — medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, PhD in chemistry or biochemistry — because the foundational depth it provides is directly relevant to those paths, and the five-year earnings picture improves substantially for those who complete that additional training.

Think twice if your primary goal is high direct-to-career earnings from a bachelor's alone. The data is clear: five-year median earnings for bachelor's completers in this major are about $66,702. If that's the constraint, Chemical Engineering (the field's applied sibling, cross-referenced in the CIP data) typically produces better outcomes without requiring graduate school. Think twice also if you're primarily drawn to biology and living systems rather than chemical structure and reactions — Biochemistry or Biology may align better with what actually interests you. And if the idea of spending twelve or more hours per week in lab, running procedures that require precision and patience rather than improvisation, sounds draining rather than absorbing, the day-to-day experience of this major will likely confirm that feeling.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Chemistry, General

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
University of Florida Gainesville, FL 0 152 152
University of California-Irvine Irvine, CA 0 135 135
University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA 0 133 133
University of Virginia-Main Campus Charlottesville, VA 0 128 128
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL 0 106 106
The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX 0 104 104
Emory University Atlanta, GA 0 91 91
Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA 0 89 89
Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette, IN 0 89 89
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC 0 87 87
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Biology/Biological Sciences, General

83,027 completions/yr

Biological and Physical Sciences

25,374 completions/yr

Mathematics, General

18,758 completions/yr

Biochemistry

8,736 completions/yr

Physics, General

7,501 completions/yr

Physical Sciences, General

2,589 completions/yr

Microbiology, General

2,120 completions/yr

Chemistry, Other

398 completions/yr

Considering this direction?

We've taken a hard look at the debt, earnings trajectory, and degree-level tradeoffs for the Chemistry, General field. Read our verdict before you commit.

Is Chemistry, General worth it? Read verdict
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What do Chemistry majors actually study day-to-day?
Expect extensive laboratory time alongside lectures in general chemistry, organic chemistry, analytical chemistry, physical chemistry, and biochemistry. The lab work is not supplemental — it's central. You'll run reactions, analyze compounds, and learn instrument techniques like NMR, chromatography, and spectroscopy. The curriculum is mathematically demanding; calculus and physics are typically required co-requisites. Upper-division coursework branches into inorganic chemistry, thermodynamics, and quantum chemistry, depending on the program.
What do Chemistry graduates actually do for work after a bachelor's?
The most direct bachelor's-level path is working as a chemist at a $84,150 median wage — though job growth for this occupation runs 4.9%, only slightly above average. Forensic science technicians represent a faster-growing option at 12.8% projected growth and a $67,440 median wage. Chemical technicians ($57,790 median) offer the most accessible entry point with an associate's degree as the typical credential. Secondary school teaching ($64,580 median) is a common bachelor's-level destination as well. The high-ceiling roles — natural sciences managers at $161,180 or postsecondary chemistry faculty at $86,220 — require substantial graduate-level credentials, not just the bachelor's.
Is a chemistry bachelor's enough, or do I need graduate school?
For many of the best career outcomes in this field, the bachelor's is a step, not a finish line. Postsecondary chemistry teaching requires a doctoral or professional degree. Natural sciences manager roles ($161,180 median) typically follow years of research experience plus often a graduate degree. The five-year median earnings for bachelor's completers sit around $66,702 — modest compared to engineering or computer science bachelor's graduates. Students planning to stay at the bachelor's level should look seriously at chemical engineering (a related major with significantly higher direct-to-career earnings) or pharmacy and medical paths that use chemistry as a prerequisite.
How does the bachelor's vs. associate's degree choice affect earnings in Chemistry?
The gap between degree levels here is narrower than in many fields. Associate's completers in chemistry report a median of about $60,787, while bachelor's completers report about $66,702 — a difference of roughly $5,900. That modest gap reflects the structure of the field: bachelor's graduates who enter the workforce directly tend toward similar roles as associate's completers (chemical technicians, lab support), while the higher-earning bachelor's paths depend more on graduate school follow-through than the credential itself.
Is Chemistry the right major, or should I consider a related field?
Chemistry is the right fit if you want a strong scientific foundation that opens graduate school options across medicine, pharmacy, biochemistry, or materials science. If your goal is higher direct-to-career earnings without graduate school, Chemical Engineering (CIP 14.0701 — the field's cross-reference) typically produces substantially better outcomes. Biochemistry (about 8,736 completions per year) is a more focused path if molecular biology and life sciences interest you more than synthetic or analytical chemistry. Biology/Biological Sciences (83,027 completions) is broader and similarly graduate-school-dependent. Physics (7,501 completions) overlaps on the theory side if the physical side of chemistry interests you more than the molecular.
What's a realistic earnings picture after a Chemistry degree?
Five-year median earnings for this major run about $66,674 across all degree levels. Bachelor's completers specifically land around $66,702 at that point. That figure is honest: it captures graduates who entered the workforce directly, not those who went on to medical school, pharmacy school, or a PhD program — whose eventual earnings will be higher but aren't reflected in the five-year number. The forensic science technician path is worth noting as a growth outlier at 12.8% projected growth and $67,440 median. The earnings trajectory for chemists themselves is moderate — $84,150 median — but ceiling roles in natural sciences management reach $161,180.