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What Can You Do With a Chemistry Degree? Jobs (2026)
Key takeaway: A chemistry degree leads to laboratory work first and research leadership later, if at all. Chemists earned a median annual wage of $91,240. Biochemists and biophysicists earned $127,410 and chemical technicians $60,390 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). The credential ladder matters more here than in most fields: a bachelor's opens analytical and quality laboratory roles, while independent research in biochemistry or medical science usually requires a doctorate. Two adjacent occupations that look like chemistry jobs are not: chemical engineering requires an engineering degree, and secondary school teaching requires a state license.
Chemistry is a methods discipline. What you sell an employer is the ability to produce a defensible number or a characterized compound and to document how you got there. That is why laboratory and instrument experience carries so much weight in hiring, and why the delivery format of the degree matters less than what you can demonstrate you have actually run. If your program was hybrid, be ready to describe the instruments you used and where.
Jobs you can get with a chemistry degree
| Occupation | Median annual wage |
|---|---|
| Biochemists and biophysicists | $127,410 |
| Medical scientists, except epidemiologists | $103,410 |
| Chemistry teachers, postsecondary | $93,250 |
| Chemists | $91,240 |
| Environmental scientists and specialists, including health | $82,220 |
| Chemical technicians | $60,390 |
View the data behind this chart
| Occupation | Avg. annual openings |
|---|---|
| Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | 66,200/yr |
| Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists | 9,600/yr |
| Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health | 8,500/yr |
| Chemical Technicians | 6,700/yr |
| Chemists | 6,300/yr |
| Biochemists and Biophysicists | 2,900/yr |
| Chemistry Teachers, Postsecondary | 1,900/yr |
| Chemical Engineers | 1,100/yr |
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS national medians. Median means half of workers in the occupation earned more and half earned less. Wages vary by industry, region, and credential level, and several of these occupations are dominated by doctorate holders.
Chemist. The core occupation. Chemists develop and run analytical methods, synthesize and characterize compounds, formulate products, and support quality and regulatory functions in pharmaceutical, chemical, food, materials, and testing industries. The national median annual wage was $91,240 with the 10th percentile at $58,460 and the 90th at $160,830 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Employment was 86,800 in 2024, with 4.9 percent projected growth through 2034 and about 6,300 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). A bachelor’s is the typical entry credential; research and leadership roles often expect a graduate degree.
Biochemist and biophysicist. These scientists study the chemistry of living systems: protein structure and function, enzymes, metabolism, and molecular mechanisms of disease. The national median annual wage was $127,410 with the 10th percentile at $74,290 and the 90th at $201,110 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Employment was 35,600 in 2024, projected to grow 5.8 percent through 2034, with about 2,900 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). Read the high median alongside the credential: independent research positions in this occupation typically require a doctorate, and bachelor’s holders in biochemistry more often enter as laboratory technicians or research associates first.
Chemical technician. Technicians run instruments, prepare samples, maintain laboratory operations, and support chemists and engineers. The national median annual wage was $60,390 with the 10th percentile at $41,740 and the 90th at $92,040 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Employment was 57,000 in 2024, with 3.7 percent projected growth and about 6,700 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). An associate degree with laboratory coursework can be sufficient for entry, which makes this the most accessible destination on the list and a common first job for chemistry graduates building instrument hours.
Medical scientist. Medical scientists conduct research aimed at improving human health, in pharmaceutical companies, universities, hospitals, and government laboratories. The national median annual wage was $103,410 with the 10th percentile at $64,800 and the 90th at $177,780 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Employment was 165,300 in 2024, projected to grow 8.7 percent through 2034 – the fastest growth among the occupations on this page – with about 9,600 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). Entry generally requires a doctorate or a medical degree, so treat this as a destination reached through graduate study rather than directly from a bachelor’s.
Environmental scientist and specialist, including health. These roles apply chemistry to contamination, monitoring, remediation, and regulatory compliance. The national median annual wage was $82,220 with the 10th percentile at $52,520 and the 90th at $140,010 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Employment was 90,300 in 2024, with 4.4 percent projected growth and about 8,500 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). A chemistry background is genuinely competitive here, particularly for analytical laboratory and air, water, and soil testing work. See environmental science for that path in detail.
Chemistry teacher, postsecondary. Teaching chemistry at a college or university carried a national median annual wage of $93,250 with the 10th percentile at $57,870 and the 90th at $172,110 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Employment was 25,400 in 2024, with 2.2 percent projected growth and about 1,900 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). Tenure-track positions generally require a doctorate. Community college and dual-enrollment teaching are more accessible with a master’s.
Two jobs that look like chemistry jobs and are not
Chemical engineering. Chemical engineers had a median annual wage of $125,040 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS), with employment of 21,600 in 2024, 2.6 percent projected growth, and about 1,100 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). That work requires an engineering degree, normally from an ABET-accredited program, because the professional engineering licensure path depends on it. A chemistry degree does not qualify you for engineering licensure. If process design and scale-up are what you want, see engineering.
Secondary school chemistry teaching. Teaching chemistry in a public high school requires a state teaching license in addition to subject coursework: education courses, supervised student teaching, and state examinations. Secondary school teachers had a median annual wage of $72,040 and are projected to decline 1.6 percent from 2024 to 2034, though with about 66,200 openings per year from turnover in a very large occupation (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS; BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). Plan the licensure route deliberately rather than assuming a chemistry degree covers it.
What the degree level changes
Chemistry is one of the fields where the credential ladder genuinely maps to the work.
The online bachelor’s in chemistry is the working laboratory credential. It qualifies you for analytical, quality control, formulation, and production roles, and it is the prerequisite for everything above. Its main constraint online is laboratory delivery, which is why hybrid formats dominate.
The online master’s in chemistry adds specialization and can move you toward method development, supervision, or regulated-industry roles. It is the level that adapts best to online study, because the laboratory foundation is assumed rather than taught.
The doctorate is what independent research in biochemistry, medical science, and academia generally requires. It is a research apprenticeship in a laboratory, not a coursework degree, so it is rarely an online path. Knowing that early changes how you plan the first two degrees.
Common questions
What jobs can you get with a chemistry degree?
Common destinations include analytical chemist, quality control chemist, formulation chemist, laboratory technician, environmental analyst, regulatory affairs associate, and research associate. With graduate study, the list extends to biochemist, medical scientist, and postsecondary teaching.
How much do chemistry majors make?
Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS national medians are $91,240 for chemists, $127,410 for biochemists and biophysicists, $103,410 for medical scientists, $93,250 for postsecondary chemistry teachers, $82,220 for environmental scientists, and $60,390 for chemical technicians. Entry-level laboratory pay sits nearer the 10th percentile figures.
Which chemistry career has the most openings?
Among these occupations, medical scientists lead with about 9,600 openings per year, followed by environmental scientists at about 8,500 and chemical technicians at about 6,700 (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). Chemists themselves account for about 6,300 openings per year. The largest median is not the widest door.
Do I need a PhD to work in chemistry?
Not for laboratory employment. You do for most independent research positions, for tenure-track postsecondary teaching, and for much of the biochemistry and medical science work that carries the highest medians on this page. Decide which of those you want before choosing a degree level.
Is a chemistry degree worth it?
It is worth it if you want laboratory or analytical work and you complete a program that gives you real instrument time. It is worth less if you enroll expecting the research careers that require a doctorate without planning for one. The is a chemistry degree worth it page walks through the trade-offs.
Keep exploring
- Start at the chemistry program hub, then compare levels: online bachelor’s and online master’s.
- Walk through how to become a chemist, or weigh the trade-offs on is it worth it.
- Understand the laboratory question on how online chemistry degrees work.
- Find programs near you at the state index.
- Compare related fields: biology, environmental science, health science, physics, neuroscience, and forensic science.
Data verified: September 5, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.