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Chemistry

Students study the composition, properties, and reactions of matter, including organic, inorganic, physical, and analytical chemistry through rigorous coursework and extensive laboratory training. Graduates typically pursue careers in pharmaceutical companies, chemical manufacturing, forensic laboratories, environmental testing, and academic research, or continue to medical school, pharmacy school, or graduate programs. Chemistry is a foundational science that opens doors to diverse STEM careers.

Compare Schools

Schools

205

Programs analyzed

Earnings

$41,257

Avg 1-yr grad earnings

Range $16,465–$62,511

Outlook

55/100

Avg DegreeOutlook Score

AI Risk

High

49% task exposure

Field Overview

What Chemistry graduates do

Your chemistry degree prepares you for more than just a lab coat. Many graduates apply their analytical skills to high-growth tech fields. As a data scientist, you won't be mixing solutions but building predictive models, using code to analyze vast datasets for industries from finance to healthcare. This path is exploding, but AI is also fundamentally reshaping it. Your value will lie in designing systems and making critical judgments on AI-generated insights, as many junior-level tasks become automated.

Alternatively, you can pursue a traditional hands-on science route. You might start as a chemical technician running quality control tests before advancing to a chemist role, designing new compounds. With experience, you could lead a research team as a natural sciences manager. These lab-focused roles have lower AI exposure due to their physical nature, a genuine advantage. A third common path, teaching high school chemistry, also has low AI risk but faces declining job growth overall, a significant headwind to consider.

Students weighing Chemistry often also consider Physics, Bioinformatics, and Astronomy and Astrophysics — compare earnings, ROI, and AI outlook side by side.

Career Trajectories

Where Chemistry graduates work

Common career paths for Chemistry graduates, with median salaries, projected growth, and AI exposure per role. Roughly 169,700 combined openings per year across these roles.

Role	Median Pay	Annual Openings	10-yr Growth	AI Exposure
Natural sciences managers	$161,180 $114K–$215K	8,500	+3.7%	High · 50%
Computer and information research scientists	$140,910 $103K–$181K	3,200	+19.7%	High · 63%
Data scientists	$112,590 $83K–$156K	23,400	+33.5%	High · 64%
Computer occupations, all other	$108,970 $76K–$148K	31,300	+8.2%	High · 57%
Physics teachers, postsecondary	$97,360 $67K–$130K	1,300	+2.5%	Moderate · 42%
Environmental science teachers, postsecondary	$87,710 $64K–$125K	700	+2.9%	High · 52%
Chemistry teachers, postsecondary	$86,220 $65K–$126K	1,900	+2.2%	Moderate · 43%
Chemists	$84,150 $64K–$120K	6,300	+4.9%	Moderate · 38%
Environmental scientists and specialists, including health	$80,060 $62K–$104K	8,500	+4.4%	High · 53%
Forensic science technicians	$67,440 $53K–$89K	2,900	+12.8%	Moderate · 39%
Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education	$64,580 $58K–$83K	66,200	-1.6%	Moderate · 33%
Chemical technicians	$57,790 $47K–$73K	6,700	+3.7%	Moderate · 39%
Environmental science and protection technicians, including health	$49,490 $38K–$64K	5,600	+4.0%	Moderate · 46%
Food science technicians	$49,430 $44K–$61K	3,200	+4.8%	Moderate · 36%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2024. Salary range shows 25th–median–75th percentile (national).

Top Institutions

Best schools for Chemistry

Schools ranked by DegreeOutlook Score (earnings × AI resilience × ROI × job-market size). Top 10 of 205.

Rank #1 · DegreeOutlook Score 73

California State University-Long Beach

Long Beach, CA · Public

$50,553 1-yr earnings

27.7x ROI multiple

High AI risk

Bridgewater State University

Bridgewater, MA · #2

$55,376/yr · 17.2x ROI

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA · #3

$44,140/yr · 30.9x ROI

Towson University

Towson, MD · #4

$52,765/yr · 16.5x ROI

#	School	DW Score	1-yr Earnings	ROI
5	University of Houston Houston, TX · Public	70	$50,717	18.2x
6	Western Washington University Bellingham, WA · Public	70	$48,527	19.9x
7	Rhode Island College Providence, RI · Public	70	$44,648	20.4x
8	University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Whitewater, WI · Public	69	$48,903	20.3x
9	East Carolina University Greenville, NC · Public	69	$47,875	21.8x
10	University of North Alabama Florence, AL · Public	68	$49,497	14.9x
11	University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI · Public	68	$48,886	15.5x
12	University of Wisconsin-Platteville Platteville, WI · Public	67	$49,386	18.1x
13	University of Maryland-College Park College Park, MD · Public	67	$46,140	16.0x
14	Ohio University-Eastern Campus Saint Clairsville, OH · Public	67	$43,349	28.0x
15	Ohio University-Chillicothe Campus Chillicothe, OH · Public	67	$43,349	28.0x
16	Ohio University-Southern Campus Ironton, OH · Public	67	$43,349	28.0x
17	Ohio University-Lancaster Campus Lancaster, OH · Public	67	$43,349	28.0x
18	Ohio University-Zanesville Campus Zanesville, OH · Public	67	$43,349	28.0x
19	University of Delaware Newark, DE · Public	66	$54,055	11.0x
20	Rowan University Glassboro, NJ · Public	66	$53,607	11.1x
21	Texas A & M University-College Station College Station, TX · Public	66	$49,462	12.8x
22	University at Albany Albany, NY · Public	66	$48,276	15.3x
23	California State University-Sacramento Sacramento, CA · Public	66	$42,581	22.8x
24	California State University-Stanislaus Turlock, CA · Public	66	$39,771	27.1x
25	University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Eau Claire, WI · Public	65	$50,659	15.2x
26	Millersville University of Pennsylvania Millersville, PA · Public	65	$50,524	12.5x
27	University of California-Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA · Public	65	$47,197	12.3x
28	University of California-San Diego La Jolla, CA · Public	65	$45,310	12.6x
29	San Diego State University San Diego, CA · Public	65	$43,603	19.2x
30	California State Polytechnic University-Pomona Pomona, CA · Public	65	$43,294	21.1x
31	University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA · Public	64	$59,576	10.0x
32	University of North Carolina Wilmington Wilmington, NC · Public	64	$44,473	19.9x
33	Colorado State University-Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO · Public	64	$42,660	14.5x
34	University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus Waterbury, CT · Public	63	$52,216	9.3x
35	University of Connecticut-Avery Point Groton, CT · Public	63	$52,216	9.3x
36	University of Connecticut-Stamford Stamford, CT · Public	63	$52,216	9.3x
37	University of Connecticut-Hartford Campus Hartford, CT · Public	63	$52,216	9.3x
38	Cleveland State University Cleveland, OH · Public	63	$48,147	11.9x
39	University of Cincinnati-Main Campus Cincinnati, OH · Public	63	$47,387	11.5x
40	Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette, IN · Public	63	$47,213	14.0x
41	University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL · Public	63	$47,034	10.8x
42	Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Edwardsville, IL · Public	63	$46,659	12.2x
43	University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle, WA · Public	63	$46,369	12.6x
44	University of Washington-Bothell Campus Bothell, WA · Public	63	$46,369	12.7x
45	Florida State University Tallahassee, FL · Public	63	$40,629	27.2x
46	Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, GA · Public	63	$38,790	28.5x
47	University of California-Merced Merced, CA · Public	62	$50,944	10.3x
48	Rutgers University-Newark Newark, NJ · Public	62	$44,949	10.5x
49	University of Minnesota-Duluth Duluth, MN · Public	62	$44,674	11.9x
50	Wichita State University Wichita, KS · Public	62	$43,740	15.6x
51	University of Arizona Tucson, AZ · Public	62	$43,013	12.6x
52	Indiana University-Bloomington Bloomington, IN · Public	62	$42,889	13.5x
53	Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, OH · Public	62	$42,698	13.3x
54	University of California-Davis Davis, CA · Public	62	$42,204	12.4x
55	University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT · Public	62	$41,275	16.9x
56	California State University-San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA · Public	62	$40,402	20.6x
57	Northeastern University Boston, MA · Private nonprofit	61	$62,511	2.8x
58	University of Connecticut Storrs, CT · Public	61	$52,216	7.9x
59	Weber State University Ogden, UT · Public	61	$50,350	18.7x
60	University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN · Public	61	$47,451	9.7x
61	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA · Public	61	$45,513	10.4x
62	Rutgers University-Camden Camden, NJ · Public	61	$44,949	10.1x
63	Rutgers University-New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ · Public	61	$44,949	10.0x
64	University of Iowa Iowa City, IA · Public	61	$44,847	13.1x
65	University of California-Irvine Irvine, CA · Public	61	$43,766	11.6x
66	University of Pittsburgh-Bradford Bradford, PA · Public	61	$43,571	11.2x
67	University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg Greensburg, PA · Public	61	$43,571	11.2x
68	University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown Johnstown, PA · Public	61	$43,571	11.2x
69	The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX · Public	61	$43,383	13.3x
70	Ohio University-Main Campus Athens, OH · Public	61	$43,349	12.0x
71	Ball State University Muncie, IN · Public	61	$42,677	14.2x
72	Oregon State University-Cascades Campus Bend, OR · Public	61	$41,779	13.0x
73	Missouri State University-Springfield Springfield, MO · Public	61	$41,166	16.5x
74	Appalachian State University Boone, NC · Public	61	$40,488	19.4x
75	State University of New York at Oswego Oswego, NY · Public	60	$52,645	14.0x
76	George Mason University Fairfax, VA · Public	60	$50,304	10.0x
77	University of Northern Colorado Greeley, CO · Public	60	$45,406	11.9x
78	Sam Houston State University Huntsville, TX · Public	60	$43,940	14.3x
79	University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA · Public	60	$42,358	11.6x
80	Oregon State University Corvallis, OR · Public	60	$41,779	12.1x
81	Kent State University at Kent Kent, OH · Public	60	$39,790	13.9x
82	West Virginia University Institute of Technology Beckley, WV · Public	60	$36,891	21.1x
83	CUNY Brooklyn College Brooklyn, NY · Public	60	$34,239	26.8x
84	California State University-San Marcos San Marcos, CA · Public	59	$49,382	15.0x
85	Fort Hays State University Hays, KS · Public	59	$44,261	19.6x
86	The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga Chattanooga, TN · Public	59	$41,588	14.2x
87	The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX · Public	59	$40,700	15.6x
88	University of Missouri-Kansas City Kansas City, MO · Public	59	$39,725	13.4x
89	University of Memphis Memphis, TN · Public	59	$36,881	17.1x
90	Portland State University Portland, OR · Public	59	$35,395	17.9x
91	Binghamton University Vestal, NY · Public	59	$35,115	19.2x
92	Augusta University Augusta, GA · Public	58	$48,382	13.9x
93	California State University-Channel Islands Camarillo, CA · Public	58	$46,131	15.9x
94	Northern Illinois University Dekalb, IL · Public	58	$43,061	11.3x
95	Indiana University-Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN · Public	58	$42,482	12.9x
96	Austin Peay State University Clarksville, TN · Public	58	$42,475	14.7x
97	Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ · Public	58	$40,845	12.1x
98	University of South Carolina-Columbia Columbia, SC · Public	58	$39,018	12.8x
99	West Virginia University Morgantown, WV · Public	58	$36,891	17.4x
100	Georgia Southern University Statesboro, GA · Public	58	$34,977	26.9x
101	Eastern Kentucky University Richmond, KY · Public	58	$34,512	19.4x
102	California State University-Fullerton Fullerton, CA · Public	57	$45,076	14.9x
103	California State University-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA · Public	57	$44,944	15.5x
104	California State University-Northridge Northridge, CA · Public	57	$44,874	14.8x
105	Bowling Green State University-Main Campus Bowling Green, OH · Public	57	$43,840	9.8x
106	University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC · Public	57	$35,482	21.6x
107	Montclair State University Montclair, NJ · Public	56	$55,389	8.4x
108	Salisbury University Salisbury, MD · Public	56	$50,169	10.8x
109	Drexel University Philadelphia, PA · Private nonprofit	56	$49,215	2.6x
110	Murray State University Murray, KY · Public	56	$48,334	11.4x
111	North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, NC · Public	56	$47,071	12.2x
112	Grand Valley State University Allendale, MI · Public	56	$46,496	8.9x
113	Eastern Michigan University Ypsilanti, MI · Public	56	$45,060	8.7x
114	University of Central Florida Orlando, FL · Public	56	$43,634	16.1x
115	University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA · Public	56	$43,571	7.3x
116	University of Houston-Downtown Houston, TX · Public	56	$38,954	16.8x
117	Temple University Philadelphia, PA · Public	55	$42,022	7.2x
118	University of California-Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA · Public	55	$39,700	10.4x
119	University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI · Public	55	$36,771	14.9x
120	Georgia State University Atlanta, GA · Public	55	$33,836	18.7x
121	University of North Florida Jacksonville, FL · Public	55	$31,663	26.1x
122	Salem State University Salem, MA · Public	54	$49,439	9.3x
123	College of the Holy Cross Worcester, MA · Private nonprofit	54	$47,313	2.5x
124	The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Knoxville, TN · Public	54	$41,589	9.9x
125	University of North Carolina Asheville Asheville, NC · Public	54	$36,891	17.5x
126	University of North Texas Denton, TX · Public	53	$38,006	12.2x
127	University of North Carolina at Pembroke Pembroke, NC · Public	53	$35,579	33.1x
128	University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR · Public	53	$34,872	15.1x
129	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC · Public	53	$32,516	17.7x
130	Marshall University Huntington, WV · Public	53	$32,143	18.3x
131	The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX · Public	52	$48,783	7.4x
132	University of Wyoming Laramie, WY · Public	52	$40,280	13.5x
133	College of Charleston Charleston, SC · Public	52	$39,208	10.2x
134	University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, AL · Public	52	$33,931	15.8x
135	University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus Norman, OK · Public	52	$31,419	17.0x
136	CUNY Hunter College New York, NY · Public	52	$29,340	22.1x
137	Florida International University Miami, FL · Public	52	$28,660	25.9x
138	James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA · Public	51	$45,799	7.4x
139	University of Akron Main Campus Akron, OH · Public	51	$44,970	7.8x
140	Iowa State University Ames, IA · Public	51	$43,870	9.4x
141	Christopher Newport University Newport News, VA · Public	51	$39,245	8.4x
142	Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ · Public	51	$38,766	10.5x
143	Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA · Public	51	$38,571	8.6x
144	Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL · Public	51	$35,015	23.2x
145	Metropolitan State University of Denver Denver, CO · Public	51	$34,417	13.5x
146	University of Missouri-Columbia Columbia, MO · Public	50	$45,279	7.0x
147	University of Maryland-Baltimore County Baltimore, MD · Public	50	$44,215	7.5x
148	Texas State University San Marcos, TX · Public	50	$42,897	8.4x
149	University of Louisiana at Lafayette Lafayette, LA · Public	50	$42,715	9.3x
150	Louisiana Tech University Ruston, LA · Public	50	$42,572	9.5x
151	University of California-Riverside Riverside, CA · Public	50	$39,676	8.9x
152	Michigan State University East Lansing, MI · Public	49	$39,531	8.0x
153	William & Mary Williamsburg, VA · Public	49	$35,130	7.0x
154	Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX · Public	49	$31,573	13.4x
155	University of South Florida Tampa, FL · Public	49	$29,399	21.9x
156	Western Carolina University Cullowhee, NC · Public	49	$26,513	31.4x
157	University of Florida Gainesville, FL · Public	49	$25,418	23.6x
158	Monmouth University West Long Branch, NJ · Private nonprofit	48	$43,512	2.7x
159	University of Louisville Louisville, KY · Public	48	$41,842	7.2x
160	University of Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN · Private nonprofit	48	$40,612	3.7x
161	Kalamazoo College Kalamazoo, MI · Private nonprofit	48	$39,940	2.5x
162	University of Nevada-Reno Reno, NV · Public	48	$39,614	10.0x
163	Wayne State University Detroit, MI · Public	48	$35,813	9.5x
164	University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY · Public	48	$35,284	11.8x
165	Western Illinois University Macomb, IL · Public	48	$31,980	11.0x
166	Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY · Public	48	$31,685	13.5x
167	Hamline University Saint Paul, MN · Private nonprofit	47	$50,007	1.6x
168	Southern Connecticut State University New Haven, CT · Public	47	$40,767	6.9x
169	Northwest Missouri State University Maryville, MO · Public	47	$39,478	8.7x
170	University of Idaho Moscow, ID · Public	47	$38,664	10.0x
171	Brandeis University Waltham, MA · Private nonprofit	46	$46,641	1.7x
172	Carthage College Kenosha, WI · Private nonprofit	46	$45,188	2.1x
173	Radford University Radford, VA · Public	45	$39,090	7.0x
174	The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Edinburg, TX · Public	45	$22,913	15.0x
175	Pacific Lutheran University Tacoma, WA · Private nonprofit	44	$44,555	1.2x
176	St Olaf College Northfield, MN · Private nonprofit	44	$44,020	1.9x
177	Valparaiso University Valparaiso, IN · Private nonprofit	44	$37,526	2.8x
178	New York University New York, NY · Private nonprofit	44	$37,249	2.3x
179	Arizona State University Digital Immersion Scottsdale, AZ · Public	43	$38,766	—
180	University of Central Arkansas Conway, AR · Public	43	$36,946	8.1x
181	Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania Slippery Rock, PA · Public	43	$36,597	7.7x
182	University of Georgia Athens, GA · Public	43	$31,893	11.1x
183	University of Mississippi University, MS · Public	42	$35,132	8.3x
184	California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt Arcata, CA · Public	42	$33,972	9.7x
185	University of Virginia-Main Campus Charlottesville, VA · Public	42	$30,599	7.2x
186	California State University-Fresno Fresno, CA · Public	42	$18,896	17.1x
187	Williams College Williamstown, MA · Private nonprofit	41	$40,840	1.7x
188	Saint Joseph's University Philadelphia, PA · Private nonprofit	40	$39,914	0.9x
189	Fort Lewis College Durango, CO · Public	40	$34,159	7.8x
190	CUNY Lehman College Bronx, NY · Public	39	$31,815	9.7x
191	University of Puerto Rico-Humacao Humacao, PR · Public	39	$22,743	18.9x
192	Boston University Boston, MA · Private nonprofit	38	$39,157	0.5x
193	Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX · Private nonprofit	38	$38,919	0.5x
194	University of New Mexico-Main Campus Albuquerque, NM · Public	36	$30,122	8.3x
195	La Roche University Pittsburgh, PA · Private nonprofit	35	$34,906	1.6x
196	Hope College Holland, MI · Private nonprofit	33	$21,199	3.2x
197	Whitworth University Spokane, WA · Private nonprofit	32	$33,203	0.6x
198	John Carroll University University Heights, OH · Private nonprofit	32	$30,087	2.4x
199	University of Arkansas-Fort Smith Fort Smith, AR · Public	32	$22,255	7.1x
200	University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez Mayaguez, PR · Public	32	$16,465	6.8x
201	University of Richmond University of Richmond, VA · Private nonprofit	31	$22,881	-0.1x
202	Emory University Atlanta, GA · Private nonprofit	30	$32,130	1.7x
203	Duke University Durham, NC · Private nonprofit	28	$29,748	0.1x
204	Mercer University Macon, GA · Private nonprofit	26	$25,151	0.5x
205	Cornell University Ithaca, NY · Private nonprofit	25	$28,372	1.3x

Explore our Chemistry rankings across 205 schools nationwide →

Highest Earnings Top 5

Northeastern University MA	$62,511
University of California-Berkeley CA	$59,576
Montclair State University NJ	$55,389
Bridgewater State University MA	$55,376
University of Delaware DE	$54,055

Best ROI Top 5

University of North Carolina at Pembroke NC	33.1x
Western Carolina University NC	31.4x
San Francisco State University CA	30.9x
Kennesaw State University GA	28.5x
Ohio University-Eastern Campus OH	28.0x

Chemistry vs Other Majors

See how Chemistry compares to similar fields on earnings, AI risk, and career paths.

Chemistry vs Chemical Engineering Chemistry vs Biology

Related majors

Similar fields of study often offered alongside Chemistry.

Geosciences Physics Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology Astronomy and Astrophysics Physical Sciences Biology Psychology Political Science English Business Administration History Sociology

Consider the trade route

Not sure a 4-year degree is the right path? Trade programs in Chemistry offer shorter timelines, lower debt, and strong AI resilience for hands-on careers.

Compare Chemistry trade programs on TradeSchoolOutlook →

FAQ

Frequently asked about Chemistry

How much do Chemistry graduates earn?

Across 205 schools, Chemistry graduates earn an average of $41,257 per year in their first year after graduation. Earnings range from $16,465 to $62,511 depending on the school.

What is the AI automation risk for Chemistry?

Chemistry is rated "High" for AI automation risk, with 49% of job tasks exposed to large language models and AI tools. This means some career tasks in this field could be augmented or replaced by AI over the next decade.

Which school has the best Chemistry program?

Based on our DegreeOutlook Score (combining earnings, AI resilience, job market size, and ROI), California State University-Long Beach ranks #1 for Chemistry with a score of 73/100 and graduate earnings of $50,553/yr.

What's the outlook for a Chemistry degree?

The average 10-year earnings multiple is 12.8x tuition. This is a strong return on investment. The spread between the best and worst programs is wide, so individual school selection has a major impact.