Activities	Conduct qualitative and quantitative chemical analyses or chemical experiments in laboratories for quality or process control or to develop new products or knowledge.
Outlook	Average job growth
Median Income	$59,870 per year in 2006
Work Context & Conditions	Chemists usually work regular hours in offices and laboratories. Research chemists spend much time in laboratories, but also work in offices when they do theoretical research or plan, record, and report on their lab research.
Minimum Education Requirements	Bachelor's Degree
Skills	Critical Thinking, Quality Control Analysis, Active Listening, Writing, Equipment Selection, Time Management, Troubleshooting, Mathematics, Active Learning, Complex Problem Solving, Judgment and Decision Making, Coordination, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Science
Abilities	Oral Expression, Deductive Reasoning, Information Ordering, Inductive Reasoning, Oral Comprehension
Interviews	Jack Simpson

Job Category		Life, Physical, & Social Science
Job Description		Chemists analyze organic and inorganic compounds to determine chemical and physical properties, composition, structure, relationships, and reactions, using chromatography, spectroscopy, and spectrophotometry techniques. They induce changes in the composition of substances by introducing heat, light, energy, and chemical catalysts for quantitative and qualitative analysis. Chemists develop, improve, and customize products, equipment, formulas, processes, and analytical methods. They also compile and analyze test information to determine process or equipment operating efficiency and to diagnose malfunctions. Chemists study effects of various methods of processing, preserving, and packaging on the composition and properties of foods; and prepare test solutions, compounds, and reagents for laboratory personnel to conduct tests. They confer with scientists and engineers to conduct analyses of research projects, interpret test results, or develop nonstandard tests. They prepare test solutions, compounds, and reagents for laboratory personnel to conduct test. Most chemists write technical papers and reports and prepare standards and specifications for processes, facilities, products, and tests; and direct, coordinate, and advise personnel in test procedures for analyzing components and physical properties of materials.
Working Conditions		Chemists usually work regular hours in offices and laboratories. Research chemists spend much time in laboratories, but also work in offices when they do theoretical research or plan, record, and report on their lab research. Although some laboratories are small, others are large enough to incorporate prototype chemical manufacturing facilities as well as advanced equipment. Chemists may do some of their work in a chemical plant or outdoors -- while gathering water samples to test for pollutants, for example. Some chemists are exposed to health or safety hazards when handling certain chemicals, but there's little risk if proper procedures are followed. Chemists' work is exacting and detail-oriented, and it often requires coordinating the work of others.
Salary Range		Median annual earnings of chemists in 2006 were $59,870. The middle 50 percent earned between $44,780 and $82,610. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $35,480, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $106,310. Median annual earnings in the industries employing the largest numbers of chemists in May 2006 were: $88,930 in Federal government ; $68,760 in scientific research and development services; and $57,210 in pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing industry. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, beginning salary offers in July 2007 for graduates with bachelor’s degrees in chemistry averaged $41,506 a year. In 2007, annual earnings of chemists in nonsupervisory, supervisory, and managerial positions in the Federal Government averaged $89,954.

Education Required		A bachelor's degree in chemistry or a related discipline is usually the minimum educational requirement for entry-level chemist jobs. However, many research jobs require a Ph.D. Many colleges and universities offer degree programs in chemistry. In 2007, the American Chemical Society (ACS) had approved approximately 640 bachelors, 310 masters, and 200 doctoral degree programs. Students planning careers as chemists should take courses in science and mathematics, and should like working with their hands building scientific apparatus and performing laboratory experiments. Perseverance, curiosity, and the ability to concentrate on detail and to work independently are essential. Computer courses are essential, as employers increasingly prefer job applicants who are able to apply computer skills to modeling and simulation tasks and operate computerized laboratory equipment. Experience, either in academic laboratories or through internships or co-op programs in industry, is also useful. Some employers of research chemists, particularly in the pharmaceutical industry, prefer to hire people with several years of postdoctoral experience. Graduate students typically specialize in a subfield of chemistry, such as analytical or polymer chemistry, depending on their interests and the kind of work they wish to do. However, students need not specialize at the undergraduate level. In fact, undergraduates who are broadly trained have more flexibility when job hunting or changing jobs than if they narrowly define their interests. In government or industry, beginning chemists with a bachelor's degree work in quality control or analytical testing, or assist senior chemists in research and development laboratories. Many employers prefer chemists with a Ph.D. or at least a master's degree to lead basic and applied research. A Ph.D. is also often preferred for advancement to many administrative positions.
Recommended High School Courses		Computers and Electronics, Biology, Mathematics, English, Chemistry, Physics
Postsecondary Instructional Programs		Mathematics, Chemistry, Computers and Electronics, English Language
Certification and Licensing		None

Interest Area		Investigative Involves working with ideas and requires an extensive amount of thinking. Realistic Involves working on practical, hands-on problems and solutions, often with real-world materials, tools, and machinery.
Work Values		Achievement Get a feeling of accomplishment. Independence Work alone. Working Conditions Good working conditions.
Skills		Critical Thinking Use logic and analysis to identify the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches. Quality Control Analysis Conduct tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance. Active Listening Listen to what other people are saying and ask questions as appropriate. Writing Communicate effectively with others in writing as indicated by the needs of the audience. Equipment Selection Determine the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job. Time Management Manage one's own time and the time of others. Troubleshooting Determine what is causing an operating error and deciding what to do about it. Mathematics Use math to solve problems. Active Learning Work with new material or information to grasp its implications. Complex Problem Solving Solving novel, ill-defined problems in complex, real-world settings. Judgment and Decision Making Be able to weigh the relative costs and benefits of a potential action. Coordination Adjust actions in relation to others' actions. Reading Comprehension Understand written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents. Speaking Talk to others to effectively convey information. Science Use scientific methods to solve problems.
Abilities		Oral Expression Able to convey information and ideas through speech in ways that others will understand. Deductive Reasoning Able to apply general rules to specific problems to come up with logical answers, including deciding whether an answer makes sense. Information Ordering Able to correctly follow rules for arranging things or actions in a certain order, including numbers, words, pictures, procedures, and logical operations. Inductive Reasoning Able to combine separate pieces of information, or specific answers to problems, to form general rules or conclusions. This includes coming up with a logical explanation for why seemingly unrelated events occur together. Oral Comprehension Able to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

Related Jobs		Biologist, Technician, Biological, Scientist, Medical, Technician, Chemical
Job Outlook		Employment of chemists and materials scientists is expected to grow 9 percent over the 2006-16 decade, about as fast as the average for all occupations. Job growth will occur in professional, scientific, and technical services firms as manufacturing companies continue to outsource their R&D and testing services firms. The chemical industry, the major employer of chemists, should face continued demand for goods such as new and better pharmaceuticals and personal care products, as well as for more specialty chemicals designed to address specific problems or applications. To meet these demands, chemical firms will continue to devote money to research and development-through in-house teams or outside contractors -- spurring employment growth of chemists. Strong demand is expected for chemists with a master's or Ph.D. degree. Within the chemical industry, job opportunities are expected to be most plentiful in pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms. Biotechnological research, including studies of human genes, continues to offer possibilities for the development of new drugs and products to combat illnesses and diseases which have previously been unresponsive to treatments derived by traditional chemical processes. Research and testing firms will experience healthy growth. Chemists also will be needed to develop and improve the technologies and processes used to produce chemicals for all purposes. Chemists and materials scientists held about 93,000 jobs in 2006. Over half of all chemists are employed in manufacturing firms -- mostly in the chemical manufacturing industry. Chemists also work for State and local governments and for federal agencies. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (which includes the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health, and the Center for Disease Control) is the major gederal employer of chemists. The Departments of Defense and Agriculture andthe Environmental Protection Agency also employ chemists. Other chemists work for research, development, and testing services. In addition, thousands of persons with a background in chemistry and materials science hold teaching positions in high schools and in colleges and universities. Chemists and materials scientists are employed in all parts of the country, but they are mainly concentrated in large industrial areas.
More Information		American Chemical Society
References		Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-09 Edition, Chemists and Materials Scientists, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos049.htm O*NET OnLine, on the Internet at http://online.onetcenter.org/link/summary/19-2031.00