What it’s about: 

Majors in chemistry study the composition, structure, and properties of matter, as well as the reactions that transform one form of matter into another. Because it is an experimental science, students learn to design and perform the investigations that will lead to a better understanding of the physical world.

What the study of this major is like: 

Chemists provide the expertise to create products you encounter every day, such as medicines, fabrics, and synthetic materials. As a major, for example, you learn way to control the chemical reactions that produce ceramics, semiconductors, insulators, polymers with unusual properties, and molecules, essential for life. In your examination of atoms bonding to form molecules, you observe how the properties of substances depend on which atoms are combined, and how. 

Chemistry has traditionally been divided into four areas: organic, inorganic, physical, and analytical. Organic chemistry is the study of carbon compounds, whereas inorganic chemistry is the study of all other elements. Physical chemists investigate he structure and properties of matter, and analytical chemists devise the procedures used in identifying and measuring the individual components of complex mixtures. 

Chemistry majors usually take a core curriculum that includes courses in all four areas before they concentrate in one area. Your concentration may require you to take advanced courses that explore the methods for synthesizing natural products; that introduce you to the instruments and techniques used in analysing unknown compounds; or that show you how to use lasers to study a molecular collision. You will also be expected to take courses in math, physics, and, probably, biology. 

All chemistry majors spend a great deal of time performing experiments in the laboratory. The lab experience teaches you to observe the world around you, to draw conclusions from these observations, and to challenge currently accepted beliefs. A typical week’s classes consist of about three 50-minute classroom sessions and two- to four-hour lab. Advanced students take independent study courses, in which they work with a professor on a research project. There is generally little time for elective. On top of lecture classes and lab work, you should expect to work on daily problem sets and put in considerable time studying and writing reports. 

Some colleges award Bachelor of Arts degrees in chemistry; others awards Bachelor of Science degrees; still others offer both. But regardless of which degree is offered, most chemistry programs emphasize critical-thinking and laboratory skills. The American Chemical Society specifies the course requirements that enable a bachelor’s degree program to qualify graduate for ACS certification, which most employers look for.

Career options and trends: 

Industrial or pharmaceutical research chemist*; physician, pharmacist, or other medical professional*; pharmaceutical sales representative; high school chemistry teacher*; chemical lab technician; food scientist; government inspector (for FDA or EPA); crime lab analyst or forensic chemist; occupational safety specialist; environmental consultant. 

Graduates entering this field may find competition for jobs, particularly in the declining chemical manufacturing industry; job opportunities will be more plentiful in pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms. Research and testing firms will experience healthy growth as manufacturers outsource research and testing formerly done by in-house chemists. Another area of opportunity is environmental research andregulatory compliance. Chemists with a master’s or doctorate degree will be in most demand, although those with a bachelor’s degree should be able to find work as assistant research scientists in smaller firms.

Source: CollegeBoard 2012 Book of Majors