Careers in Chemistry

Specific information concerning careers for chemistry majors is provided below. Also included are lists of articles on careers that have appeared in various publications of the American Chemical Society. The texts of the articles can be accessed from this listing and are reproduced with the permission of ACS.

I. Introduction to Careers
[Assistance in all matters concerning careers may be obtained at The Career Center on Duke Campus. Majors considering health professions as a career should utilize the services of the Health Professions Advising Center, 303 Union West. ]

The information given below focuses on careers in-or-related-to the field of chemistry.

Article of Interest from the American Chemical Society

• "Take Charge of Your Career"- Includes four principles regarding careers and suggestions of things that an undergraduate can do to prepare for a career in chemistry.
• "Where do you go next?"- discusses possible careers after graduation with a degree in chemistry.

II. Types of Careers in Chemistry (Most chemists are employed in one of four areas: Industry (60%), Academia (24%), Government (9%), or Non-Traditional (7%). Descriptions of these types of careers are given in the ACS articles below.)
 

Articles of Interest from the American Chemical Society

• "Chemical Career Insights - a Guide to Careers in Chemistry" - Describes the four types of careers in chemistry: industry, academia, government, and non-traditional.

 
• The Modern Product Development Chemist - More than 20% of industrial chemists are product development chemists. This article describes the role of this type of chemist.

 
• "Scoping the Options" - Includes more detailed descriptions of some of the four types of careers in chemistry - especially helpful on government careers, academia, and non-traditional careers.

 
• "Biotechnology Career Update" - projects likely future employment opportunities in biotechnology.

 
• "Non-Traditional Careers" - Describes some non-traditional careers using descriptions of jobs of real people. This link is direct to the article in Chemical and Engineering News.

 
• "Non-Traditional Careers from Traditional Collegiate Curricula" - Describes a range of non-traditional careers for chemistry majors and provides information on the preparation for such careers.

 
• "Chemical Librarianship: An Opportunity To Be Involved" - Describes the career of chemistry librarian as an information finder, computer specialist, developer of collections, reference worker, administrator, and provider of workshops on information.

 
• "A Career Option for Chemists: Attorneys with Chemistry Backgrounds" - Describes careers in law particularly suited to chemistry majors. [Majors interested in pursuing this option should utilize the services of the Pre-Law Advising Center, Dean Gerald Wilson, room 116 Allen Building.]

 
• "2002 Employment Outlook" - This link is direct to the article in Chemical and Engineering News.

 
• "Where is the Research University Headed?" - Provocative article from ChemTech.

Articles of Interest from the American Chemical Society

• "Myths/Realities Concerning Graduate School " - Describes four myths and the realities concerning graduate school.

 
• "The Decision to Attend Graduate School" Gives some important questions to consider when thinking about graduate school such as: When should I begin making plans? How can I evaluate those institutions in which I have an interest? Also includes a helpful self-assessment form.

 
• "Tracking Down Your Primo Grad School" - First part of this article deals with the choice between these two paths to a career.

IV. The Graduate School Path
[Majors who are interested in Graduate Schools should utilize the services of Dean Mary Nijhout in the Office of Undergraduate Research and Pre-Graduate Study Advising, room 04 Allen Building.]

[General information on preparing for and applying to graduate schools in chemistry can be obtained from this Web site maintained by the American Chemical Society. Additional general information can be obtained from the National Academy Press publication, "Careers in Science and Engineering: A Student Planning Guide to Graduate School and Beyond."]

 Articles of Interest from the American Chemical Society

• "The Ins and Outs of Graduate School Admissions at a Glance" - a brief overview of topics such as: who should apply, financial support, finding out about graduate schools, planning for graduate school, the application process, the Graduate Record Examination, and applying and choosing.

 
• "Planning for Graduate Work in Chemistry" Covers some of the same topics as the article above but in a little more depth: admission to graduate school, choice of graduate school, resources for finding out about various graduate schools, visits to graduate schools, when to apply, financial support, what happens after choosing a graduate school.

 
• "How To Apply for Graduate Study in Chemistry "- Covers some of the same topics as the above two articles: opportunities for students [Note however, that today's opportunities are not as abundant as implied by this article.], selecting a graduate program, evaluating graduate schools and making a final decision.

 
• "Tracking Down Your Primo Grad School" - Latter part of this article deals with applying to graduate schools, factors to consider in selection, what graduate school is like, and suggestions of things to do in your undergraduate training to prepare you for graduate school.

• "Preparing for Graduate Study in the Arts and Sciences" - publication available from the Office of Undergraduate Research and Pre-Graduate Study Advising, room 04 Allen Building. Provides information on: Graduate Education and Careers, Graduate and Professional Degrees, Progress in Graduate School, Life During Graduate School, Preparing for Graduate Study Begins Early, Selecting a Graduate Institution, Application and Admission to Graduate Degree Programs, Current and Future Changes in GRE, and Financial Support for Graduate Study.

 
• The ACS Directory of Graduate Research - Publication available for viewing at the office of the Director of Undergraduate Studies in Chemistry.

 
• Listing of Graduate Programs in Chemical Education . - A listing of  graduate schools that currently offer a Ph.D., Ed. D., and/or M.S. degree in chemistry education. Research in these programs can be on the teaching and learning of chemistry rather than traditional research areas.  Email addresses and/or URLs for obtaining further information are  included.

 
• The ACS Chemical Sciences Graduate School Finder. - Publication available for viewing at the office of the Director of Undergraduate Studies in Chemistry.

 
• American Academy of Forensic Sciences Web site.
• On-line selections from Peterson's Guide. Request search for physical sciences, then request chemistry.

 
• Complete information concerning the GRE exam and the GRE Chemistry test is available from the GRE WebsiteGraduate Record Examination Website..
• College and University Home Page listing with links to over 3000 institutions..

The American Chemical Society maintains a website devoted to career planning. A recent additon to their site is the brochure, "Planning for a Career in Industry".

 How to search for jobs, surfing the Net. This is an artcle from Today's Chemist at Work

Articles of Interest from the American Chemical Society and other sources

• "Internships - Worthwhile Adventures" - Emphasizes the advantages of doing a summer internship for chemists interested in business careers.

 
• "Your Foot in the Door" The Basics of Resume Preparation - Describes contents and writing two types of resumes: chronological and the functional resume.
• "How to Write Effective Cover  Letters" - Describes purpose, structure, writing style, and presentation for cover letters.

 
• "Its Showtime" - Provides information on resumes, cover letters, finding potential employers, interviewing (including ten frequently asked interview questions), and useful resources.

 
• "How to Survive and Thrive in these Turbulent Times" - Discusses the changing paradigm for employment with emphasis on: the effects of globalization, the new required skills and expectations of the work force, and the need to be flexible and to be able to adapt to changes.

 
• "Recruiters Seek Diverse Skills" - A brief listing of skills that recruiters are looking for in the modern chemist.

 
• "The Recruiter's Agenda" - Includes: personal traits that contribute to the professional productivity and advancement of a scientist, how interviewers measure these personal traits, importance of a good resume, the initial interview with a recruiter (with tips on how candidates disqualify themselves), and how to handle on-site interviews.

 
• "Compensation is More than Salary" - discusses fringe benefits in some detail.

 
• "Launching Your Industrial Chemistry Career" - Describes the major differences between being employed in industry and being an undergraduate or graduate student. Provides suggestions for making a successful transition between the two.

 

Some services available at the The Career Center, room 110 Page Building, include preparation of resumes and cover letters and preparation for interviews, etc.

Below are links to various web sites concerning jobs and careers. These sites were recommended in an article by Nancy K McGuire in CHEMICAL INNOVATION / JUNE 2000, page 63.  Sites that could not be accessed on 8/18/02 have been deleted.

 References*
(1) Jobs for Scientists: The Ultimate Guide (http://sciencejobs.hypermart.net/index.htm)
(3) ACS Career Services (http://www.acs.org/careers)
(5) American Institute of Physics (http://www.aip.org/industry.html)
(6) American Association for the Advancement of Science (http://recruit.sciencemag.org)
(8) National Association of Science Writers (http://www.nasw.org)
(10) JobStar which enables searching of job listings in 90 U.S. newspapers.(http://jobstar.org/adjobs/newsnat.htm)
(11) Jobs for Chemists and Biochemists (http://www.scijobs.org/about.shtml)
(12) Yahoo's carrer page (http://careers.yahoo.com)
(14) About.com web site Key word search is recommended procedure. (http://jobsearch.about.com/jobs/jobsearch)
(15) Ixquick Enter chemistry jobs in search box. (http://www.ixquick.com)
*Note: All of the URLs were last accessed on August 18, 2002.