Chemistry & Forensic Science Career Resources

Students major in chemistry as a path to medical, dental, pharmacy, and many other graduate programs and to become chemists working in industry, academia or government.

An Excellent Path to Professional School


A degree in Chemistry or Forensic Science provides a great background for entrance into medical, dental, veterinary, pharmacy, and many other professional medical graduate programs. The chemistry curriculum will help to prepare you for the entrance exams (MCAT, PCAT, OAT, DAT, etc.) as well as for success once enrolled in the graduate programs. The chemistry and forensic science degree plans offer students the flexibility to take elective courses in order to fulfill their prerequisites and they also prepare them for their entrance exams. As shown in the table below, students majoring in the physical sciences (e.g. chemistry) generally perform exceptionally well on the MCAT.

Undergraduate MajorMCATGPA% AcceptedApplicants
Biological Science28.13.5344.722863
Social Science28.23.4846.85107
Physical Science29.93.5451.74670
Humanities29.43.5351.91999
Specialized Health Science25.53.5134.91268
Math30.53.5451.7387
Other27.73.5345.47625
Source: Association of American Medical Colleges, 2011

A Path to an Excellent Career


Chemists and Forensic Scientists can have high job satisfaction when they work on cures for disease or monitor/improve the environment. Still others discover new materials to make our homes warmer in the winter, or create new textiles to be used in the latest fashions. The knowledge gained through the study of chemistry and forensic science opens many career pathways outside health professions. Below are just a few of the careers chosen by chemists. For more information, visit the College to Career pages of the American Chemical Society.

  • Applied Research and Product Development
  • Biotechnology
  • Chemical Engineering
  • Chemical Information Management Specialist
  • Chemical Technology
  • Chemistry Professor
  • Chemistry and the Law
  • Chemistry in the Arts
  • Consulting
  • Crystallography
  • Environmental Protection
  • Food Chemistry
  • Forensic Chemistry
  • Formulation Chemistry
  • Geochemistry
  • Hazardous Waste Management
  • Health and Safety
  • High School Chemistry Teacher
  • Human Resources
  • Industrial Management
  • Materials Science
  • Medicinal Chemistry
  • Military Science and Technology
  • Nuclear Chemistry
  • Oil and Petroleum
  • Personal Care Chemistry
  • Polymer
  • Process Chemistry
  • Project Management
  • Quality Assurance
  • Quality Control
  • Regulatory Affairs
  • Science Policy
  • Social Impact/Activism
  • Technical Communication
  • Technical Sales and Marketing
  • Technical Support
  • Textile Chemistry
  • Water Chemists

Purposefully, Getting Off the Path


Sometimes our graduates get away from the bench and obtain jobs using their science degree in non-traditional but interesting ways.

Universities have many types of jobs for chemists away from the bench: