Science
Chemist
Chemists research substances and reactions to create everything from medicines to materials. Lab-based science with strong demand in pharma, energy, and manufacturing.
Median salary (BLS)
$84,000
10th–90th percentile (BLS)
$55k – $135k
Job outlook
+6% (faster than average)
AI exposure
Early-career check: graduates of the matching programs below typically earn $119,000 ten years after starting college — an early-career figure, vs. the all-experience BLS median above. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard.
Plan a path to Chemist
Education
Typical entry: Bachelor's degree
Bachelor's to enter; advanced roles want a master's or PhD.
Plan my path to this →How to qualify
EstimateCost to qualify
$40,000–$150,000
Time to qualify
4 yr
Renewal
—
- 1
Bachelor's degree
DegreeFour years at public in-state rates — average published tuition & fees ≈ $11,610/yr, plus books. Private and out-of-state run higher; grant aid lowers most students' actual net price.
$40,000–$150,000 · 4 years source
Estimated typical U.S. route for "Chemist" — built from BLS education requirements and College Board 2024–25 average published prices (public, in-state tuition + fees + books). Not yet verified against a specific state's licensing rules — confirm with your state licensing board or program.
Typical progression
Chemist Intern
Internship
$36,000
~4 mos to advance
Junior Chemist
Entry / Junior
$55,000
~2 yrs to advance
Chemist
Established
$84,000
~3 yrs to advance
Senior Chemist
Senior
$109,500
Internships are a common on-ramp here — they speed up landing that first role and improve your odds, which is why the Safe and High-ceiling plans build one in.
Key skills
A typical day
- •Run experiments and analyses
- •Develop and test compounds
- •Document results
Fields of study
Chemistry · Biochemistry
Top colleges for Science
Explore all- Massachusetts Institute of Technology4% admit · $124,000 grad pay
- California Institute of Technology3% admit · $112,000 grad pay
- Harvard University4% admit · $119,000 grad pay
- Stanford University4% admit · $122,000 grad pay
- University of California, Berkeley11% admit · $97,000 grad pay
Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.
Related careers
Other careers from this field of study
Mapped by field-of-study code (Chemistry, Biochemistry), not by job-title guessing.