What will I learn in chemistry courses?

Beyond many of the same basic skills you get from biology, chemistry—the study of how substances are put together as well as how they transform over time—goes into great detail on scientific ethics. Chemical testing involves a lot of complicated processes that can be potentially hazardous. Not to mention that effective results of chemical experimentation, specifically in organic chemistry, can sometimes only come from testing on living things. Being able to balance the value of safety with the need for scientific development can be fraught, and so a chemist has plenty of opportunities to wrestle with ethical questions.

Chemistry students also need to be creative. So much of the science relies on testing chemical reactions, so a chemist needs to be willing to try combinations and work from a careful combination of theories and facts to find out more about natural life. Inorganic chemistry and synthetic chemistry depend on new ways of looking at the chemical composition of objects and uncovering their unknown properties.

You will also learn to see things as the sum of their parts. Analytical chemistry includes a lot of separating substances into their components to find out how they come together. You’ll become precise in your exploration and able to see complicated patterns of structure where others only see a flat picture.

What can I do with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry?

Similar to a biology major, careers in chemistry are often dependent on what area of chemistry you specialize in. Pre-health is a common path for chemistry majors, leading to careers in drug and medicine development—finding cures, therapies and even preventive measures for a wide range of diseases and physical problems.

Another popular route for chemistry majors is to get into forensic chemistry, where you can apply your skills to aid in criminal investigations. Not only will you need to be well-versed in toxicology, osteology—the study of the structure and function of the human skeleton and bones—and textile chemistry, but you’ll need to know a lot about the criminal justice system.

Chemical engineering is the area a lot of people associate most closely with chemistry. This is where you use your chemical knowledge to help produce consumer products, like food and fuel, as well as medical devices like drug delivery systems and even artificial organs. You can also work closely with architects, designing the structural elements of buildings as well as inspecting them to make sure they are safe, up to code, and structurally sound.

As with biology, there are also plenty of government and educational jobs waiting for those with a degree in chemistry. You could be a development researcher for the military or NASA, a consultant for the auto industry, or a policy specialist helping get laws written regarding drugs and other industrial materials. And of course you can research or teach at a college or university, or teach at the junior high and high school levels if you like the idea of working with younger children.

Then there is biochemistry, sometimes called biological chemistry, where these two main areas meet. This is where scientists seek an understanding of chemical reactions in biological systems. If you are interested in what happens when we or other animals eat, how four chemicals can add up to the human gene sequence of every living thing, how and why we get sick, or how blood carries so much importance in keeping the body going, then you should explore this cross-section of chemistry and biology.

Jobs in biochemistry tend to involve a lot of lab time as a researcher, but they can cross areas from medicine to drug design and pharmaceuticals to corporate work. If interested in pharmaceuticals, make sure you are aware of all the pharmacist education requirements.

How is the money and job security for chemistry careers?

Like biology careers, jobs for chemists are also on the rise, with a predicted 4% growth through 2028, according to the BLS. That should add up to about 3,500 jobs added to the U.S. economy over 10 years. Some of the fastest-growing positions are registered nurses (12% occupational growth) and food scientists (7%).

The value of a career in chemistry is just as dependent on time in school and experience as one in biology, but unlike biologists where medicine is the most secure path, the most secure jobs for chemists are in supplying to pharmaceutical companies. Drug manufacturers are the biggest employers of chemists in the United States, according to Data USA, with more than 300,000 employees in this country making an average annual salary of more than $104K. 

Government jobs are harder to come by, as you might imagine, and pay closer to an average salary over $114K. There are also successful careers to be had in architecture and engineering ($67K), research ($92K), and manufacturing of non-health-related chemicals ($88K).

Which one do I choose, Biology or Chemistry?

Ultimately, the choice comes down to what you want to spend most of your time doing over the next few years. Both chemistry and biology will give you plenty of opportunities to learn complicated systems, perform experiments, analyze data and dig under the surface of what we observe in the world every day.

Biology includes a set of a hard and fast rules, and involves a bit more observation and noting of facts. Chemistry, meanwhile, is a bit more about trial and error, breaking things down to build them back up again. A biology major will be more likely to put you in the classroom or in the field while chemistry will have you in the lab.

There’s also the question of motivation. Certainly not always, but generally speaking, biology tends to be about the study and protection of living things. It can be plenty lucrative, but is often not geared in that direction. Chemistry, by contrast, can be more about entrepreneurship and developing products that will improve people’s lives, including yours when those products are sold. Chemists still do plenty of good for the world, too, but as a set of careers, chemistry represents goods and biology represents services.

Whichever you choose, you will want to study the subject at a reputable school with proven faculty and excellent facilities. North Central College offers degree programs in biology, chemistry and biochemistry, with top-flight internships and partnerships with some of the leading companies in America, cutting-edge technology to keep you up-to-date with the skills and expertise employers want, and opportunities to do research from your first day of college.

Find out more and learn how to apply at northcentralcollege.edu/apply.

Jacob Imm is a communications specialist in the North Central College Office of Marketing and Communications. He has 10 years of collegiate communications experience and has worked with hundreds of college students. He has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame and a master’s degree from Northern Illinois University.