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Natural Products Chemistry

Types of Degrees Natural Products Chemistry Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Natural Products Chemistry have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	32
Master’s Degree	146
Doctor’s Degree	3

What Natural Products Chemistry Majors Need to Know

Studies in Natural Products Chemistry build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Natural Products Chemistry graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Natural Products Chemistry emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.6 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.7 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills developed in a Natural Products Chemistry program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Active Learning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Natural Products Chemistry careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Natural Products Chemistry graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.6 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.5 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Working with Computers	4.4 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.3 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.2 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.1 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Natural Products Chemistry professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
SAS	Analytical or scientific software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
IBM SPSS Statistics	Analytical or scientific software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
EcoLogic ADAM Indoor Air Quality and Analytical Data Management	Data base user interface and query software	—
Dental software	Medical software	—
Adobe Presenter	Computer based training software	—
Articulate Rapid E-Learning Studio	Computer based training software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Natural Products Chemistry graduates include:

• Gastroenterology Professor
• First Aid Teacher
• Anatomy Teacher
• Public Health Teacher
• Nutrition Educator
• Health Assessment and Treatment Teacher
• Infant Care Teacher
• Public Health Aides Teacher
• Neurology Professor
• Dietary Aide Teacher
• Surgical Aides Teacher
• Dermatology Teacher
• Surgical Technology Instructor
• Pathology Laboratory Aides Teacher
• Health Diagnostics Teacher

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Natural Products Chemistry graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	34.9%
Doctoral degree	25.9%
Post-doctoral training	19.6%
Bachelor’s degree	12.1%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	4.2%
Postsecondary certificate	2.6%
Post-master’s certificate	0.6%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Natural Products Chemistry?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 60.8% of Natural Products Chemistry degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	110	60.8%
Men	71	39.2%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Natural Products Chemistry graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	96	53.0%
Asian	8	4.4%
Hispanic or Latino	22	12.2%
Black or African American	40	22.1%
Two or More Races	9	5.0%
Race Unknown	4	2.2%
International Students	2	1.1%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Natural Products Chemistry Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Natural Products Chemistry graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$100,486
4 years	$129,383
5 years	$140,029

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $140,029 — roughly 39% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Natural Products Chemistry Programs

Fully online options is reported by IPEDS for Natural Products Chemistry. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Master’s	2	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Natural Products Chemistry Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Natural Products Chemistry graduates earn a median of $129,383 four years after completion — roughly 240% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration	51.20
Clinical and Industrial Drug Development	51.2006
Clinical, Hospital, and Managed Care Pharmacy	51.2008
Industrial and Physical Pharmacy and Cosmetic Sciences	51.2009
Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry	51.2004
Pharmaceutical Marketing and Management	51.2011
Pharmaceutical Sciences	51.2010
Pharmaceutics and Drug Design	51.2003
Pharmacoeconomics/Pharmaceutical Economics	51.2007
Pharmacy Administration and Pharmacy Policy and Regulatory Affairs	51.2002
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration, Other	51.2099
Pharmacy	51.2001

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.