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cheminformatics/chemistry informatics

What cheminformatics/chemistry informatics Majors Need to Know

Coursework for cheminformatics/chemistry informatics develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that cheminformatics/chemistry informatics graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in cheminformatics/chemistry informatics emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Computers and Electronics — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set built by a cheminformatics/chemistry informatics program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to cheminformatics/chemistry informatics careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, cheminformatics/chemistry informatics graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Working with Computers	4.6 / 7
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.2 / 7
Processing Information	4.1 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.0 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.0 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by cheminformatics/chemistry informatics professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Oracle Java	Object or component oriented development software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	✓
Structured query language SQL	Data base user interface and query software	✓
Python	Object or component oriented development software	✓
Linux	Operating system software	✓
Amazon Web Services AWS software	Data base user interface and query software	✓
JavaScript	Web platform development software	✓
Microsoft Azure software	Development environment software	✓
C++	Object or component oriented development software	✓

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for cheminformatics/chemistry informatics graduates include:

• Systems Engineer
• Security Engineer
• Cloud Engineer
• IT Architect (Information Technology Architect)
• Network Engineer
• Machine Learning Engineer
• Engineer
• Firmware Engineer
• Web Site Project Manager
• Data Analyst
• Business Consultant
• Security Analyst
• Clinical Data Coordinator
• Security Architect
• Network Security Engineer

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to cheminformatics/chemistry informatics graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	47.2%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	11.5%
Master’s degree	11.0%
Postsecondary certificate	9.9%
Some college courses	4.6%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	4.4%
Doctoral degree	3.6%
Post-doctoral training	3.5%
High school diploma or equivalent	2.3%
Post-master’s certificate	1.2%
Less than a high school diploma	0.7%

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

How Much Do cheminformatics/chemistry informatics Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of cheminformatics/chemistry informatics graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$46,286
4 years	$61,499
5 years	$72,069

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $72,069 — roughly 56% above the 1-year mark.

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

Is a Degree in cheminformatics/chemistry informatics Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, cheminformatics/chemistry informatics graduates earn a median of $61,499 four years after completion — roughly 62% 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
Chemistry	40.05
Analytical Chemistry	40.0502
Chemical Physics	40.0508
Chemistry, General	40.0501
Chemistry, Other	40.0599
Environmental Chemistry	40.0509
Forensic Chemistry	40.0510
Inorganic Chemistry	40.0503
Organic Chemistry	40.0504
Physical Chemistry	40.0506
Polymer Chemistry	40.0507
Theoretical Chemistry	40.0511

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.