Environmental Chemistry

Types of Degrees Environmental Chemistry Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many environmental chemistry graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Doctor’s Degree	10
Bachelor’s Degree	10
Master’s Degree	3

What Environmental Chemistry Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to environmental chemistry and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Environmental Chemistry Majors

Environmental Chemistry majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Chemistry - Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
• Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Skills for Environmental Chemistry Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to environmental chemistry:

• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Abilities for Environmental Chemistry Majors

Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a environmental chemistry student include the following:

• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

What Can You Do With a Environmental Chemistry Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with environmental chemistry:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Chemistry Professors	9.9%	$79,550
Chemists	6.5%	$76,890
Clinical Research Coordinators	9.9%	$123,860
Environmental Restoration Planners	11.1%	$71,130
Environmental Science Professors	10.1%	$79,910
Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health	11.1%	$71,130
Industrial Ecologists	11.1%	$71,130
Natural Sciences Managers	9.9%	$123,860
Water Resource Specialists	9.9%	$123,860

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Chemistry?

The major attracts more women than men. About 80% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of environmental chemistry majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	3
Black or African American	0
Hispanic or Latino	1
White	4
International Students	0
Other Races/Ethnicities	2

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Environmental Chemistry

Some careers associated with environmental chemistry require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for environmental chemistry careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	0.9%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	0.9%
Some College Courses	0.1%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	1.6%
Bachelor’s Degree	39.3%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	3.0%
Master’s Degree	26.4%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	0.5%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	0.6%
Doctoral Degree	16.1%
Post-Doctoral Training	10.6%

Online Environmental Chemistry Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	0	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	0	0
Bachelor’s Degree	2	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	3	0
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	3	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Environmental Chemistry

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to environmental chemistry.

Major	Number of Grads
General Chemistry	18,809
Other Chemistry	603
Forensic Chemistry	338
Polymer Chemistry	85
Chemical Physics	52
Analytical Chemistry	40
Physical Chemistry	10
Theoretical Chemistry	8
Organic Chemistry	6
Inorganic Chemistry	1
Cheminformatics/Chemistry Informatics	1

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020

More about our data sources and methodologies.