Every occupation the official NCES/BLS crosswalk connects to chemistry programs, with BLS pay, the education each job usually needs, what the work involves, and where to go next.
Chemistry · CIP 40.05 series · 12 codes · 13 careers · Check one exact major, e.g. 40.0501 Chemistry, General, in the major to career finder
The official NCES/BLS crosswalk maps chemistry programs to 13 occupations that such programs typically prepare people for, including Natural Sciences Manager, Chemist and Food Science Technician. BLS median pay across them runs from $52,130 (Food Science Technician) to $167,220 (Natural Sciences Manager) in May 2025. The crosswalk describes preparation, not what graduates actually go on to do.
Data Program → related occupations: these are jobs chemistry programs typically prepare people for (NCES/BLS crosswalk). Not a guaranteed outcome, and not a record of what graduates do.
Data Filter by the education the job usually needs or its preparation level; sort by pay or by number employed.
| Occupation | Most common education | Job Zone | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High School Teacher | $72,040 | 1,065,210 | Bachelor's Degree | 4 |
| Data Scientist | $120,230 | 262,440 | n/a | 4 |
| Natural Sciences Manager | $167,220 | 108,690 | Bachelor's Degree | 5 |
| Environmental Scientist | $82,220 | 89,250 | Bachelor's Degree | 4 |
| Chemist | $91,240 | 82,770 | Bachelor's Degree | 4 |
| Chemical Technician | $60,390 | 57,540 | n/a | 3 |
| Computer and Information Research Scientists | $140,300 | 37,200 | n/a | 5 |
| Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health | $55,090 | 34,670 | Bachelor's Degree | 4 |
| Chemistry TeacherPostsecondary teaching | $93,250 | 19,980 | Master's Degree | 5 |
| Forensic Scientist | $72,060 | 19,120 | Post-Secondary Certificate | 3 |
| Food Science Technician | $52,130 | 14,600 | Bachelor's Degree | 3 |
| Physics Teachers, PostsecondaryPostsecondary teaching | $100,310 | 13,090 | Doctoral Degree | 5 |
| Environmental Science Teachers, PostsecondaryPostsecondary teaching | $94,980 | 6,690 | Doctoral Degree | 5 |
No occupations match these filters.
Data The education column shows a typical entry level only where O*NET data supports one answer. Check the typical education for Natural Sciences Manager, one of the chemistry jobs above.
Data BLS national median annual wage, May 2025. These are pay levels of the occupations, not earnings of graduates.
Data The largest related occupations by employment (postsecondary teaching shown in the explorer).
Hire, supervise, or evaluate engineers, technicians, researchers, or other staff.
Design or coordinate successive phases of problem analysis, solution proposals, or testing.
Science · Reading Comprehension · Active Listening
Mapped from CIP 40.0501, 40.0502Develop, improve, or customize products, equipment, formulas, processes, or analytical methods.
Induce changes in composition of substances by introducing heat, light, energy, or chemical catalysts for quantitative or qualitative analysis.
Science · Reading Comprehension · Critical Thinking
Mapped from CIP 40.0501, 40.0502Taste or smell foods or beverages to ensure that flavors meet specifications or to select samples with specific characteristics.
Measure, test, or weigh bottles, cans, or other containers to ensure that hardness, strength, or dimensions meet specifications.
Reading Comprehension · Active Listening · Writing
Mapped from CIP 40.0501Conduct chemical or physical laboratory tests to assist scientists in making qualitative or quantitative analyses of solids, liquids, or gaseous materials.
Maintain, clean, or sterilize laboratory instruments or equipment.
Science · Reading Comprehension · Critical Thinking
Mapped from CIP 40.0501, 40.0502Collect evidence from crime scenes, storing it in conditions that preserve its integrity.
Keep records and prepare reports detailing findings, investigative methods, and laboratory techniques.
Reading Comprehension · Active Listening · Writing
Career guide Salary How to become
Mapped from CIP 40.0501, 40.0510Prepare students for later grades by encouraging them to explore learning opportunities and to persevere with challenging tasks.
Instruct through lectures, discussions, and demonstrations in one or more subjects, such as English, mathematics, or social studies.
Instructing · Reading Comprehension · Active Listening
Mapped from CIP 40.0501Data Related occupations grouped by government career field, with their pay range.
Data Other programs whose crosswalk occupations overlap with these.
Data A national median for federal-aid graduates of this field: a separate measure from the BLS job pay above.
See earnings by degree level, college spread and federal debt.
The NCES/BLS crosswalk relates instructional programs (CIP 2020) to occupations (SOC 2018) when programs in the CIP category typically prepare individuals directly for jobs in the occupation. This page uses the CIP program series below and shows every non-residual occupation mapped to them that has BLS wages and O*NET data; each occupation lists the CIP codes that map to it.
Searches this page answers include “what can you do with a chemistry degree”, “chemistry major jobs”, “chemistry degree jobs” (Ahrefs, U.S.).
