Chemistry

Nature of the Work

Chemists search for and put to practical use new knowledge about chemicals. Many chemists work in research and development. Some also work in production and quality control in chemical manufacturing plants. Chemists often specialize in a subfield such as analytical, organic, inorganic, or physical chemistry.

Employment

Chemists held about 97,000 jobs in 1994. The majority are employed by manufacturing firms, which include firms that produce plastics and synthetic materials, drugs, soap and cleaners, paints, industrial organic chemicals, and other products. Chemists are employed in all parts of the country, but they are mainly concentrated in large industrial areas.

A bachelor's degree in chemistry or a related discipline is usually the minimum education necessary to work as a chemist. However, most research and college teaching jobs require a Ph.D. degree.

Many with bachelor's degrees in chemistry enter other occupations such as technical writing or sales representatives in chemical marketing. Some enter medical, dental, veterinary, or other health professions, and others become high school teachers.

The Program

The Gogebic Community College chemistry curriculum is designed to provide the general education courses that are required to transfer to a university for bachelor's degree completion.

The Requirements

The following are the required courses necessary to receive an Associate Degree in Chemistry:

COURSE		CREDIT
ORI 100	Freshman Seminar	1
ENG 101	English Composition I	3
ENG 102	English Composition II	3
CHM 151	General & Inorganic Chemistry I	5
CHM 152	General & Inorganic Chemistry II	5
MTH 150	Calculus & Analytic Geometry I	4
MTH 151	Calculus & Analytic Geometry II	4
CHM 201	Organic Chemistry I	4
CHM 202	Organic Chemistry II	4
PHY 251	General Physics I	5
PHY 252	General Physics II	5
MTH 152	Calculus III	4
MTH 220	Differential Equations	4
	Humanities Electives	9
	Social Science Electives	9
	Physical Education Electives
	TOTAL CREDITS	69

Statistics taken from 1996-97 OCCUPATIONAL OUTLOOK HANDBOOK.