UG in Chemistry Career Opportunities at Grand Valley State University
Chemistry is the study of the property, composition and transformation of matter. As such it affects all aspects of our lives. Our food, clothing, fuel, and medicine could not be produced without the work of chemists. Chemists with bachelor’s degrees find employment in all areas of manufacturing, agribusiness, energy production, and health care, and in a wide variety of industrial, governmental, and medical laboratories. Areas of employment include product development and testing, quality control, environmental monitoring, and pollution control. Outside of the laboratory, chemists are employed by chemical and pharmaceutical companies in sales, technical service, and various other phases of business. High school teaching is another option for the chemist with a bachelor’s degree and appropriate certification.
A degree in chemistry is excellent preparation for further study in biochemistry, medicine, food science, oceanography, environmental science, patent law, microbiology, physiology, and engineering. Advanced degrees in chemistry qualify individuals for careers in research and higher education.
Master’s degree programs in chemical engineering accept students with degrees in chemistry. The B.S. in Chemistry, professional emphasis, with additional mathematics coursework, is recommended for admission to such programs.
Integrated Science Major for the B.S. Degree
The integrated science major is designed for students seeking certification to teach at the elementary school level. It provides the pre-service teacher broad exposure in all the sciences and emphasizes the connections among the scientific disciplines, their relationship with technology, and their relevance to society. In order to be certified, students must complete this major and the elementary teaching minor with at least a 2.7 GPA in each. Students are advised to take the MDE subject test after they have completed the major with a 2.7 GPA. The following requirements must be completed for the major.
Integrated Science Secondary Endorsement
Students who have declared or completed a major and minor in a science discipline may complete additional courses for an Integrated Science Secondary endorsement. The Michigan Department of Education will allow teachers with the Integrated Science Secondary endorsement to teach biology, chemistry, earth science and physics at the secondary level.