Academic & Career Advising - Chemistry
ACADEMIC ADVISING
Cadets interested in majoring in chemistry are encouraged to speak with a faculty member in the chemistry department. Cadets who are already chemistry majors should meet regularly with their academic advisors to ensure that their curriculum plan satisfies the institutional and departmental requirements for graduation.
For more information:
CAREER ADVISING
Cadets majoring in chemistry will find a wide variety of careers open to them. An excellent site that describes the nature of various careers, general working conditions, employment outlooks and salary information is the Department of Labor and Bureau of Labor Statistics website. The brief discussions that follow provide further information and links on common career paths for chemistry majors.
- Graduate School in Chemistry or Biochemistry
Students who wish to pursue research careers will want to consider graduate school. In the past few years, VMI chemistry majors have been accepted at and enrolled in some of the nation's top 20 chemistry programs. A good site to assist students in choosing a chemistry program that matches their goals is the Customized Graduate School Rankings based on data compiled by the National Research Council. Perhaps as important as choosing a particular graduate program is choosing a graduate research advisor. Guidance on this critical decision along with a lot of other great advice about graduate school can be found in the Alchemist's Lair.
- Professional Schools (Med School, Dental School, etc.)
Students who major in chemistry are well prepared for further studies at health related professional schools. In fact, in 1999, national medical school acceptance rates were 46.5% for chemistry majors, 46% for physics majors and 40% for biology majors. Again, a great site with a large number of useful links relating to health professional schools can be found in the Alchemist's Lair.
- Careers in Chemistry and Related Fields
There are numerous employment opportunities for chemistry majors in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries along with a long list of related fields including forensic science, chemical engineering and biotechnology.
