Career
Chemistry teachers, postsecondary
Teach chemistry at a college or university.
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as organic chemistry, analytical chemistry, and chemical separation.
- Establish, teach, and monitor students' compliance with safety rules for handling chemicals, equipment, and other hazardous materials.
- Evaluate and grade students' class work, laboratory performance, assignments, and papers.
- Supervise students' laboratory work.
- Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on ideas & analysis, then people & care?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as organic chemistry, analytical chemistry, and chemical separation.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Reading Comprehension, Writing, Speaking, Active Listening.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
7–8 years of education after high school (doctoral or professional degree), for a median of $93,250 a year and 1,700 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Teaching (by Subject)See the degree →
- ChemistrySee the degree →
- Geology and Earth SciencesSee the degree →
- Science Teacher Education/General Science Teacher EducationCIP 13.1316
- Chemistry Teacher EducationCIP 13.1323
- Chemistry, GeneralCIP 40.0501
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Biological Science Teachers, Postsecondary$84,620 · +7.3%
- Physics Teachers, Postsecondary$100,310 · +2.4%
- Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary$103,170 · +2.4%
- Environmental Science Teachers, Postsecondary$94,980 · +2.7%
- Mathematical Science Teachers, Postsecondary$79,940 · +1.7%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.