Chemistry or Biochemistry? Chemical Engineering? Biology? Physics?
The major that works best for you depends mostly on what careers you are thinking about. Obviously, if you have strong interests in the biological side of chemistry, then a biochemistry major might be best for you. Realize, however, that majoring in chemistry does not mean that you cannot go to graduate school in biochemistry or vice versa. You may have an easier time with course requirements and with beginning research if your undergraduate major is in the same subject, but this sort of crossover is very common.

The chemical engineering, biology, and physics majors have fewer courses in common with chemistry, but crossover to or from these fields is also possible at the graduate level. Crossover between biochemistry and biology is common.

As preparation for medical school, students often major in chemistry or biochemistry. There is lore, supported by statistics from the American Association of Medical Schools, that chemistry and biochemistry majors have high rates of getting into medical school.

B.A. or B.S.?
The big difference between these degrees is that the B.S. is accredited by the American Chemical Society. A potential employer or graduate school, presented with an accredited degree, can know without any further information that the degree is sound. If you are planning to go to graduate school or to do anything in chemistry, the B.S. is the better degree to get. The B.A. might be better for a double major or someone who has more limited time to complete the degree. For degree requirements, see the department's web site (chemistry.syr.edu).

Research? Me?
For some people, the experience of doing research can be as important to their education as their classes. Undergraduate research allows you to see how much of chemistry is really done - and the view can be quite different from what you see in textbooks! This experience can be pivotal, preparing you for later opportunities, making you more attractive to employers and graduate schools, and helping you to know whether a research-based career is what you want. Starting early - as a sophomore or junior (or even as a first-year student) is great if you can arrange it in your schedule! What you can learn in a single semester of research is expanded tremendously in a longer experience.

How do you go about doing research? It doesn't happen on its own - it depends on your initiative. You should first have a look at the faculty pages on the departmental web site (chemistry.syr.edu). Don't worry if you don't understand what you read there. What you're looking for are the types of projects that sound interesting to you. Make a list of faculty whom you might like to work with, and start contacting them by phone, email, or knocking on doors. You will likely find some who are unable to take another student. Working with someone new in the lab takes time! If you cannot set something up right away, you probably will be able to make arrangements for the next semester. You will get credit for the research that you do, usually as CHE 450.

A new development, not yet finalized but moving through the system, is the Degree in Chemistry with Distinction. To receive this degree, a student must graduate with a 3.4 GPA (both overall and in chemistry) and complete a thesis describing a significant research project.

Other research opportunities exist in the summer, and you will generally get paid with money rather than credit in the summer. Our department has an REU program, in which about 21 students, including a few SU students, do research for ten weeks for a $4,000 stipend. Many such REU programs exist, supported by the National Science Foundation and listed on their web site (www.nsf.gov), and these offer great research experiences. Deadlines are typically February or March. They are highly competitive but certainly worth pursuing. Our department also runs an Austrian/American research exchange program in which eight U.S. students spend the summer in Austria doing research. For either program, see the department web site (chemistry.syr.edu).

Graduate School in Chemistry?
Let's first clear up two common misconceptions about graduate school in chemistry. First, you will not go into debt going to graduate school - rather you will get paid! You won't make as much as someone working for a company, but graduate students typically earn in the neighborhood of $20,000 per year. Second, you will not be taking tough classes for four or five years. You will most likely finish your classes in one year, and the rest of your time will be spent doing research. So if you get some research experience as an undergraduate, you will have a pretty good idea of what it's like to be a graduate student.

Now, are you better off going to graduate school or directly to work for a company? Two primary considerations are level of responsibility and salary. As a B.S. chemist, you will likely be a bench chemist or technician, answering to a Ph.D. chemist, and it will likely be difficult to move up in the company from this position. You might like this just fine, and you will be making good money, with average starting salaries running $38,000 (manufacturing sector, 2004). If you go to graduate school, you will make half as much for about five years, but when you then go to work for a company, you will have much more responsibility and make, on average, $75,000. Ph.D. chemists may supervise anywhere from a handful to hundreds of other chemists, and moves into upper management are common.

What Will My Career Options Be?
When you think of where a chemist might work, you probably think of chemical companies, drug companies and oil companies. Lots of chemists do work there, but there are many, many other possibilities. Any company that manufactures anything will generally employ chemists, whether the product is fragrances, steel, dyes, computers and other electronics, cosmetics, environmental remediation products, etc. Any service company that does testing, cleaning, analysis, or communications will likely employ chemists. Many chemists teach - and there is a big shortage of these! Many chemists work for the government, either at national laboratories, various agencies, or in the military. Many chemists are entrepreneurs, working for - or running - start-up companies. Some chemists are employed by think tanks. Chemists sometimes become lawyers - and become highly sought after for their unusual expertise. Actually, this is a pattern. Many chemists actually work at jobs that do not involve chemistry on the surface, yet their technical background allows them to do a job that others cannot. Such people are highly valued by their employers.