Analytical Chemistry Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Analytical Chemistry maps to BLS occupations averaging about $108,273, with roughly 493,010 workers nationwide in those roles. Median in-state published tuition is about $9,684; common paths include Biological Scientists, All Other and Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists.
Key Statistics
Analytical Chemistry: what the data shows
Common questions about analytical chemistry degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a analytical chemistry degree?
A Analytical Chemistry program is classified under NCES CIP 40.0502 in the Chemistry field family (40.05).
A program that focuses on the scientific study of techniques for analyzing and describing matter, including its precise composition and the interrelationships of constituent elements and compounds. Includes instruction in spectroscopy, chromatography, atomic absorption, photometry, chemical modeling, mathematical analysis, laboratory analysis procedures and equipment maintenance, and applications to specific research, industrial and health problems
IPEDS counted 12 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.
Types of analytical chemistry degrees and related programs
Other NCES program codes in the 40.05 family with pages on EDsmart Data:
- Chemical Physics (CIP 40.0508)
- Cheminformatics/Chemistry Informatics (CIP 40.0512)
- Chemistry, General (CIP 40.0501)
- Environmental Chemistry (CIP 40.0509)
- Forensic Chemistry (CIP 40.0510)
- Inorganic Chemistry (CIP 40.0503)
- Organic Chemistry (CIP 40.0504)
- Physical Chemistry (CIP 40.0506)
- Polymer Chemistry (CIP 40.0507)
- Theoretical Chemistry (CIP 40.0511)
How long does it take to get a analytical chemistry degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 40.0502 in our file:
- 12 Bachelor's (44.4% of IPEDS total)—typically four years
- 15 Master's (55.6% of IPEDS total)—one to two years beyond a bachelor's
Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.
What degree do you need?
For Biological Scientists, All Other (top mapped occupation), O*NET incumbent surveys in our career profile report these education credentials most often: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.
What jobs can you get with a analytical chemistry degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Analytical Chemistry to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Biological Scientists, All Other | 59,710 | $93,330 |
| Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists | — | — |
| Veterinarians | 80,630 | $125,510 |
| Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health | 84,930 | $80,060 |
| Respiratory Therapists | 136,420 | $80,450 |
| Veterinary Technologists and Technicians | 131,320 | $45,980 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a analytical chemistry degree worth it?
College Scorecard national medians for the Chemistry bachelor's program family: median debt $43,802, median earnings $65,120 four years after enrollment. Debt-to-earnings proxy: 1.03.
About 4.8% of graduates in this field family were not working and not enrolled one year after completion in Scorecard's national program medians.
Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $9,684 and median net price is $17,617.
We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.
Institutions
Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Analytical Chemistry and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$9,684 Median In-State Public
$44,000 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Analytical Chemistry majors are, on average, $9,684 for in-state public colleges, and $44,000 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Analytical Chemistry programs.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
100,000 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Analytical Chemistry from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Analytical Chemistry.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grand Canyon University | AZ | 73,371 |
| 2 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | 64,674 |
| 3 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | 64,674 |
| 4 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | 64,674 |
| 5 | Texas A&M University-College Station | TX | 59,615 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Analytical Chemistry programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barstow Community College | CA | $1,104 |
| 2 | Antelope Valley Community College District | CA | $1,124 |
| 3 | Yuba College | CA | $1,128 |
| 4 | El Camino Community College District | CA | $1,144 |
| 5 | San Diego City College | CA | $1,146 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Analytical Chemistry programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canada College | CA | $32 |
| 2 | College of the Sequoias | CA | $480 |
| 3 | College of San Mateo | CA | $536 |
| 4 | Henry Ford College | MI | $660 |
| 5 | Imperial Valley College | CA | $1,115 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Analytical Chemistry programs.
Graduation Rates
Graduation rate data is not available for this degree program.
Graduation/completion rates for Analytical Chemistry programs across institutions.
Where students complete this major (IPEDS)
Bachelor's-level completions (IPEDS Completions, award level 5) summed by institution state. State is taken from IPEDS Directory (HD2023) for each reporting institution.
Geographic concentration
The largest number of reported bachelor's completions for Analytical Chemistry is in PA (11 completions). That state represents about 91.7% of U.S. bachelor's completions reported for this CIP in the IPEDS file we use.
Among states, the highest concentration relative to all bachelor's degrees awarded in-state is PA (0.01% of that state's bachelor's completions).
Top states by count of bachelor's completions for this CIP (IPEDS).
| State | Bachelor's completions (this CIP) | % of U.S. total (this CIP) | % of state's all bachelor's |
|---|---|---|---|
| PA | 11 | 91.7% | 0.01% |
| OH | 1 | 8.3% | 0.00% |
Related specializations
Other NCES program codes in the 40.05 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.
- Chemical Physics CIP 40.0508
- Cheminformatics/Chemistry Informatics CIP 40.0512
- Chemistry, General CIP 40.0501
- Environmental Chemistry CIP 40.0509
- Forensic Chemistry CIP 40.0510
- Inorganic Chemistry CIP 40.0503
- Organic Chemistry CIP 40.0504
- Physical Chemistry CIP 40.0506
- Polymer Chemistry CIP 40.0507
- Theoretical Chemistry CIP 40.0511
Degree Levels (IPEDS)
Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 40.0502 in the survey year used in our extract (27 total across levels below).
- 12 Bachelor's (44.4% of IPEDS total)
- 15 Master's (55.6% of IPEDS total)
Source: IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), summed by award level for this CIP.
Careers & Jobs
Occupations linked to this major in our degree→career mapping, with wages and employment from processed BLS career profiles in this repo.
Across these BLS occupations, employment-weighted mean pay is about $108,273. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Analytical Chemistry graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Biological Scientists, All Other | $124,288 | 59,710 |
| Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists | — | — |
| Veterinarians | $172,853 | 80,630 |
| Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health | $110,339 | 84,930 |
| Respiratory Therapists | $109,692 | 136,420 |
| Veterinary Technologists and Technicians | $58,529 | 131,320 |
Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.
Program outcomes (College Scorecard)
National medians across bachelor's programs in the Chemistry CIP family (32 programs reporting debt). Not specific to every Analytical Chemistry graduate.
- $43,802 median federal loan debt among completers
- $65,120 median earnings four years after enrollment (national program median)
- 1.03 debt-to-earnings ratio (Scorecard proxy)
- 4.8% of graduates not working and not enrolled one year out (program cohort)
Source: College Scorecard program-level outcomes aggregated by 4-digit CIP family.
Employment
Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.
Yearly Income for Common Jobs
$108,273 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Analytical Chemistry majors is $108,273.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Analytical Chemistry majors.
Occupations by Share
493,010 2023 Workforce
The number of Analytical Chemistry graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Analytical Chemistry by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Analytical Chemistry in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Analytical Chemistry.
Age distribution for Analytical Chemistry degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
12 Total Degrees Awarded
4 Male (33.33%)
8 Female (66.67%)
Gender distribution of Analytical Chemistry degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
8 White (66.67%)
2 Hispanic or Latino (16.67%)
1 Black or African American (8.33%)
1 Two or More Races (8.33%)
Racial and ethnic distribution of Analytical Chemistry degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Analytical Chemistry are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Analytical Chemistry.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Analytical Chemistry field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Analytical Chemistry majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Analytical Chemistry majors.
Skills Bar Chart
This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.
Skill importance ratings for Analytical Chemistry majors.
About
A program that focuses on the scientific study of techniques for analyzing and describing matter, including its precise composition and the interrelationships of constituent elements and compounds. Includes instruction in spectroscopy, chromatography, atomic absorption, photometry, chemical modeling, mathematical analysis, laboratory analysis procedures and equipment maintenance, and applications to specific research, industrial and health problems
In 2023, 100,000 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Analytical Chemistry.
CIP Code
40.0502 - Analytical Chemistry
What the data shows
At the program-family level, College Scorecard reports median debt of $43,802 for bachelor's completers and median earnings near $65,120, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.03. Those figures describe national program cohorts in this CIP family—not every individual Analytical Chemistry graduate.
Women earned 63.2% of 38 Analytical Chemistry completions in the IPEDS file used here.
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $108,273. The largest mapped role by headcount is Biological Scientists, All Other (59,710 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $9,684 in-state at public colleges and $44,000 at private institutions for programs in this field.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.
All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.