Sciences
What can you do with a Chemistry degree?
Quick answer
A Chemistry degree commonly leads to roles such as analytical chemist (graduate), laboratory technician and quality control chemist. Five years after graduating, Chemistry graduates had median earnings of £38,100 (middle half: £31,100–£50,400), and 91.7% were in sustained work or further study (DfE LEO, 2023–24 tax year). The largest employer sector for Chemistry graduates is professional, scientific and technical services (27.2% of those in work).
Chemistry degrees emphasise practical labs, analysis, and safety. Graduates often start in analytical and quality roles. Official figures appear when an extract is loaded.
- Median pay after 1 year
- £27,100
- Median pay after 5 years
- £38,100
- In work or study after 5 years
- 91.7%
- Earnings rank at 5 years
- 42 of 146 subjects
- Top employer sector
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Graduates in latest cohort
- 2,815
On this page
What jobs can you get with a Chemistry degree?
Graduates commonly start as analytical chemist (graduate), laboratory technician, quality control chemist or formulation assistant. Chemistry also builds skills that employers outside the obvious routes ask for, so many graduates move into roles that do not name the subject at all.
Analytical chemist (graduate)
Runs scheduled analyses, checks system suitability, and reports results to a specification.
Skills these adverts often ask for
- HPLC or similar
- method notes
- sample tracking
Laboratory technician
Skills these adverts often ask for
- prep
- glassware
- waste streams
Quality control chemist
Skills these adverts often ask for
- batch release support
- OOS investigation notes
- documentation
Formulation assistant
Skills these adverts often ask for
- weighing
- stability pulls
- batch sheets
Role examples and skills are CourseToJob editorial guidance, not a guarantee of a job. Pay for individual roles varies by employer and location; we do not attach a salary to a role unless an official source publishes one.
Where do Chemistry graduates work?
Five years after graduating, the largest employer sectors for Chemistry graduates in UK employment were professional, scientific and technical services (27.2%), manufacturing (15.8%) and education (12.1%). One year after graduating, the most common sector was professional, scientific and technical services (25.7%).
| Industry sector | Share of graduates in work | Median earnings in that sector |
|---|---|---|
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 27.2% | £42,100 |
| Manufacturing | 15.8% | £36,600 |
| Education | 12.1% | £34,000 |
| Information and communication | 8.4% | £46,100 |
| Wholesale and retail | 7.2% | £35,500 |
| Finance and insurance | 6.6% | £62,600 |
| Administrative and support services | 4.9% | £38,100 |
| Public administration and defence | 4.7% | £35,100 |
Most common specific industries
- Research and experimental development on natural sciences and engineering — 8.6% of graduates in work, median £37,000
- Secondary education — 5.8% of graduates in work, median £35,100
- Computer programming; consultancy and related activities — 5.8% of graduates in work, median £46,500
- Accounting; bookkeeping and auditing activities; tax consultancy — 5.6% of graduates in work, median £53,400
- Manufacture of pharmaceutical preparations — 3.7% of graduates in work, median £36,600
- Management consultancy activities — 3.7% of graduates in work, median £51,600
How much do Chemistry graduates earn?
Official dataChemistry graduates had median earnings of £27,100 one year after graduating and £38,100 five years after graduating in the 2023–24 tax year. The median across all first-degree graduates of GB higher education institutions was £33,700 at five years.
| Years after graduating | Median earnings | Middle half earned | In work or further study | All-subject median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 year after graduatingGraduated 2021/2022 | £27,100DfE LEO, Tax year 2023-24 | £22,700–£32,200 | 90.6% | £26,400 |
| 3 years after graduatingGraduated 2019/2020 | £32,900DfE LEO, Tax year 2023-24 | £27,400–£41,400 | 90.6% | £30,000 |
| 5 years after graduatingGraduated 2017/2018 | £38,100DfE LEO, Tax year 2023-24 | £31,100–£50,400 | 91.7% | £33,700 |
| 10 years after graduatingGraduated 2012/2013 | £45,000DfE LEO, Tax year 2023-24 | £34,400–£60,800 | 86.7% | — |
How one-year earnings have changed
Which universities have the highest-earning Chemistry graduates?
Among universities in our index with at least 50 Chemistry graduates measured, Imperial College London had the highest median earnings five years after graduating (£59,700), followed by University of Oxford (£59,300) and University College London (£55,600).
| University | Median earnings | Graduates measured |
|---|---|---|
| Imperial College London | £59,700 | 60 |
| University of Oxford | £59,300 | 135 |
| University College London | £55,600 | 105 |
| Durham University | £49,000 | 105 |
| University of Southampton | £45,800 | 110 |
| University of Bath | £45,400 | 95 |
| King's College London | £45,000 | 50 |
| University of St Andrews | £44,700 | 65 |
| University of Warwick | £43,900 | 145 |
| University of Bristol | £43,000 | 135 |
Is Chemistry the right degree for you?
EditorialYou may enjoy it if
- You enjoy practical labs and keeping a precise lab book.
- You like connecting molecular structure to properties.
- You are willing to learn spectroscopy and safety culture.
It may not suit you if
- You hoped to skip quantitative problem sheets.
- You dislike PPE, COSHH, and repeat measurements.
- You wanted a field-only environmental course.
Interview questions for Chemistry graduate roles
EditorialAnalytical and QC interviews usually test whether you follow a method, understand uncertainty, and stop when something looks wrong. These prompts are editorial illustrations.
A calibration curve looks off. Do you still report the batch?
What it tests. You investigate before releasing a number.
Why might two instruments give different readings on the same sample?
What it tests. Method, matrix, and maintenance — not blaming ‘the machine’ and moving on.
How would you write up a deviation from SOP?
What it tests. Quality-system literacy: what happened, impact, and who signs.
Explain molarity to a new starter who is weighing solids for the first time.
What it tests. Teaching a colleague safely, which labs need immediately.
You are asked to speed up a method. What do you protect first?
What it tests. Safety and validity over throughput theatre.
Most Chemistry courses do not use a standard admissions interview. If a university invites you, it will say so — see UCAS on undergraduate interview invitations.
Illustrative question types for the roles above, not questions from a named employer.
Find Chemistry graduate jobs
Searched by the entry-level roles aboveSearch UK vacancies connected to chemistry. These are role matches, not guaranteed graduate-level jobs: read the experience, qualifications and work-permission requirements in each full advert.
Salary filters and ordering use the provider’s data, which can include estimates. Cards below show employer-listed pay only. Cached searches can be up to 30 minutes old; the employer’s advert confirms availability.
Checking vacancies for Analytical chemist (graduate)…
Prepare your application with graduate cv examples, student cv examples, the free CV builder and the application tracker.
Is there an apprenticeship alternative to Chemistry?
EditorialLaboratory scientist apprenticeships exist in manufacturing and testing. This note is editorial.
Research exact university programmes
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Planning to study Chemistry in the UK?
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Universities for Chemistry in our index
126 universitiesAn editorial provision index, not a live UCAS catalogue: confirm current courses on UCAS. CourseToJob is not UCAS.Open Chemistry in the full university explorer.
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Chemistry degree: frequently asked questions
What jobs can you do with a Chemistry degree?
Common starting roles include analytical chemist (graduate), laboratory technician, quality control chemist and formulation assistant. Five years after graduating, the most common sectors for Chemistry graduates in work were professional, scientific and technical services (27.2%), manufacturing (15.8%) and education (12.1%). These are examples, not guaranteed jobs: your experience, location and further training matter.
How much do Chemistry graduates earn in the UK?
DfE Longitudinal Education Outcomes data for the 2023–24 tax year shows median earnings for UK-domiciled Chemistry graduates of £27,100 one year after graduating, £32,900 three years after graduating, £38,100 five years after graduating and £45,000 ten years after graduating. Each figure describes a different graduating cohort, not one person's pay rise, and it is gross pay for those in sustained employment, not a starting salary offer.
Is a Chemistry degree worth it?
It depends on what you want to do. On the official data, 91.7% of Chemistry graduates were in sustained employment or further study five years after graduating, with median earnings of £38,100. For comparison, the median across all first-degree graduates of GB higher education institutions was £33,700 at the same point. That places Chemistry 42 of 146 subject groups by five-year median earnings. Earnings are only one factor: enjoyment of the subject, accreditation and the route into your target job matter too.
Which universities have the highest-earning Chemistry graduates?
Among universities in our index with at least 50 graduates measured, the highest five-year median earnings for Chemistry were at Imperial College London (£59,700), University of Oxford (£59,300) and University College London (£55,600). These figures reflect entry grades, subject mix and where graduates work, so they are not a measure of teaching quality.
Can international students study Chemistry in the UK?
Yes, most UK universities accept international applicants, but entry requirements, recognised qualifications, English-language evidence and overseas tuition fees depend on the university and programme. Check the university course page and international admissions team, then check visa requirements on GOV.UK.
Skilled Worker visas
Sponsorship depends on the job's occupation code and the current Skilled Worker rules, not on a subject's median pay. A Skilled Worker decision uses the higher of the general threshold and the SOC going rate. Subject LEO medians are not sufficient. Read the Skilled Worker job rules on GOV.UK.