Careers

Student in a lab coat and gloves handling equipment while wearing safety goggles.

Two lab workers in masks and gloves preparing samples in a clinical laboratory.

Researcher working at a fume hood in a chemistry lab while wearing safety gear.

What Can You Do with a Liberal Arts Degree with a Major in Chemistry?

Your chemistry major is more than formulas and lab work. It’s a launchpad for a wide variety of diverse, rewarding careers that give you the opportunity to solve real-world problems and innovate for the future.

Past UVM chemistry majors have gone on to work in careers such as:

Chemist
Scientist
Analyst
Technician
Laboratory manager
Forensic chemist
Software engineer
Data scientist
Materials scientist
Environmental chemist
Occupational health and safety technician
Health physicist

Students working in a bright, chemistry lab with fume hoods and lab benches.

What You’ll Learn

When you graduate as a chemistry major from UVM, you’ll have gained the tools you need to be successful in your career, including the top five skills employers are looking for, according to the National Association of College and Employers Job Outlook 2025.

What You’ll Learn

When you graduate as a chemistry major from UVM, you’ll have gained the tools you need to be successful in your career, including the top five skills employers are looking for, according to the National Association of College and Employers Job Outlook 2025.

UVM Chemistry Students Learn the Top Skills Employers Want

Critical thinking and problem solving

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Chemistry majors become especially adept at critical thinking and problem solving. Some ways you'll gain these important skills include through experimental research with faculty mentors and by taking courses such as CHEM 2014 (Professional Development), CHEM 2020 (Communication Skills Seminar), and all Upper Division Lecture courses.

Teamwork and collaboration

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As a UVM chemistry major, you'll also have many opportunities for teamwork and collaboration, including through experimental research with faculty mentors, partnered projects in laboratory courses, opportunities to serve as an undergraduate teaching assistant (UTA) or tutor, and UVM ChemCats Club, where students come together in chemical creativity, career activities, and subjects of current research.

Written and oral communication skills

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You will most directly learn these skills in our CHEM 2020 (Communication Skills Seminar) course. Additionally, written and oral communications skills are honed via experimental research with faculty mentors, CHEM 2014 (Professional Development course), and projects in laboratory courses.

Professionalism and a strong work ethic

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Here, the rigor of the curriculum overall leads to these qualities—no one thinks of chemistry as an “easy” major!  That said, specific activities that particularly develop these traits include experimental research with faculty mentors and CHEM 2014 (Professional Development course).

Initiative

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Without a doubt, independent, cutting-edge research of the type conducted in faculty mentor research labs requires substantial initiative, as there are generally no standard “recipe books” for how to proceed. Undergraduate research is a degree requirement for all CHEM BS majors and is strongly encouraged for BA majors as well. You will also have other opportunities to demonstrate initiative, such as through internships and other high-impact experiences, serving as a UTA, and leadership in the ChemCats Club. 

Alumni Spotlights: How the Liberal Arts Shaped Their Careers

Adam Davis ‘25

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Student standing in a lab next to scientific equipment and monitors.

Lives in: Shelton, CT

Major: Biochemistry (UVM), philosophy (St. John’s College)

Why biochemistry? “I was fascinated by the chemical processes that occur in living organisms, and I wanted to prepare for a scientific career.”

Current position: Laboratory Technician at Unilever

What work looks like: “I perform a variety of chemical tests to ensure that personal care products are shelf stable.”

What he loves about it: “I am constantly learning new laboratory techniques, and I get to work closely with expert chemists.”

What he gained from a liberal arts education: “By studying the liberal arts, I learned to read carefully and express myself with precision. I also gained confidence and versatility in my thinking, so I can apply myself to difficult problems in a variety of areas. But the ability to think well about a variety of topics has been most important to me. People rarely do in their careers exactly what they studied in school, so it is important to have the flexibility to transition between disciplines. My thinking about every important question in life has been informed by my liberal arts education.”

Sarah Cleary, Ph.D. ‘18

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Person smiling at an outdoor café with a bright red flower in the foreground.

Lives in: Oxford, United Kingdom

Major: Chemistry

Why chemistry? “Chemistry excited me because it is prevalent in everyday life —in medicine, solar power, fragrances, and much more. I had previously done a project during undergrad where I synthesized antioxidants, and I loved the real-world application as well as the hands-on nature of working in a chemistry lab.”

Current position: Chief Scientific Officer and Co-Founder of HydRegen

What work looks like: “My overarching role is to ensure that my biotech company’s scientific goals are aligned with our commercial objectives. This entails directing the chemistry team to innovate and develop our technologies, managing customer projects, and collaborating with my fellow leaders on company strategy.” 

What she loves about it: “I love applying my scientific background to something that has tangible, real-world application. For example, we are currently working with manufacturers to develop more sustainable production routes to common medicines like acetaminophen. I also love that my job has introduced me to new ways of thinking about chemistry and taught me a lot about the commercial side of the sector. I’ve learned on the fly about what it takes to run a start-up company, which, in addition to chemistry, includes marketing strategies, building relationships with customers, intellectual property, and managing people and teams.”

What she gained from a liberal arts education: “I’ve gained truly valuable skills that have made me a better leader, including writing and communication (such as translating difficult concepts into something understandable), navigating complex challenges, and creating strong teams out of individuals with varying interests and backgrounds. The steps I’ve taken in my career have all hinged on my scientific background, strong communication, effective project management, and an openness to collaborating and sharing knowledge with my colleagues. Beyond my career path, I feel that my well-rounded education has been hugely influential because it helped me form my worldview and solidify my personal values.”

Acadia Moeyersoms ’17, Ph.D.

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Person smiling in a sunlit forest filled with blooming purple flowers.

Lives in: Durham, NC

Major: Biochemistry

Why biochemistry? “During my early scientific courses, I found I loved genetics and organic chemistry, as they were both building blocks for how the human body works, genetics helps us understand diseases such as cancer and neurological diseases, and organic chemistry can help us treat different diseases and conditions. I was passionate about learning about cancer and how I could help contribute to helping us better understand and treat it. The biochemistry curriculum gave me the perfect balance of biology and chemistry classes to understand the human body as well as providing me with other scientific classes to have a real comprehensive scientific education.”

Current position: Senior Scientist II at Becton Dickinson

What work looks like: “I work for a medical technology company that is a leader in healthcare. In the Early Research and Development Center, we help identify unmet needs and conduct early-stage research on new healthcare technologies before they are moved into product development. I am currently working on a cancer diagnostic test.” 

What she loves about it: “I love the people I work with and having the ability to contribute to new technologies that can help people. Working at a large medical technology company allows me to see the true impact we are making in terms of helping health care workers provide better care and helping patients get better care.” 

What she gained from a liberal arts education: “My liberal arts education provided me with the opportunity to gain other skills outside of scientific labs and scientific writing, like the ability to communicate my thoughts, ideas, and findings. In my writing classes, I had to learn how to express myself and my thoughts in a creative, compelling way, something that has helped me be able to talk at professional conferences and give seminars. In an acting class I took, I had to get comfortable with public speaking, which helped me gain confidence to give talks to large audiences. And by taking economics, philosophy, Honors College, and many other types of classes, I was able to practice communicating topics I was not so familiar with.”