Department of Chemistry

541 Mark Jefferson Science Complex

Ypsilanti, Michigan 48197

734.487.0106

Chemistry Employment Opportunities

Careers in Chemistry

The American Chemical Society Education Division includes information on more than 30 career areas in chemistry, career options within each subdiscipline (organic, physical, etc.) and information on what you can do now to begin preparing for a degree in chemistry.

Learn the median starting salary for an inexperienced BS chemistry graduate and other interesting data on the C&EN website.

One way to improve one's chances of landing a job (and earning a higher salary) is to find a paid internship position while in school. Read about it on the ACS blog site.

Q and A with a Forensic Chemist

Ann E. Miller, forensic chemist with Customs and Border Protection’s laboratory in Chicago, answered some common questions [PDF] about forensic sciences. She double-majored in chemistry and anthropology at Beloit College and earned a master’s degree in analytical chemistry at Texas A&M. She's been with CBP since 2001, where she drives a mobile lab unit around the country, training people to understand radioactivity and currently is involved in projects to identify drugs mailed into the United States.

  • Recent Postings

    Expand dropdown
    • Oerlikon Metco is looking to hire a Quality Lab Technnician in Plymoth, MI. Duties include Preparation, testing, and analysis of samples to determine their chemical and physical characteristics using laboratory equipment and instruments in accordance with procedures, practices and calibration standards. Evaluation of the results relative to procedures and specifications and acceptance or rejection of the test results. Review of detailed customer purchase orders / SAP orders, prepare and sign materials
      certifications and keep the customer and internal specifications and procedures updated and in orderly fashion. Must be flexible to work overtime, when necessary or required, and must be willing to work in any shift (first, split, or night) as required. Contact Lance Geddes ([email protected]) for more information. Posted June 16, 2022
    • Aerotek is a recruitment agency that is focused on finding and placing candidates in areas healthcare and science. Interested students can speak with Kramer Schultz at 248-729-8073 or send their resume to [email protected].
    • You can also go to our co-op page to look for co-op, internship or summer research positions.
  • Job Postings

    Expand dropdown
    • None at this time
  • External Websites

    Expand dropdown
    • NSF International (which has a facility in Ann Arbor) has a very nice website where they post open positions, including chemistry intern positions. If you click on "Search for Jobs" and then select "Ann Arbor, MI, US" and then click on the Search box, you can see a list of positions that are open locally.
    • Cayman Chemical (with its main facility in Ann Arbor) has a very nice website where they post open positions, including chemistry intern positions. If you click on "View All Job Opportunities" you can see what positions are available.
    • The US Government posts full-time, part-time and intern positions. You can narrow the search to Chemistry positions by choosing the Job Category to be "Physical Science" and then for the Occupational Series, select "Chemistry". Of course, you can search other areas as your interest and experience dictates.
    • Pure Michigan Talent Connect is a search engine that can be used to look for jobs in Michigan. (By typing "Chemist" in the Job Title box, there were 52 positions posted as of 2/8/19.)
    • The LinkUp job search engine can be used to look for positions anywhere in the country. (By typing "Chemist" in the job title box, there were 1,171 positions posted as of 2/8/19. Options are available to narrow your search.)
    • The American Chemical Society regularly hosts a career fair in conjunction with the semi-annual national meetings. These typically occur in August and March. The ACS has other career tools and job listings that are only available to ACS members.
    • The Michigan State Police (MSP) hire civilians to serve as forensic scientists. Typically, a major in forensic science or a natural science is expected. Information about MSP forensic scientists and where to find vacancies can be found on the MSP website.
  • Student Co-op Positions or Internships

    Expand dropdown
    Go to our page on co-op positions and internships which includes information on summer research internships for undergraduates.
  • Tutoring

    Expand dropdown
    Chemistry tutors are generally in demand. There are on-campus positions available through the Holman Success Center to serve as a supplemental instructor for a chemistry course or to do peer tutoring (contact the Holman Success Center at 734.487.1849 or [email protected]). There are also off-campus tutoring opportunities which can be arranged individually or via companies that hire and coordinate tutors. The EMU Chemistry Department does not have any connection with any of these companies. Occasionally, we are contacted by them to provide their contact information to potentially interested students and, unless we have heard of problems, we will post it. One such company is FrogTutoring. They do in-home tutoring in the Detroit area.
  • Medical Scribe

    Expand dropdown

    Pacific Medical Training is looking for interested students for their Medical Scribe training and certification program. Medical scribing is a wonderful opportunity for gap year students to learn about health careers and gain experience. For more information, visit www.scribeschool.net or contact Terry Strassel at 252-619-3562 or [email protected]

    Scribe America is looking to recruit students to work as part-time, full-time, day shift and night shift scribes. The scribe will work side by side with physicians assisting with documentation for each patient evaluated by the doctor. It is an opportunity for any student interested in medicine to gain first-hand experience following a physician. If you are interested, you can visit their website for more information.

Skip Section Navigation