How much more beneficial is it to get a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering vs. a B.S. degree in Chemistry?

Question

How much more money does a person make with a degree in Chemical Engineering vs. Chemistry.
(B.S., Master's, and Ph.D wise)

How many more opportunities will I get between the two fields?

Which one offers up more respect?

What will be the difference in the long term: salary wise, getting a Ph.D. in either field, etc.

Answer 1

You do usually need a master's or phd in either field. The Department of Labor gives good information about salaries and opportunities.

Answer 2

I personally do not know of many jobs for anyone with only a B.S. in any kind of science. You need at least a Ph.D. A Ph.D. in chemistry vs. chemical engineering will not matter--- but where you get it, will.

Answer 3

It is definitly based on what you want to do with the degree. First off, i would not pick a major based on salary. Keep in mind you will be doing this for the rest of your life. The jobs do differ. Chem majors do more research where as Chem E's do more process & production work, also sales. Respect? Well, i think you will need a PHD in Chemistry to be respected, where as you can go pretty far in industry with a BS in ChE (many of my managers ...).

Answer 4

A lot of it depends on if you want to be a chemist or a chemical engineer.

The difference between the sciences and engineering is that in engineering they apply the science -- but in science they DO the science.

I'd think that a BS in chemistry would give you more options (particularly if you took a few Chem E classes along the way). It would be easier for you to do graduate work in Chem E after a BS in Chem than it would be for you to do graduate work in Chem with a Chem E degree.

You don't have to commit right away. Start college in one or the other major. Take classes in both fields. If you prefer one to the other, make that your major.

Answer 5

If you're looking for a job in industry, take the engineering degree.
If you want to do research, take the science degree.
But, recognize that BS in engineering takes about as long as a MS in science (6 years-ish)

If you know what college you're going to, go through the catalog and figure out which classes are part of both degrees, and start with those. That way, you can put off the decision without losing time. (Ex: you'll need to take calculus and a lot of freshman level science classes in both fields)

Answer 6

Eng. Chem. vs Chem.....What's the country you want to work? US, India, PR. China or EU ? US needed to attract talents from the South earn many money (8-11 times working in India or PR China). But the money you needed depends on Multiple Intelligence(MI). Sufficient Economy is betterness.