Chemistry or Chemical Engineering?

Question

I am very interested in chemistry and I am in AP Chemistry this year (senior in high school). I will be going off to college next year, hopefully Ohio State University, and I'm wondering if I should major in Chemistry or Chemical Engineering. So, I have a few questions.

• Which major would pay more?
• Which major would have better job opportunities right out of college?
• How do both majors differ?

Thanks for your time and input.

Wow, thank you. Any other input is still welcome.

Answer 1

Chemical engineering is, I believe, the highest paying of all majors. Chemistry pays decently, but less than engineering jobs. In general, of course.

I think both fields have excellent job opportunities out of college. Chemical engineers are always in demand, because the major is very hard so not many people major in it. Chemists are also in demand in biotech, pharma, and of course the chemicals industry. "Better" depends on what kind of work you want to do. Chemical engineers, like many other engineers, will be doing more work designing industrial processes or designing chemical blends, while chemists will be working with chemicals in a lab. Chemical engineer majors can get work as a chemist, by the way.

The difference between the majors will depend on the school, but in general, chemisty requires almost every undergrad chem class available, including organic chem, physical chem, inorganic chem, analytical chem, and even more. Chemical engineers take a lot of chemistry, but not as much as the chemistry majors. Engineering requires other engineering classes, like electrical and mechanical engineering, and chemical engineering classes that deal with industrial processes. Therefore, engineering is more math and physics heavy.

Here is my suggestion, if you are still undecided: Start out as a chemical engineering major. Both majors will have the same prerequisite courses for the first couple of years (math, general chem, physics) but engineering has the additional engineering courses. After you take those, you can decide if engineering is right for you, and whether you should switch to a chemistry major. I wouldn't recommend going the other way around, because at a lot of schools engineering majors are difficult to switch into.

Answer 2

Probably not. I'm a chemistry major and have a brother who is an engineering major. My degree has little to nothing to do with engineering and depending on the classes you take on the chemistry side you will not even get into the instruments used for chemistry in some cases. So really you probably need to head to a different school because majoring in chemistry probably will not do you much good for chemical engineering.

Answer 3

First off, I think jellybeanchick is right and gave you a great answer. I only differ on one pt - I think it's easier to get a job straight after college with a Chem. E. degree than with a BS in chemistry. Many employers prefer Chemists to have a Ph.D. and some don't hire any who just have a BS.

Answer 4

I would say Chemistry, because Chemistry is such a generic terms that can stem into many different fields. If you were to major in just Chemical Engineering, you would be limited to just that. With a Chemistry major, you could eventually go into Chemical Engineering. Choose Wisely!