Co-op/
Internship Encouraged
Salary and Career Info
Chemistry BS
In RIT’s chemistry BS, you’ll research chemicals to discover, develop, or improve products like paints, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, electronic components, and more.
Program skills
Students are able to perform many general chemistry, analytical chemistry, and organic chemistry laboratory tasks, as technicians, with minimal supervision, after their first year of coursework. They continue to enhance their lab skills in subsequent years, when they take lecture and lab courses in inorganic, physical, polymer, environmental, or biochemistry to increase their ability to contribute to research initiatives in areas of particular interest.
Program facilities equipment
Students are exposed to several different resources throughout their education: GC-MS, LC-MS, HPLC systems, Atomic Absorption, 300 MHz, NMR, 500MHz NMR, Fluorimeters, UV-Vis, Centrifuge, Electrochem Equipment, Viscometer, Electrophoresis, TGA, DSC, DMA, Magnetic susceptibility optical microscope, inert gas chamber, spin coater.
Program job titles
Chemist; Quality Assurance; Materials Engineer; QC Chemist/Packaging Scientist; Lab Technician; Research Assistant; Environmental Chemist
Program significant points
- Most of our students engage in independent research projects to further their specialization, including full-time summer research in faculty labs at RIT or on other campuses through internships and NSF Research Experience for Undergraduate programs.
- We emphasize quality lab notebook records. Many of our students present their research at local, regional and national meetings. Quite a number are co-authors on publications with faculty members each year.
- Students have attended graduate school for masters and Ph.D. programs at Fordham University, Pennsylvania State, RIT, University of Colorado, University of Connecticut, University of Rochester, Yale University, and Yonsei University. Programs include: Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Forensic Science, Law, Nursing, Pathways of Human Disease, and Sustainability.
Select program hiring partners
Ortho Clinical Diagnostics; FloDesign Sonics, a MilliporeSigma Company; Constellation Brands Inc; Actylis Eugene; Epic Pharma LLC; GlobalFoundries; Interprint, Inc.; LORD Corporation; SMS biotech; Xerox
87.5%
Outcome Rates for Chemistry BS
Total percentage of graduates who have entered the workforce, enrolled in full-time graduate study, or are pursuing alternative plans (military service, volunteering, etc.).
75%
Knowledge Rate
Total percentage of graduates for whom RIT has verifiable data, compared to national average knowledge rate of 41% per NACE.
| Outcome | % of Students |
|---|---|
| Employed | 50.00% |
| Full-time Graduate Study | 37.50% |
| Alternative Plans | 0% |
Accreditation
The RIT bachelor of science in chemistry is certified by the Committee on Professional Training of the American Chemical Society.
Experiential Learning
Cooperative Education
What’s different about an RIT education? It’s the career experience you gain by completing cooperative education and internships with top companies in every single industry. You’ll earn more than a degree. You’ll gain real-world career experience that sets you apart. It’s exposure–early and often–to a variety of professional work environments, career paths, and industries.
Co-ops and internships take your knowledge and turn it into know-how. Science co-ops include a range of hands-on experiences, from co-ops and internships and work in labs to undergraduate research and clinical experience in health care settings. These opportunities provide the hands-on experience that enables you to apply your scientific, math, and health care knowledge in professional settings while you make valuable connections between classwork and real-world applications.
Cooperative education is optional but strongly encouraged for students in the chemistry degree.
National Labs Career Events and Recruiting
The Office of Career Services and Cooperative Education offers National Labs and federally-funded Research Centers from all research areas and sponsoring agencies a variety of options to connect with and recruit students. Students connect with employer partners to gather information on their laboratories and explore co-op, internship, research, and full-time opportunities. These national labs focus on scientific discovery, clean energy development, national security, technology advancements, and more. Recruiting events include our university-wide Fall Career Fair, on-campus and virtual interviews, information sessions, 1:1 networking with lab representatives, and a National Labs Resume Book available to all labs.