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Career Exploration

Chemistry Teachers, Postsecondary

Also called: Assistant Professor, Chemistry Instructor, Chemistry Professor, Professor

What they do:

Teach courses pertaining to the chemical and physical properties and compositional changes of substances. Work may include providing instruction in the methods of qualitative and quantitative chemical analysis. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching, and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

On the job, you would:
  • Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as organic chemistry, analytical chemistry, and chemical separation.
  • Establish, teach, and monitor students' compliance with safety rules for handling chemicals, equipment, and other hazardous materials.
  • Evaluate and grade students' class work, laboratory performance, assignments, and papers.
On the job, you'll need:

Math and Science

  • chemistry
  • arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics

Arts and Humanities

  • English language

Education and Training

  • teaching and course design

Engineering and Technology

  • product and service development

Basic Skills

  • reading work related information
  • talking to others

Problem Solving

  • noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it

People and Technology Systems

  • thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one
  • figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it

Verbal

  • communicate by speaking
  • communicate by writing

Ideas and Logic

  • use rules to solve problems
  • make general rules or come up with answers from lots of detailed information

Memory

  • remember words, numbers, pictures, or steps

Investigative

People interested in this work like activities that include ideas, thinking, and figuring things out.

  • Analytical Thinking
  • Integrity
  • Attention to Detail
  • Dependability
  • Adaptability/Flexibility
  • Independence

Word processing software

  • Google Docs
  • Microsoft Word

Analytical or scientific software

  • OriginLab Origin
  • PerkinElmer ChemOffice Suite

Computer based training software

  • Learning management system LMS
  • Moodle

Video courtesy of CareerOneStop.

Job Outlook

The job outlook for this position is Average.

New job opportunities are likely in the future.

Median Annual Salary: $80,720

Education

Master's degree or post-doctoral training is usually needed.