What will I earn?

• The 2018/19 What Do Graduates Do report showed that the highest starting salary for chemistry graduates six months after graduation was £27,500. The UK average salary was £22,399.
• The Royal Society of Chemistry’s 2019 Pay & Reward survey showed a median salary of £45,500 for member-respondents* with an annual median bonus of £4,000. Early career members earned a median salary of £33,200. Members with PhDs showed higher earning potential during their career over other qualifications.
• Over 70% of chemistry students entered a professional or managerial role after graduation
• The contribution (direct, indirect and induced) of chemistry-using professionals to UK GDP was estimated to be £87 billion in 2019.
• There are estimated to have been 275,000 chemistry-using jobs in the UK in 2019, with a further 425,000 jobs supported by this workforce throughout the UK economy.

Salaries depend on a large number of factors, including qualifications required, location, experience, size and type of the organisation.

Useful websites to find out more about chemistry jobs and salaries

• Chemistry World Jobs
• Payscale.com
• Glassdoor
• LinkedIn

*Results based on 6,194 members of the Royal Society of Chemistry who responded to the 2017 survey with profiles representative of current membership. 

Updated January 2020