After you have earned your B.S. in chemistry, what can you do next? Villanova is situated in the center of a large area of chemical industry extending from northern New Jersey to Delaware. Many of our graduates obtain positions with Merck, Glaxo-SmithKline, Pfizer, DuPont, Rohm & Haas, or Wyeth, along with many other companies. Your first job is frequently work as a bench chemist, but might also be in sales, safety, journalism, etc. A number of our graduates continue their education at universities across the U.S. in various areas of chemistry such as medicinal, biochemistry, pharmacology, analytical, inorganic, etc. Graduate students usually receive stipends and tuition waivers that cover the expenses of a graduate education! There are also branches of the government that hire chemists, such as the EPA, DEA, agriculture, commerce, and the military. Each year approximately 10% of our graduating class go to medical school. A summary of where our most recent students have landed is available on the Web.

We address career awareness with our Professional Development Seminar (CHM 1000). In this class we invite chemists and alumni to speak to the students about their jobs and the role of chemistry. In addition, the Career Services office has a comprehensive program to assist our graduates. The Chemistry Department also maintains a file of job opportunities from area companies and students are encouraged to check this on a regular basis. The file also provides many summer job opportunities off-campus for students.

So what do Villanova Chemistry majors do after they graduate? The majority of our students enter graduate studies in chemistry or a related field, seek admission to medical schools, or pursue employment in the chemical or pharmaceutical industry, a few become high school chemistry teachers, and a few enter graduate programs or pursue careers outside of the chemistry area. Here is a sampling of where our students go after they leave Villanova:

Graduate Programs in Chemistry

In the past ten years, our students have been accepted at a number of prestigious Chemistry graduate programs. Here is an alphabetical listing of where our students have attended graduate school:

Ph.D. Programs in Chemistry

Duke University
Georgetown University
Harvard University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Pennsylvania State University
Princeton University
Seton Hall University
Tulane University
University of Akron
University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Irvine
University of California, San Diego
University of California, Santa Barbara
University of Illinois
University of Michigan
University of Pennsylvania
University of Southern California
University of Utah
University of Vermont
University of Virginia
Wayne State University
Yale University (7 Villanova students have attended Yale since 1995!)

Medical Programs

Villanova students have found that a degree in Chemistry impresses many medical school admissions committees. Four of our students have been accepted into MD/Ph.D. programs in the past five years. These programs allow highly talented students to develop skills in medical research; students enrolled in these programs do not have to pay tuition, and often receive a stipend to help with living expenses. Here are the Medical Schools where our students have attended over the past ten years:

MD/Ph.D Programs

Case Western Reserve University
Pennsylvania State University/Milton Hershey Medical School
University of Colorado

Medical Schools

Georgetown University Medical School
Medical College of Pennsylvania/Hahnemann Medical School (now Drexel Med.)
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
Temple University Medical School
Vanderbilt Medical School
University of California Medical School
University of Oklahoma Medical School
University of Pennsylvania Medical School
Wayne State Medical School

Other Graduate Programs

Students with degrees in Chemistry have found that they can use their training in a variety of different disciplines. Students with chemistry training are in demand in education, medicine, allied health, law, and other areas. Here are the non-chemistry graduate programs that our students have entered over the past ten years:

Education Programs

Lehigh University
University of Pennsylvania
West Chester University Allied Health Programs
Manhattan School of Dentistry
New York College of Chiropractic Medicine
Temple University Dental School

Other Graduate Programs

Fordham University (MBA program)
John Jay Institute (Forensic Science)
Pennsylvania State University (Law)
Quinnipiac University (Patent Law)
Rider University (MBA program)
St. Louis University (MBA program)
University of Buffalo (Pharmacy)
University of Delaware (Oceanography)
University of Florida (Law)

Employment in the Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industry

Our students are recruited by the top chemical and pharmaceutical companies in the United States. Villanova is fortunate to be surrounded by many of the best pharmaceutical companies in the nation. These companies find our students to be highly intelligent and possess the skills needed for success in the pharmaceutical industry. Here are some of the chemical and pharmaceutical students that have hired our BS graduates:

Pharmaceutical Companies

Abbott Laboratories
Astra-Zeneca Pharmaceuticals
Johnson and Johnson Pharmaceuticals
Merck and Co.
Schering Plough Pharmaceuticals
West Pharmaceuticals
Wyeth-Ayerst Pharmaceuticals

Chemical Companies

Adolor Corporation
Avon Products
Cabot Corporation
Caterpillar
Estee Lauder
Hewlett-Packard
Johnson Matthey Fine Chemicals
Lyondell Chemical Company
Mercury Foam Corporation
Neose Technologies
Stream International
Transave, Incorporated