Best Chemical Technician programs in California, ranked by enrollment
Conduct chemical and physical laboratory tests to assist scientists in making qualitative and quantitative analyses of solids, liquids, and gaseous materials for research and development of new products or processes, quality control,.
135 schools in California run programs that feed this job, graduating 2,712 people a year. The job pays a median of $59,510 in California across about 6,800 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in California that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
2 programs in California that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in California (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own California page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 40.0501In California → | 2,644 | 97.5% | 131 | $42,620 | $23,900 |
| 2 | CIP 41.0301In California → | 68 | 2.5% | 7 | $51,860 | $11,959 |
Top 25 schools in California
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 23 of the 135 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of California - Berkeley Berkeley, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 234 | Chemistry, General | $59,576 | 93% | — | 11% |
| 2 | University of California - Irvine Irvine, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 192 | Chemistry, General | $43,766 | 87% | — | 29% |
| 3 | University of California - San Diego La Jolla, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 147 | Chemistry, General | $45,310 | 86% | — | 27% |
| 4 | University of California - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 142 | Chemistry, General | $42,358 | 93% | — | 9% |
| 5 | University of California - Riverside Riverside, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 82 | Chemistry, General | $39,676 | 76% | — | 76% |
| 6 | University of California - Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 81 | Chemistry, General | $47,197 | 83% | — | 33% |
| 7 | University of California - Davis Davis, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 80 | Chemistry, General | $42,204 | 86% | — | 42% |
| 8 | California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Pomona, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 60 | Chemistry, General | $43,294 | 68% | — | 75% |
| 9 | Irvine Valley College Irvine, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 60 | Chemistry, General | — | 57% | — | — |
| 10 | Diablo Valley College Pleasant Hill, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 54 | Chemistry, General | — | 49% | — | — |
| 11 | Stanford University Stanford, CA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 51 | Chemistry, General | — | 92% | $12,032 | 4% |
| 12 | University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 49 | Chemistry, General | — | 92% | $26,873 | 10% |
| 13 | San Diego State University San Diego, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 47 | Chemistry, General | $43,603 | 76% | — | 36% |
| 14 | Fullerton College Fullerton, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 46 | Chemistry, General | — | 34% | — | — |
| 15 | Sacramento City College Sacramento, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 46 | Chemical Technology/Technician | — | 33% | — | — |
| 16 | Orange Coast College Costa Mesa, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 45 | Chemistry, General | — | 48% | — | — |
| 17 | University of California - Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 43 | Chemistry, General | $39,700 | 75% | — | 66% |
| 18 | California State University - San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 42 | Chemistry, General | $40,402 | 55% | — | 94% |
| 19 | Saddleback College Mission Viejo, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 42 | Chemistry, General | — | 48% | — | — |
| 20 | Ohlone College Fremont, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 39 | Chemistry, General | — | 52% | — | — |
| 21 | Golden West College Huntington Beach, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 38 | Chemistry, General | — | 49% | — | — |
| 22 | California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 37 | Chemistry, General | — | 94% | $17,608 | 3% |
| 23 | San Jose State University San Jose, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 37 | Chemistry, General | — | 69% | — | 85% |
| 24 | California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 36 | Chemistry, General | — | 86% | — | 31% |
| 25 | San Diego Miramar College San Diego, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 32 | Chemistry, General | — | 48% | — | — |
All 135 schools in California
Every school in California with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of California - Berkeley | Berkeley | Public | 234 | 1 |
| University of California - Irvine | Irvine | Public | 192 | 1 |
| University of California - San Diego | La Jolla | Public | 147 | 1 |
| University of California - Los Angeles | Los Angeles | Public | 142 | 1 |
| University of California - Riverside | Riverside | Public | 82 | 1 |
| University of California - Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara | Public | 81 | 1 |
| University of California - Davis | Davis | Public | 80 | 1 |
| California State Polytechnic University - Pomona | Pomona | Public | 60 | 1 |
| Irvine Valley College | Irvine | Public | 60 | 1 |
| Diablo Valley College | Pleasant Hill | Public | 54 | 1 |
| Stanford University | Stanford | Private not-for-profit | 51 | 1 |
| University of Southern California | Los Angeles | Private not-for-profit | 49 | 1 |
| San Diego State University | San Diego | Public | 47 | 1 |
| Fullerton College | Fullerton | Public | 46 | 1 |
| Sacramento City College | Sacramento | Public | 46 | 2 |
What chemical technicians earn in California
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $60,390. California pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in California
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Chemical Technicians page.
How to become a Chemical Technician
Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0- Typical entry education
- Associate's degree
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in California
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 7 majors mapped to Chemical Technicians7 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 40.0501Chemistry, General
- 40.0502Analytical Chemistry
- 40.0503Inorganic Chemistry
- 40.0504Organic Chemistry
- 40.0509Environmental Chemistry
- 41.0301Chemical Technology/Technician
- 41.0303Chemical Process Technology
Common questions
Answers for people weighing chemical technicians programs in California.
What degree do you need to become a Chemical Technician?+
Associate's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Chemistry, General, which awarded 2,644 degrees in California in 2024-25, 97.5% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Chemical Technician?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 2 programs to this occupation. The largest are Chemistry, Physical Science Technologies/Technicians. Together they graduate about 2,712 people a year in California.
How much do chemical technicians earn in California?+
The median is $59,510 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 1.5% below the U.S. median of $60,390. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for chemical technicians growing?+
BLS projects a +3.7% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 6,700 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in California?+
135 institutions in California reported graduates from at least one of the 2 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do chemical technicians work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Chemical Technician, Laboratory Analyst (Lab Analyst), Laboratory Technician (Lab Tech), Quality Control Technician (QC Tech) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 19-4031.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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