Best Chemist programs in Kentucky, ranked by enrollment
Conduct qualitative and quantitative chemical analyses or experiments in laboratories for quality or process control or to develop new products or.
19 schools in Kentucky run programs that feed this job, graduating 249 people a year. The job pays a median of $84,090 in Kentucky across about 530 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Kentucky that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
3 programs in Kentucky that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Kentucky (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 Kentucky page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chemistry, Generalmain feeder CIP 40.0501In Kentucky → | 204 | 81.9% | 18 | $42,620 | $23,900 |
| 2 | Forensic Chemistrymain feeder CIP 40.0510In Kentucky → | 44 | 17.7% | 2 | $42,620 | $23,900 |
| 3 | Chemistry, Othermain feeder CIP 40.0599In Kentucky → | 1 | 0.4% | 1 | $42,620 | $23,900 |
Top 19 schools in Kentucky
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 3 of the 19 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Kentucky Lexington, KY Public · 2 feeder programs | 64 | Chemistry, General | — | 71% | — | 93% |
| 2 | Eastern Kentucky University Richmond, KY Public · 2 feeder programs | 45 | Forensic Chemistry | $34,512 | 50% | — | 78% |
| 3 | University of Louisville Louisville, KY Public · 1 feeder programs | 25 | Chemistry, General | $41,842 | 61% | — | 79% |
| 4 | Northern Kentucky University Highland Heights, KY Public · 1 feeder programs | 17 | Chemistry, General | — | 52% | — | 68% |
| 5 | Murray State University Murray, KY Public · 1 feeder programs | 16 | Chemistry, General | $48,334 | 61% | — | 86% |
| 6 | Western Kentucky University Bowling Green, KY Public · 1 feeder programs | 16 | Chemistry, General | — | 56% | — | 94% |
| 7 | Centre College Danville, KY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 14 | Chemistry, General | — | 81% | $18,407 | 54% |
| 8 | Bellarmine University Louisville, KY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 11 | Chemistry, General | — | 64% | $22,542 | 86% |
| 9 | Berea College Berea, KY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 8 | Chemistry, General | — | 58% | $5,274 | 19% |
| 10 | Transylvania University Lexington, KY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 8 | Chemistry, General | — | 71% | $21,881 | 87% |
| 11 | Kentucky Wesleyan College Owensboro, KY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Chemistry, General | — | 47% | $36,525 | 72% |
| 12 | Campbellsville University Campbellsville, KY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Chemistry, General | — | 42% | $18,824 | 80% |
| 13 | Morehead State University Morehead, KY Public · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Chemistry, General | — | 52% | — | 77% |
| 14 | Georgetown College Georgetown, KY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Chemistry, General | — | 49% | $12,666 | 91% |
| 15 | Thomas More University Crestview Hills, KY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Chemistry, General | — | 40% | $18,902 | 90% |
| 16 | University of the Cumberlands Williamsburg, KY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Chemistry, General | — | 50% | $11,672 | 99% |
| 17 | Asbury University Wilmore, KY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Chemistry, General | — | 65% | $19,816 | 63% |
| 18 | Kentucky State University Frankfort, KY Public · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Chemistry, General | — | 32% | — | 96% |
| 19 | Union Commonwealth University Barbourville, KY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Chemistry, Other | — | 32% | $28,386 | 63% |
All 19 schools in Kentucky
Every school in Kentucky 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 Kentucky | Lexington | Public | 64 | 2 |
| Eastern Kentucky University | Richmond | Public | 45 | 2 |
| University of Louisville | Louisville | Public | 25 | 1 |
| Northern Kentucky University | Highland Heights | Public | 17 | 1 |
| Murray State University | Murray | Public | 16 | 1 |
| Western Kentucky University | Bowling Green | Public | 16 | 1 |
| Centre College | Danville | Private not-for-profit | 14 | 1 |
| Bellarmine University | Louisville | Private not-for-profit | 11 | 1 |
| Berea College | Berea | Private not-for-profit | 8 | 1 |
| Transylvania University | Lexington | Private not-for-profit | 8 | 1 |
| Kentucky Wesleyan College | Owensboro | Private not-for-profit | 5 | 1 |
| Campbellsville University | Campbellsville | Private not-for-profit | 4 | 1 |
| Morehead State University | Morehead | Public | 4 | 1 |
| Georgetown College | Georgetown | Private not-for-profit | 3 | 1 |
| Thomas More University | Crestview Hills | Private not-for-profit | 3 | 1 |
What chemists earn in Kentucky
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $91,240. Kentucky pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Kentucky
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 Chemists page.
How to become a Chemist
Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Kentucky
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 14 majors mapped to Chemists13 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
- 40.0506Physical Chemistry
- 40.0507Polymer Chemistry
- 40.0508Chemical Physics
- 40.0509Environmental Chemistry
- 40.0510Forensic Chemistry
- 40.0511Theoretical Chemistry
- 40.0512Cheminformatics/Chemistry Informatics(no graduates reported)
- 40.0599Chemistry, Other
- 40.1002Materials Chemistry
- 51.2004Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry
Common questions
Answers for people weighing chemists programs in Kentucky.
What degree do you need to become a Chemist?+
Bachelor'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 204 degrees in Kentucky in 2024-25, 81.9% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Chemist?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 3 programs to this occupation. The largest are Chemistry. Together they graduate about 249 people a year in Kentucky.
How much do chemists earn in Kentucky?+
The median is $84,090 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 7.8% below the U.S. median of $91,240. 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 chemists growing?+
BLS projects a +4.9% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 6,300 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Kentucky?+
19 institutions in Kentucky reported graduates from at least one of the 3 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 chemists work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Chemist, Scientist, Research Chemist, Analytical Chemist among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 19-2031.
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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