North Dakota·Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations·SOC 19-2031

Best Chemist programs in North Dakota, ranked by enrollment

Conduct qualitative and quantitative chemical analyses or experiments in laboratories for quality or process control or to develop new products or.

6 schools in North Dakota run programs that feed this job, graduating 45 people a year. The job pays a median of $97,330 in North Dakota across about 160 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledChemistScientistResearch ChemistAnalytical ChemistOil ExpertMix ChemistAstrochemistCoal Chemist
Graduates / yr
45
in North Dakota
Median pay · North Dakota
$97,330
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
160
people employed
Schools
6
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
52%
across those schools
Median net price
$19,583
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in North Dakota that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.

2 programs in North Dakota that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in North Dakota (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 North Dakota page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
136
80.0%
6$42,620$23,900
29
20.0%
1$42,620$23,900

Top 6 schools in North Dakota

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 0 of the 6 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1North Dakota State University - Main Campus
Fargo, ND Public · 2 feeder programs
21Chemistry, General64%95%
2University of North Dakota
Grand Forks, ND Public · 1 feeder programs
17Chemistry, General60%77%
3Dickinson State University
Dickinson, ND Public · 1 feeder programs
2Chemistry, General51%37%
4Minot State University
Minot, ND Public · 1 feeder programs
2Chemistry, General45%65%
5University of Jamestown
Jamestown, ND Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
2Chemistry, General49%$19,58388%
6Mayville State University
Mayville, ND Public · 1 feeder programs
1Chemistry, General41%

All 6 schools in North Dakota

Every school in North Dakota 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.

All schools in North Dakota that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
North Dakota State University - Main CampusFargoPublic212
University of North DakotaGrand ForksPublic171
Dickinson State UniversityDickinsonPublic21
Minot State UniversityMinotPublic21
University of JamestownJamestownPrivate not-for-profit21
Mayville State UniversityMayvillePublic11

What chemists earn in North Dakota

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual in North Dakota
$97,330
Mean annual
$94,470
Jobs in state
160
What the range looks like
10th pct$52,050Median$97,33090th pct$132,330
Versus the national median
+6.7%

U.S. median $91,240. North Dakota pays above the national figure.

Job concentration
0.69×

1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.

Metro areas in North Dakota

Fargo, ND-MN
$71,510median
40 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+4.9%
About as fast as average
Openings per year
6,300
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
4,300
86,800 → 91,000
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree

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

ScienceCritical ThinkingReading ComprehensionSpeakingWritingActive Listening

The same job in other states

Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.

Related careers in North Dakota

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 North Dakota.

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 36 degrees in North Dakota in 2024-25, 80.0% 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 2 programs to this occupation. The largest are Chemistry. Together they graduate about 45 people a year in North Dakota.

How much do chemists earn in North Dakota?+

The median is $97,330 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 6.7% above 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 North Dakota?+

6 institutions in North Dakota 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 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.

Related careers in North DakotaChemical Engineers
Programs in North DakotaChemistry, General

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 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected 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 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, 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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