C&EN Washington

This year's version of the American Chemical Society's annual survey of the salaries and employment status of newly graduated chemists and chemical engineers at all degree levels brings a lot of good news.

Data from the survey indicate a continuation of the sharp upturn in the career prospects and salaries of newly graduated chemists that began the previous year after several years of stagnation.

For instance, the survey indicates that the median full-time starting salary for inexperienced Ph.D. chemists graduating during the 1997-98 academic year was $59,300. This was 10% higher than the $54,000 median for those graduating a year earlier. For the year before that, 1995-96, the median was $45,000. That was only $1,000 higher than it was for 1989-90 graduates.

For inexperienced Ph.D. chemical engineering graduates, the latest year-to-year gain for those with full-time jobs was from $60,000 to $65,000, or 8\%. Salary gains for chemists and chemical engineers with new bachelor\'s and master\'s degrees were smaller than for Ph.D.s, but they were still comfortably greater than the 1.5\% rise in the Consumer Price Index.

The median salary is that which is exceeded or equaled by one-half of the sample. Medians avoid the distortion that a few very high salaries can bring to means.

The employment situation also shows year-to-year improvement, again especially for chemists. This year\'s data reveal that more newly graduated Ph.D. chemists are finding full-time permanent positions, fewer are holding temporary jobs, and fewer are taking up postdocs.

Table: Chemistry class of 1998 finds more full-time jobs than 1997 class, little change for chemical engineers

For the chemical engineering class, there is little change from the generally strong employment situation of the previous year, with close to 70% of all 1997-98 graduates moving directly into full-time permanent jobs.

The survey reveals the passing of some significant milestones in the evolving demographics of the chemistry profession. For the first time, a majority--50.4%--of master's graduates responding to an ACS starting salary survey are women. And the percentage of women doctoral chemistry graduates responding, 34.1%, moved past the one-third mark.

The survey this year, as it always does, involved sending questionnaires to newly graduated chemists and chemical engineers living in the U.S. The addresses of the chemists are provided by the academic departments approved by ACS's Committee on Professional Training. Addresses for the chemical engineers are requested from departments approved by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and the Engineer's Council for Professional Development.

This year there were two questionnaires--one for bachelor's and master's graduates and a slightly modified version for doctoral graduates. Both asked for salary and employment status as of the week of Oct. 12, 1998.

As for the previous two years, the survey of new Ph.D. chemists and chemical engineers was coordinated with an ongoing multidisciplinary program with other scientific societies. This effort is coordinated by the Commission on Professionals in Science & Technology (CPST). In an effort to get strictly comparable data on new doctorates across a spectrum of physical and social sciences, each society's questionnaire included the same core of identical questions.

Last year's data, as compiled by CPST, indicate that the starting salaries of Ph.D. chemists who graduated during the 1996-97 academic years were in the midrange (C&EN, Aug. 17, 1998, page 41). The median of $58,000 for chemists with full-time jobs in industry fell between the high of $73,500 for economists and the low of $38,900 for political scientists.

For the latest survey, ACS sent out 14,792 questionnaires. Of these, 1,228 could not be delivered. Of the 13,564 delivered, 5,907 were returned for an effective response rate of 44%. Response was higher from chemists--4,842 out of 10,816, or 48%--than for chemical engineers--1,065 out of 2,748, or 39%. Ph.D.s were the most likely to respond--61% of the chemists and 59% of the chemical engineers.

This year's response from chemical engineers was unusually low, possibly because of the timing of the requests for addresses. However, the overall response rate for ACS salary and employment surveys has been declining for some years.

Senior research analyst Mary W. Jordan of ACS's Department of Career Services supervises both the starting salary survey and the salary and employment survey of all ACS members in the domestic workforce, which ACS conducts each spring.

The upsurge in starting salaries over the past two years has brought chemists back more or less into line with the average annual 3.3% increase in the Consumer Price Index that has occurred during the past 10 years. In doing so, the increase has made up for the serious declines in starting salaries suffered by chemists between 1992-93 and the nadir of 1995-96.

For instance, the median $59,300 salary for inexperienced 1997-98 chemistry Ph.D. graduates with full-time jobs revealed by the new survey indicates an average annual growth of 3.9% over the past decade. For the first eight years of this decade, the nominal annual salary increase was just 1.2%. For the last two years, it leapt from $45,000 to $59,300.

The pattern is similar for bachelor's and master's chemistry graduates, if less extreme. Starting salaries for chemists with bachelor's degrees have grown an average 3.0% per year for the past decade, after growing at only a 1.7% rate for the first eight of these years. The parallel rates for new master's degree graduates are 3.3% and 2.6%.

Starting salaries for chemical engineering graduating classes have grown much more steadily year-to-year over the past decade. They have also grown slightly faster than they have for chemists--an average 3.8% annually for bachelor's, 4.1% for master's, and 3.9% for Ph.D.s.

Table: Bachelor chemical engineering graduates earn 50% more than chemists, differences smaller for master's, Ph.D.s

The year-to-year gyrations in the median salaries for doctoral chemistry graduates are, in part, the result of marked shifts in the profile of full-time jobs they have been finding. Of the 1995-96 class moving to permanent full-time jobs, a little over twice as many found traditionally much higher paying industry positions, 57%, than academic positions, 26%. For the 1997-98 class, this ratio was up to almost 4-to-1--73% have industry jobs with a median salary of $60,000 and 19% have academic jobs with a median salary of $35,500.

When comparing the salaries of new chemistry and chemical engineering graduates, including those with prior work experience, the sharpest differences remain at the bachelor's degree level. The survey reveals a median of $45,000 for all chemical engineers with full-time permanent jobs. This is 50% higher than the $30,000 median for chemistry bachelor's graduates. The playing field is a little more even at the doctoral level--$66,000 for chemical engineers and $59,700 for chemists.

Table: Chemists, chemical engineers differ little in age at graduation

A surprising result from this year's survey is the salary edge that male chemistry graduates with full-time jobs apparently have over their female colleagues at all degree levels--$30,000 versus $28,500 for bachelor's, $40,000 versus $36,800 for master's, and $60,000 versus $57,000 for Ph.D.s. These results come after many years with no clear-cut salary differences by gender. There are no gender differences for chemical engineers.

Table: Male chemistry graduates have salary edge, pay for chemical engineers is gender neutral

The data for women chemists may be an aberration within the uncertainties of the survey process. Or they may be due to an unusual difference in the profile of jobs taken by men and women graduates. One possibility is that women have not enjoyed the fullest access to the growing number of higher paying industry positions.

Other aspects of the salary situation apparent for this year's study include:

 A higher overall grade-point average is of more significance to a chemical engineer than to a chemist. Chemical engineering graduates with a full-time job and an A average have a median salary of $47,000, significantly above the $40,000 median for those with a C average. For chemistry gradu-ates, this salary differential is much smaller--between $30,000 and $28,500.

 ACS certification of bachelor's degrees does apparently have an impact on full-time salaries. The median of $31,000 for graduates with certified degrees has an edge over the $29,000 median for those without certified degrees.

 The salary edge enjoyed by chemical engineers persists for graduate students and postdocs. The median stipend for chemistry graduate students of $15,500 trails that of their chemical engineering colleagues by almost $1,000. For postdocs at universities, the median stipend for chemical engineers of $28,500 compares with $24,500 for chemistry postdocs.

The biggest change in the employment situation is the sharp year-to-year increase--from 35.2% to 44.4%--in the number of chemistry doctorates who moved directly into permanent full-time positions. This increase was accompanied by a corresponding dip in the number taking up postdocs--to 45.3% from the unusually high 51.1% of the year before.

Table: Industry pay is sharply higher than academia, especially for doctoral chemistry graduates

The situation for new doctoral chemical engineers showed no real year-to-year changes. For both years, close to 70% found permanent full-time jobs and about 23% took up postdocs.

There were no changes in the employment status of bachelor's and master's chemical engineers. For both years, 71% of bachelor's and 61% of master's graduates took up permanent full-time positions.

For bachelor's and master's degree chemists, year-to-year changes were quite small. For instance, the percentage of bachelor's graduates finding permanent full-time jobs moved up to 35.8% from 33.2%, and the increase for master's graduates was from 45.9% to 49.4%.

These data again bring out the long-established differences in the career paths of chemists and chemical engineers. For almost 50% of bachelor's chemistry graduates, their degree is a stepping stone to further formal training. And even at the doctoral level, almost half of chemistry graduates move on to postdocs.

For chemical engineering graduates at all levels, a substantial majority find full-time permanent jobs, and far fewer continue with their education. For instance, although 43% of chemistry bachelor's graduates go on to professional or graduate schools full time, only 13% of bachelor's chemical engineers follow that path.

Table: Few chemical engineering bachelor's graduates pursue further studies

Not all chemistry and chemical engineering graduates with full-time jobs are satisfied with them. According to the new survey, 19% of chemists and 12% of chemical engineers with such jobs are actively looking for another one. Apparently the most contented are doctoral chemical engineers, with only 3% looking for jobs.

Respondents with permanent full-time positions were asked to rate their jobs on three criteria--if they were related to their field, if they were professionally challenging, and if they were commensurate with their training and education.

On a scale of 1 (strongly agree) to 5 (strongly disagree), doctoral chemical engineers again were apparently the most satisfied, with an average of 1.66. This compares with an average of 1.79 for doctoral chemists. Least satisfied were chemistry bachelor's graduates with an average of 2.35.

Ph.D. graduates were also asked if their jobs were similar to what they expected when they started their doctoral programs. The response was 2.20 from chemical engineers and 2.62 from chemists.

With almost half of new bachelor's degree graduates being women, the long-term implications for the future of the chemistry profession are interesting to contemplate. But if the trend of the past decade continues--since 1987-88 the percentage of women in the bachelor's chemistry graduating class has grown from 42% to 49%--women are about to become a majority of those qualifying for the chemical profession.

Another big trend is in the racial makeup of those entering the chemical profession. The most diverse graduating class reported in the new survey is chemistry master's, 61% white. The least diverse is chemistry bachelor's, 76% white.

The biggest variance from the racial composition of the total U.S. population is in the number of Asian graduates. This is especially so at the advanced degree levels where the number of Asians is boosted considerably by foreign students on temporary visas. For instance, of chemical engineering Ph.D.s responding to the latest survey, 30% are Asian as are 25% of chemistry Ph.D.s.

Table: Asians, with 4% if U.S. population, earn an average 27% of advanced chemistry and chemical engineering degrees

However, at the bachelor's level--where there are very few foreign students--the 13.5% of the chemistry graduating class and the 15% of the chemical engineering class that are Asian still far exceed the 3.9% of the U.S. population that is Asian. Ten years ago, about 7% of bachelor's chemistry graduates were Asian.

The opposite remains true for black and Hispanic graduates. But there are signs of improvement, if from a very low base. For example, in this year's survey, 5.3% of chemistry bachelor's degree graduates are black. This is up from the year-earlier 4.7%. Similarly, the number of Hispanic chemistry bachelor's graduates, 4.4%, is up from 3.6%. Ten years ago, about 3% of chemistry bachelor's graduates were black and about 2% were Hispanic. Of the entire U.S. population today, 12.7% is black and 11.4%--regardless of race--is Hispanic.

Within the next few months, the American Chemical Society's Department of Career Services will publish a full report on its survey of the starting salaries and employment status of chemists and chemical engineers who graduated during the 1997-98 academic year. Entitled "Starting Salaries 1998," it will be available for $29.95 from the ACS Office of Society Services by calling (800) 227-5558, or sending a request by e-mail to k_smith@acs.org. Back issues of previous surveys also are available.

C&EN will report on the department's 1999 survey of the salaries and employment status of ACS members in the domestic workforce in the Aug. 2 issue.

C&EN will report on the results from the multisociety, multidisciplinary survey of the starting salaries of new doctoral graduates as soon as the Commission on Professionals in Science & Technology, which is coordinating the effort, compiles and releases the data.

The Department of Career Services, with the cooperation of the ACS Committee on Economic & Professional Affairs, works to help enhance the economic and professional status of chemists by offering one-on-one career assistance, direct contact with employers, and information on the workforce. For more information, contact the department by phone at (800) 227-5558, by e-mail: career@acs.org, or access the web site <:http://www.chemcenter.org>http://www.chem center.org.

Comments or questions on the salary surveys should be directed to senior research analyst Mary W. Jordan at (202) 872-4433.

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Copyright © 1999 American Chemical Society