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Natural Products Chemistry

A program that focuses on the scientific study of biologically active compounds found in naturally occurring sources such as plants, animals, and microbes and their use and/or modification as medicinal substances. Includes instruction in medicinal chemistry, organic medicinals, pharmacological therapeutics, pharmacokinetics, molecular biology, structural chemistry, enzymes, nucleic acids, economic botany, ethnobotany, bioprospecting, bioassay, compound identification and isolation, mass spectrometry, and analytical instrumentation and techniques. Examples: [Natural Products Chemistry and Pharmacognosy (MS)], [Natural Products Chemistry and Pharmacognosy (PhD)]

Types of Degrees Natural Products Chemistry Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Natural Products Chemistry have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	32
Master’s Degree	146
Doctor’s Degree	3

What Natural Products Chemistry Majors Need to Know

Studies in Natural Products Chemistry emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Natural Products Chemistry graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Natural Products Chemistry emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.6 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.7 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills developed in a Natural Products Chemistry program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Active Learning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Natural Products Chemistry careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Natural Products Chemistry graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.6 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.5 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Working with Computers	4.4 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.3 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.2 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.1 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Natural Products Chemistry professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
IBM SPSS Statistics	Analytical or scientific software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
SAS	Analytical or scientific software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Dental software	Medical software	—
Image scanning software	Optical character reader OCR or scanning software	—
Desire2Learn LMS software	Computer based training software	—
Turning Technologies TurningPoint	Multi-media educational software	—
Healthcare common procedure coding system HCPCS	Medical software	—
TechSmith Snagit	Graphics or photo imaging software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Natural Products Chemistry graduates include:

• Gastroenterology Professor
• First Aid Teacher
• Pathology Teacher
• Podiatry Teacher
• Hygiene Teacher
• Infant Care Teacher
• Public Health Aides Teacher
• Dental Laboratory Technology Teacher
• A&P Instructor (Anatomy and Physiology Instructor)
• Instructor
• Radiology Teacher
• Optometry Professor
• Neurology Teacher
• Urology Teacher
• Gericare Aide Teacher

What Can You Do With a Natural Products Chemistry Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Natural Products Chemistry commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary	10.7%	$46,663	$40,304–$53,022
Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists	8.9%	$111,314	$90,148–$132,479

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Natural Products Chemistry graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	34.9%
Doctoral degree	25.9%
Post-doctoral training	19.6%
Bachelor’s degree	12.1%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	4.2%
Postsecondary certificate	2.6%
Post-master’s certificate	0.6%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Natural Products Chemistry?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 60.8% of Natural Products Chemistry degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	110	60.8%
Men	71	39.2%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Natural Products Chemistry graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	96	53.0%
Asian	8	4.4%
Hispanic or Latino	22	12.2%
Black or African American	40	22.1%
Two or More Races	9	5.0%
Race Unknown	4	2.2%
International Students	2	1.1%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Natural Products Chemistry Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Natural Products Chemistry graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$100,486
4 years	$129,383
5 years	$140,029

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $140,029 — roughly 39% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Natural Products Chemistry Programs

Fully online options are documented by IPEDS for Natural Products Chemistry. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Master’s	2	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Natural Products Chemistry Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Natural Products Chemistry graduates earn a median of $129,383 four years after completion — roughly 240% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration	18,055
Pharmacy	12,167
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration, Other	1,079
Industrial and Physical Pharmacy and Cosmetic Sciences	1,000
Pharmaceutics and Drug Design	603
Clinical and Industrial Drug Development	244
Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry	185
Pharmacoeconomics/Pharmaceutical Economics	150
Pharmacy Administration and Pharmacy Policy and Regulatory Affairs	150
Pharmaceutical Marketing and Management	84
Clinical, Hospital, and Managed Care Pharmacy	20
Pharmaceutical Sciences	—

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.