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University Park, PA · Chemistry & biochem

Chemistry & biochem at Penn State

Penn State graduates about 148 chemistry & biochemistry majors a year, 1% of its graduating class. That puts it 61st of 689 schools we score for chemistry & biochemistry, a standout program at 82 out of 100. Its current catalog lists 74 undergraduate courses in the field, more than 95% of the schools we've counted. Graduates in the major earn a median $73,000 four years out, 1.12× what the same major pays nationally. Research spending in the field runs about $72 million a year, a rough guide to how many labs and projects undergraduates can join.

82/100Standout#61 of 689 for chemistry & biochemistry →
Graduates a year1481% of the class
Courses in the catalog74more than 95% of schools
Median pay 4 years out$73,0001.12× the same major nationally
Research in the field$72Ma year, NSF
Admit rate61%whole school
SAT middle 50%1210–1390whole school

Around Penn State

Davey Laboratory building at the University Park campus of the Pennsylvania Stat
Davey Laboratory Building Penn State UniversityPhoto: JohnDziak · CC0 · source
An artificial waterfall in front of the Osmond Laboratory on the campus of Penns
2025-08-30 10 54 20 An artificial waterfall in front of the Osmond Laboratory onPhoto: Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
The Nursing Sciences building at the University Park campus of Penn State Univer
Nursing Sciences Building at Penn StatePhoto: JohnDziak · CC0 · source
University Park, PA, USA
University Park, PA, USA - panoramio (8)Photo: thomasrive · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source

Where chemistry & biochemistry happens

Buildings on campus that fit the field: Chemical Accumulation Facility 2, Chemical Storage 2, High Pressure Gas Laboratory, Chemical Storage 1, Chemical Accumulation Facility 1, Althouse Laboratory, Wartik Laboratory, Verne M Willaman Gateway to the Sciences, Animal, Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences Building Construction, Radiation Science Engineering Center Storage Building, Millennium Science Complex, Chandlee Laboratory.

Named buildings on the campus map: Academic 279 · Dorm 62 · Student housing 45 · Athletics 13 · Arts 13 · Dining 8.

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Nearby in the chemistry & biochemistry ranking

  1. Amherst College 83
  2. Carleton College 83
  3. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 82
  4. Virginia Tech 82
  5. Rutgers University–New Brunswick 82
  6. Smith College 82
  7. Swarthmore College 82
  8. Stony Brook University–SUNY 81

Other strong majors at Penn State

How the score works

The score is out of 100 and compares Penn State with every school we score in chemistry & biochemistry. It weighs the school's overall strength; how many students graduate in the major and what share of the class they are; research spending in the field (NSF); early pay against the same major nationally; how many courses the catalog lists; and test scores. 80+ is a standout program, 65+ strong, 45+ solid. Sources: US Department of Education (College Scorecard, IPEDS), NSF HERD, each school's current course catalog, OpenStreetMap and Wikimedia Commons.

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