The 2015 Starting Salaries of Chemists and Chemical Engineers Survey (also known as the New Graduates Survey) is officially out. Conducted by the American Chemical Society, the survey reports on the median salary, employment status and degree advancement for recent graduates at all degree levels.
Overall, new graduates “continue to face high unemployment and flat salaries,” according to a summary of the survey published in Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN). Although the unemployment rate decreased from 13.2% in 2014 to 12.3% in 2015, it far exceeds the overall unemployment rate of 3.1% for all chemists. Despite this, the median salary rose from $40,000 in 2014 to $41,000 in 2015.
Based on the report, C&EN created charts that “highlight data from 1,542 bachelor’s degree awardees because they made up the vast majority of respondents.”
Below are two charts that were presented. In the comments section, tell us what you think about these survey results.
Download the 2015 Starting Salaries of Chemists and Chemical Engineers Survey.