Chemical Technology
How diverse is the Chemical Technology program? Train to work as an analytical technician for multiple industries including pharmaceutical, environmental, forensics, food/beverage, quality control, cosmetics, chemical production, or research and development. In just five semesters, you are qualified to work for local laboratories or major Fortune 500 companies across the nation.
Students can also use the degree to propel themselves into a four-year college or university where they will enter as juniors in a B.S. Chemistry program. Many students will choose this alternative in comparison to traditional transfer chemistry courses. A two-year chemical technology degree qualifies an individual to work in a laboratory setting whereas two years of courses in a traditional B.S. curriculum do not provide this opportunity.
The Chemical Technology program offers both a two-year Associate program and a diploma. Students in this program go through an intensive curriculum to train as analytical technicians for multiple industries. Unique to North Carolina, the program focuses on equipment and instrumentation commonly found in a laboratory setting including spectrometry (UV-Vis, IR, AA, MS, NMR) and chromatography (GC, HPLC, HPTLC, IC). No course prerequisites are required.
Graduates should qualify as entry-level chemical laboratory technicians or chemists. Their duties may include chemical solution preparation, raw material, product, or environmental sampling, and/or sample testing via wet chemistry or instrumental techniques.
Graduates have always enjoyed a high rate of employment in the laboratories of companies involved in chemical production, pharmaceutical production and testing, food additive production and testing, and environmental monitoring.
Student Success Stories
- Maggie Vaughan: Rediscovering Her Love of Science
- A Q&A with Chem Tech Grad: Kevin Orellana
- Seresa McDowell: A Research Assistant (GSAS Research Scholar)
- Austin Powell: My Chem-Tech Experience
