A Survey of Industrial Organic Chemists: Understanding the Chemical Industry's Needs of Current Bachelor-Level Graduates.

A survey was conducted of companies from the chemical industry with an emphasis on the organic division. The data include results from 377 respondents from more than 100 different companies. More than half of all undergraduates gain fulltime work in the chemical industry or government after graduating with a bachelor's degree in chemistry. This article sheds light on these topics: (i) the current chemical methods, techniques, and instrumentation used in industry; (ii) which attributes or abilities chemical companies desire in newly minted bachelor's-level chemists; and (iii) how the survey data compare to the current focus on academic training in the United States. Industrial viewpoints of chemical safety are also probed. These results provide insight and guidance as to what should be included in the organic laboratory curricula for those students planning on entering industry and government with bachelor's degrees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]