There are many opportunities open to biochemistry majors, including laboratory work in research, clinical, and diagnostic laboratories which can lead to careers in forensic science and toxicology, as well as both research and manufacturing positions in biotechnology. Other possibilities include sales and service representatives for pharmaceutical, medical or laboratory products, positions in governmental agencies, technical editing and publishing, scientific illustration and a variety of management training programs.
The biochemistry major provides a strong foundation for graduate and professional training. Graduate study in areas related to biochemistry can lead to academic faculty appointments, or to academic, governmental or industrial research positions, or to professional degree programs in medicine, dentistry, law, business, engineering and computer science.
Other interdisciplinary graduate fields that attract biochemistry undergraduates include atmospheric and oceanic sciences, bioorganic or organo-metallic chemistry, molecular, cellular and developmental biology and chemical physics.
Career Services offers free services for all CU Boulder degree-seeking students, and alumni up to one year after graduation, to help students discover who they are, what they want to do, and how to get there. They are the bridge between academics and the world of work by discussing major and career exploration, internship or job searching, and graduate school preparation.
According to PayScale Human Capital:
- The median 2019-20 pay for biochemists was $68,000, according to PayScale Human Capital, and
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects:
- That the 2016-2026 job growth for biochemists will be 7 percent, equal to the average for all jobs.

The estimated median salaries,
as reported on Tableau, for Biochemistry graduates for 1 to 5, 6 to 10, and over 11 years out from school.
At CU Boulder, Biochemistry graduates earn more than the nationwide average of comparable majors as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. CU Boulder alumni in this discipline earn an estimated annual salary of $89,404, based on a pool of 572 alumni who graduated between 1989 and 2018. This amount, however, is roughly the same as the average for all CU Boulder graduates with a bachelor's degree, according to a survey by Esmi Alumni Insight of 25,000 alumni who graduated during the same stretch.