Chemistry at Lewis & Clark College

Lewis & Clark's chemistry program carries estimated debt of $22,750 against first-year earnings around $41,800—figures drawn from the handful of chemistry programs in Oregon that report outcomes. That debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.54 suggests graduates could realistically pay down their loans within a few years if they manage expenses carefully, though the small sample of comparable programs in Oregon means these estimates come with real uncertainty.

The estimated earnings align almost perfectly with both the state and national medians for chemistry bachelor's degrees, which typically hover around $42,000. That consistency across benchmarks is reassuring—it suggests chemistry graduates in Oregon earn what chemistry graduates earn elsewhere, regardless of which school they attend. Oregon State, the state's flagship science university, reports identical first-year earnings, indicating that Lewis & Clark's smaller liberal arts environment doesn't appear to handicap chemistry graduates in the job market.

The challenge is that with only three Oregon chemistry programs providing enough data to create these estimates, you're making a significant financial commitment based on limited information. The debt load is manageable if the earnings materialize, but you're essentially betting that Lewis & Clark's outcomes mirror those of its state peers. If hands-on lab experience and faculty mentorship matter more to your child than having concrete data, this could work. If you need certainty about return on investment, the data gaps here are real.