Biochemistry Careers & Student Organizations

Where Biochemistry Graduates Work and Study

HPU biochemistry alumni work and study at:

• Q2 Solutions
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration
• University of Wisconsin–Madison
• University of Minnesota
• University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
• University of Rochester
• Virginia Tech
• Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
• Wake Forest School of Medicine
• UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy
• Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine
• Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine
• University of Oklahoma College of Medicine

Biochemistry Salary and Job Outlook

U.S. News & World Report ranks High Point University #1 among Regional Universities in the South for Earnings by Major in Best Colleges 2027, a factor that measures what graduates earn four years after leaving campus.

Across all majors, 99% of High Point University’s Class of 2025 was employed or continuing their education within 180 days of graduation, 13 points above the national average, measured by National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) standards. The Princeton Review ranks HPU #14 for Best Career Services in its 2027 guide.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, biochemists and biophysicists earned a median of $127,410 in May 2025, with 12% projected growth from 2025 to 2035. Medical scientists earned a median of $103,410, with 13% projected growth, and chemists and materials scientists $95,060.

Job Titles Biochemistry Graduates Hold

• Associate Scientist (Q2 Solutions)
• ORISE Post-Baccalaureate Fellow (U.S. Food and Drug Administration)
• Postdoctoral Fellow (Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard)
• Ph.D. Student (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
• Ph.D. Student in Medicinal Chemistry (University of Minnesota)
• Medical Student (University of Oklahoma)

Roles Biochemistry Graduates Can Pursue

• Biochemist or Research Scientist
• Biotechnology or Pharmaceutical Scientist
• Forensic Scientist
• Genetics Researcher
• Physician or Pharmacist, after professional school
• Biochemical Engineer

Biochemistry Graduate Outcomes

Brianna Viering is an associate scientist at Q2 Solutions, and Nicole Giordano, a biochemistry and exercise science double major, became an ORISE post-baccalaureate fellow at the FDA. Mikaela Seemann is a Ph.D. student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Chloe Cox studies medicinal chemistry at the University of Minnesota and Molly Hulver pursued a Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of Rochester. Gabriel Valenzano is earning a master’s in biochemistry at Virginia Tech.

Rebecca Ulrich is a postdoctoral fellow at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and received the American Chemical Society’s Irving S. Sigal Postdoctoral Fellowship. Brea Brown is a postdoctoral researcher at Columbia after a Ph.D. at UNC Chapel Hill.

Medical and Pharmacy School

Grace Parizek attends Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, and Owee Kirpekar attends Wake Forest School of Medicine. Matt Waibel entered Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, Grayson Norris the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine and Laura Fritts the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy.

Biochemistry Internships and Research Placements

Biochemistry students have researched with:

• European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, through a DAAD RISE scholarship (Jake Ankrum)
• Oak Ridge National Laboratory (Owee Kirpekar)
• University of Bath, 10-week research program (Chloe Cox)
• National Institutes of Health
• NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates programs
• HPU faculty labs, including NIH-funded antibiotic resistance research