Chemist

BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: Applicants must meet A or B below to satisfy the basic education requirement for Chemist, all grade levels.

A. Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree in physical sciences, life sciences, or engineering that included 30 semester hours in chemistry, supplemented by course work in mathematics through differential and integral calculus, and at least 6 semester hours or the equivalent in physics. **OR B. A combination of education and experience-course work equivalent to a major as shown in "A" above (24 semester hours or the equivalent in physical sciences, life sciences, or engineering), including at least 30 semester hours or the equivalent in chemistry, supplemented by mathematics through differential and integral calculus, and at least 6 semester hours or the equivalent of physics, plus appropriate experience and/or additional education for a total of 4 years. The education or combined education and experience must be comparable in type, scope and thoroughness to that acquired through successful completion of a 4-year course of study as described in "A" above. (CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS ON HOW TO COMBINE EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE)

For GS-7:

In addition to the basic education requirement as stated above, applicants must meet one of the following to qualify for the GS-7 level:

**One (1) year of successfully completed graduate level education (18 semester hours, 27 quarter hours or the equivalent) in chemistry or other directly related field of study if it provided the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to do the work of the position to be filled.

**OR Superior Academic Achievement based on undergraduate study. (CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON SUPERIOR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT)

**OR one year of appropriate professional experience that is in or related to the duties of the position to be filled is qualifying if it is equivalent in level of difficulty and responsibility to at least the GS-5 level in the Federal service, and if it equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position the position.

Examples of GS-5 level experience could include performing and conducting limited chemical analysis, tests and physical measurements and performing calculations such as determining the concentration or the amount of a substance of a total sample based on analysis of a known portion of the sample.

**OR a combination of successfully completed graduate level education, as described above, and professional experience, as described above. (CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS ON HOW TO COMBINE GRADUATE EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE)

For GS-09:

In addition to the basic education requirement stated above, applicants must meet one of the following to qualify for the GS-09 level:

**Two (2) years of progressively higher level graduate education (36 semester hours or 54 quarter hours) leading to a master's degree in chemistry or other directly related field of study or master's or equivalent graduate degree in chemistry or other directly related field of study if it provided the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to do the work of this position.

**OR one year of appropriate professional experience in chemistry that is equivalent to at least the GS-07 level in the Federal service. Examples of such experience may include performing relatively routine and limited chemical analyses and tests. This work experience would have involved following established methods and procedures, or detailed instructions; using some judgment in applying basic principles and procedures, and would have required a good general working knowledge of the principles and the theories of chemistry.

**OR a combination of successfully completed progressive graduate level education as described above that is beyond the first year of graduate study and professional experience, as described above. (CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS ON HOW TO COMBINE GRADUATE EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE)