LAUSR

Most recent graduates with bachelor degrees in chemistry in the USA go on to careers in industry [1], and more than half of those with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) doctorates find employment outside academia [2]. Yet, fewer than half of US STEM doctoral institutions have programs that explicitly prepare students for nonacademic careers [2]. The situation is similar in Canada, where 44% of first-year students stated that their most important reason for attending university was to prepare for a specific job or career [3], but only 25% of Canadian seniors felt they knew their career options very well [4]. More concerning, most of their career information had been acquired anecdotally—from talking to their friends or parents [4]. Only 38% of seniors felt their university had contributed significantly to their knowledge of career options [4]. The American Chemical Society (ACS) has recognized the need for career development. Its guidelines for departmental approval state [5]: BIn order to prepare students to enter the workforce or postgraduate education, programs must provide experiences that go beyond chemistry content knowledge to develop competence in other critical skills necessary for a professional chemist.^ This article describes a career course developed at the University of Alberta to provide students with easy-to-access information about career options and professional development. The career course complements an early-opportunity research course and is preparatory for our science internship program [6].