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Lecturer, Chemistry

Education

Teach courses pertaining to the chemical and physical properties and compositional changes of substances. Work may include providing instruction in the methods of qualitative and quantitative chemical analysis. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching, and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

EducationScience

Picture the job

Where you'd usually workA lecture hall

  • Mostly indoors
  • Sitting for most of the day
  • Rarely dealing with the public
  • Regular working hours

An illustration of a typical workplace, not a photo. The work-style notes come from US O*NET data, so read them as a guide.

In Malaysia

Chemistry lecturers in Malaysia work in university science faculties, polytechnics (for applied and industrial chemistry diplomas) and pre-university programmes such as Matriculation and Asasi. Many keep links with industry in petrochemicals, palm oleochemicals and electronics.

How people get into it here
SPM → STPM/Matriculation/Foundation/Diploma → Bachelor's in Chemistry or Industrial/Applied Chemistry → Master's (minimum for a DS11 public-university post) → PhD (strongly preferred; needed for Senior Lecturer and above)

Sources:pengambilancns.uitm.edu.myperlis.uitm.edu.myappsmu.ukm.myspp.gov.my

Pay in Malaysia

Government starting pay

RM3,320 – RM3,650

per month

Senior grade

RM6,210 – RM14,370

per month

Official basic pay for the government grade, before allowances. Private-sector pay can differ.

UiTM academic job advertisement (Pensyarah Universiti DS11/DS13, SSPA) · Dec 2025

How far is this from you?

Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.

  1. 1

    Entry straight after SPM

  2. 2

    SPM + sijil / short TVET course

  3. 3

    Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)

  4. 4

    Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)

  5. Typical entry

    Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route

Typical educationMaster's degree

Quick answers

How do you become a Lecturer, Chemistry in Malaysia?

SPM → STPM/Matriculation/Foundation/Diploma → Bachelor's in Chemistry or Industrial/Applied Chemistry → Master's (minimum for a DS11 public-university post) → PhD (strongly preferred; needed for Senior Lecturer and above). Optional registration with Institut Kimia Malaysia (IKM) — registration is required to practise as a chemist under the Chemists Act 1975, but not to lecture is available.

What should I study to become a Lecturer, Chemistry?

Related fields of study: Education and Science. SPM subjects that help most: Chemistry, English, Additional Mathematics and Mathematics.

How much does a Lecturer, Chemistry earn in Malaysia?

The official pay scale put starting pay at RM3,320 – RM3,650 a month, and RM6,210 – RM14,370 with experience (source: UiTM academic job advertisement (Pensyarah Universiti DS11/DS13, SSPA), Dec 2025).

What you'd do all day

The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.

  1. 1Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as organic chemistry, analytical chemistry, and chemical separation.
  2. 2Establish, teach, and monitor students' compliance with safety rules for handling chemicals, equipment, and other hazardous materials.
  3. 3Evaluate and grade students' class work, laboratory performance, assignments, and papers.
  4. 4Supervise students' laboratory work.
  5. 5Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.
  6. 6Supervise undergraduate or graduate teaching, internship, and research work.
  7. 7Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
  8. 8Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
  9. 9Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, and course materials and methods of instruction.
  10. 10Maintain regularly scheduled office hours to advise and assist students.
  11. 11Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media.
  12. 12Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
  13. 13Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.
  14. 14Advise students on academic and vocational curricula and on career issues.
  15. 15Write grant proposals to procure external research funding.
  16. 16Select, order, and maintain materials and supplies for teaching and research, such as textbooks, chemicals, and laboratory equipment.
  17. 17Perform administrative duties, such as serving as a department head.
  18. 18Collaborate with colleagues to address teaching and research issues.
  19. 19Write letters of recommendation for students.
  20. 20Prepare and submit required reports related to instruction.
  21. 21Serve on academic or administrative committees that deal with institutional policies, departmental matters, and academic issues.
  22. 22Clean laboratory facilities.
  23. 23Participate in student recruitment, registration, and placement activities.
  24. 24Serve on committees or in professional societies.
  25. 25Participate in campus and community events.
  26. 26Act as advisers to student organizations.
  27. 27Compile bibliographies of specialized materials for outside reading assignments.
  28. 28Provide professional consulting services to government or industry.

Also known as

What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.

  • Lecturer
  • Professor
  • Instructor
  • Chemical Educator
  • College Professor
  • Adjunct Instructor
  • Assistant Professor
  • Associate Professor
  • Chemistry Professor
  • Chemistry Instructor

Subjects that matter here

The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.

ChemistryDraws directly on Chemistry — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
EnglishDraws directly on English Language — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Additional MathematicsDraws directly on Mathematics — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
MathematicsDraws directly on Mathematics — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
BiologyDraws directly on Biology — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).

What you'd need to know

The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.

  • Chemistry95%

    Chemistry

  • English Language91%

    English

  • Mathematics91%

    Additional MathematicsMathematics

  • Education and Training90%
  • Biology72%

    BiologyAdditional Science

  • Physics68%

    Physics

Tools you'd use

Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.

Where to learn these, free

Scholarships & funding

What the work feels like

Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.

  • Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
  • Contact with other peopleConstant contact
  • Dealing with customers or the publicA little
  • Leading or coordinating othersVery high
  • Handling conflict situationsOften
  • Indoors, air-conditionedEvery day
  • Outdoors, in all weatherAlmost never
  • Noisy environmentAlmost never

AI and demand for this job

A few real, dated data points, not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.

24%

Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)

This estimate is from 2023, already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.

0.00%

Of Malaysian Claude conversations, about this kind of work

Measures how much people use Claude for this work, not how many Malaysians do this job, and more AI use can mean people relying on it, not that it's replacing them.

What beginner adverts asked for

We read 8 internship and fresh-graduate adverts in related fields (August 2026). A small sample from one job site, not every vacancy.

5 of 8 were internships

Minimum CGPA asked

3.00 to 3.00

Stated in 2 adverts. Others did not state one.

Languages named

Bahasa Malaysia

An empty line means the adverts did not say, not that employers have no requirement. Check each employer's own advert before you plan around it.

Related careers

If this interests you, these are worth a look too.

About this information

This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.

O*NET occupation: Chemistry Teachers, Postsecondary

Source: UiTM academic job advertisement (Pensyarah Universiti DS11/DS13, SSPA) · as of Dec 2025

Check the salary figures yourself:UiTM academic job advertisement (Pensyarah Universiti DS11/DS13, SSPA)

Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org