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Associate principal scientist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an associate principal scientist. Associate principal scientists usually study chemistry, biology, or biochemistry, biophysics, molecular biology. 56% of associate principal scientists hold a bachelor's degree, and 26% hold an doctoral degree. We analyzed 216 real associate principal scientist resumes to see exactly what associate principal scientist education sections show.

The most common colleges for associate principal scientists are the New York University and the New York University.

There are also many online associate principal scientist courses to help get the education required to be an associate principal scientist.

What education do you need to become an associate principal scientist?

What degree do you need to be an associate principal scientist?

The most common degree for associate principal scientists is bachelor's degree, with 56% of associate principal scientists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are doctoral degree degree at 26% and doctoral degree degree at 16%.
  • Bachelor's, 56%
  • Doctorate, 26%
  • Master's, 16%
  • Associate, 1%
  • Other Degrees, 1%

What should I major in to become an associate principal scientist?

You should major in chemistry to become an associate principal scientist. 36% of associate principal scientists major in chemistry. Other common majors for an associate principal scientist include biology and biochemistry, biophysics, molecular biology.

Most common colleges for associate principal scientists

Associate principal scientists often get their degrees at New York University, Pennsylvania State University, and Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Here are the most common colleges for associate principal scientists in the US based on their resumes.
Associate principal scientist common collegePercentages
New York University9.62%
Pennsylvania State University9.62%
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey9.62%
Wayne State University5.77%
Michigan State University5.77%

Best majors for associate principal scientists

Best colleges for associate principal scientists

The best colleges for associate principal scientists are Harvard University, Duke University, and Columbia University in the City of New York.

An associate principal scientist with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for associate principal scientists. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become associate principal scientists.

1. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

2. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

3. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

4. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

5. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

6. University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$13,226

Enrollment

31,568

7. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

8. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

In-state tuition

$53,430

Enrollment

5,963

9. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

10. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

In-state tuition

$49,816

Enrollment

6,840

20 best online courses for associate principal scientists

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1. Drug Development Product Management

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The University of California San Diego, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Drug Development course brings you lectures from both faculty and industry experts. With this course, recorded on campus at UCSD, we seek to share our access to top people in the field who bring an unprecedented range of expertise on drug development. In this course you will learn the different stages of clinical development as well as the regulatory including but not limited to, an Investigational New...

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5. Chemical Biology

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Chemical biology is a burgeoning field that has rapidly risen to prominence. This surge of interest has been fuelled by chemical biology’s applicability to understanding critical processes in live cells or model organisms in real time. This success has arisen because chemical biology straddles a nexus between chemistry, biology, and physics. Thus, chemical biology can harness rapid chemistry to observe or perturb biological processes, that are in turn reported using physical assays, all in an...

6. Mastering Software Development in R

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R is a programming language and a free software environment for statistical computing and graphics, widely used by data analysts, data scientists and statisticians. This Specialization covers R software development for building data science tools. As the field of data science evolves, it has become clear that software development skills are essential for producing and scaling useful data science results and products.\n\nThis Specialization will give you rigorous training in the R language,...

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10. Tencent Cloud Developer Associate

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This course equips learners with a foundational knowledge in cloud application development and prepares them to take the Tencent Cloud Developer Associate examination. After completing this course, learners will be able to reconstruct and migrate traditional applications to the cloud and design and develop cloud native applications and distributed microservices using Tencent Cloud...

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20. Essential Non Technical Skills of Effective Data Scientists

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Top 10 most affordable universities for associate principal scientists

The most affordable schools for associate principal scientists are University of Florida, hunter college of the city university of new york, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for associate principal scientists are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for associate principal scientists.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

5. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

6. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

7. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

8. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

9. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

10. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Cost of attendance

25,527

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for associate principal scientists

The hardest universities for associate principal scientists to get into are Harvard University, Duke University, and Columbia University in the City of New York.

Some great schools for associate principal scientists are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for associate principal scientists based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

2. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,516

3. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

4. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

5. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,517

6. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

7. University of Chicago

Chicago, IL • Private

Admissions rate

7%

SAT average

1,520

8. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

9. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

10. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for associate principal scientists

The easiest schools for associate principal scientists to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, d'youville college, and barry university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an associate principal scientist without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for associate principal scientists.

1. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

2. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

3. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

4. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

5. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

6. The University of Texas at El Paso

El Paso, TX • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,035

7. San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,054

8. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

9. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

10. University of Houston - Downtown

Houston, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,012

Average associate principal scientist salary by education level

Associate principal scientists with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $114,395 annually. With a Master's degree, associate principal scientists earn a median annual income of $108,917 compared to $106,784 for associate principal scientists with an Bachelor's degree.
Associate principal scientist education levelAssociate principal scientist salary
Master's Degree$108,917
Bachelor's Degree$106,784
Doctorate Degree$114,395

Associate principal scientist education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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