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Associate scientist, research and development education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an associate scientist, research and development. Associate scientists, research and development usually study chemistry, biology, or biochemistry, biophysics, molecular biology. 71% of associate scientists, research and development hold a bachelor's degree, and 23% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 225 real associate scientist, research and development resumes to see exactly what associate scientist, research and development education sections show.

The most common colleges for associate scientists, research and development are the Texas Tech University and the Texas Tech University.

There are also many online associate scientist, research and development courses to help get the education required to be an associate scientist, research and development.

What education do you need to become an associate scientist, research and development?

What degree do you need to be an associate scientist, research and development?

The most common degree for associate scientists, research and development is bachelor's degree, with 71% of associate scientists, research and development earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 23% and master's degree degree at 3%.
  • Bachelor's, 71%
  • Master's, 23%
  • Doctorate, 3%
  • Associate, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 1%

What should I major in to become an associate scientist, research and development?

You should major in chemistry to become an associate scientist, research and development. 29% of associate scientists, research and development major in chemistry. Other common majors for an associate scientist, research and development include biology and biochemistry, biophysics, molecular biology.

Most common colleges for associate scientists, research and development

Associate scientists, research and development often get their degrees at Texas Tech University, University of California - Davis, and University of California, Santa Barbara. Here are the most common colleges for associate scientists, research and development in the US based on their resumes.
Associate scientist, research and development common collegePercentages
Texas Tech University18.97%
University of California - Davis8.62%
University of California, Santa Barbara6.90%
University of Connecticut5.17%
University of Massachusetts Amherst5.17%

Best majors for associate scientists, research and development

Best colleges for associate scientists, research and development

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

An associate scientist, research and development 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 scientists, research and development. 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 scientists, research and development.

1. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

2. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

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. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

7. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

In-state tuition

$49,816

Enrollment

6,840

8. University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$13,226

Enrollment

31,568

9. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

10. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

20 best online courses for associate scientists, research and development

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1. Drug Development Product Management

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2. Drug Development

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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. New Product Development For Small Businesses and Start-Ups

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In this 1 hr 40 mins long project-based course, you will learn about the process of developing a new product for start-up companies, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). You will learn about idea generation and the evaluation processes in product development by using an idea generation model and online resources like Google Trends and Amazon. You will use methods to evaluate your product concept through market segmentation, growth potential, and the competition to your product. You...

6. Market Research

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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,...

10. Strategic Product Development

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This course discusses how companies create new products that customers want while achieving their financial objectives. Learners begin by defining the product strategies necessary to ensure a company’s long-term growth. Learners then explore the different product development processes used by high-tech businesses today, such as Stage-Gate and Lean/Agile techniques. Learners conclude by illustrating the tools to build the high-performance teams that take the development process from concept...

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By the end of this project, you will be fluent in identifying and creating Empathy Maps based on persona for new products and services and in deriving opportunities from your analysis, thus generating positive results for your business venture. This project is designed to engage and harness your visionary and exploratory abilities. You will use proven models in strategy and product development with the Miro platform to explore and analyze customer data combined with the development of Empathy...

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Top 10 most affordable universities for associate scientists, research and development

The most affordable schools for associate scientists, research and development 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 scientists, research and development 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 scientists, research and development.

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. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

5. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

6. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

7. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

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 scientists, research and development

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

Some great schools for associate scientists, research and development 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 scientists, research and development 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. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

5. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

6. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

7. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,517

8. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

9. University of Chicago

Chicago, IL • Private

Admissions rate

7%

SAT average

1,520

10. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for associate scientists, research and development

The easiest schools for associate scientists, research and development 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 scientist, research and development 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 scientists, research and development.

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. Our Lady of the Lake University

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,002

Average associate scientist, research and development salary by education level

According to our data, associate scientists, research and development with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $83,998 annually. Associate scientists, research and development with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $80,294.
Associate scientist, research and development education levelAssociate scientist, research and development salary
Master's Degree$80,294
Bachelor's Degree$78,849
Doctorate Degree$83,998

Associate scientist, research and development 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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