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Bioinformatics computer scientist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a bioinformatics computer scientist. Bioinformatics computer scientists usually study health/medical preparatory programs, chemistry, or physics. 60% of bioinformatics computer scientists hold a bachelor's degree, and 40% hold an doctoral degree. We analyzed 6 real bioinformatics computer scientist resumes to see exactly what bioinformatics computer scientist education sections show.

The most common colleges for bioinformatics computer scientists are the Cornell University and the Cornell University.

There are also many online bioinformatics computer scientist courses to help get the education required to be a bioinformatics computer scientist.

What education do you need to become a bioinformatics computer scientist?

What degree do you need to be a bioinformatics computer scientist?

  • Bachelor's, 60%
  • Doctorate, 40%

What should I major in to become a bioinformatics computer scientist?

You should major in health/medical preparatory programs to become a bioinformatics computer scientist. 25% of bioinformatics computer scientists major in health/medical preparatory programs. Other common majors for a bioinformatics computer scientist include chemistry and physics.

Most common colleges for bioinformatics computer scientists

Bioinformatics computer scientists often get their degrees at Cornell University, Jackson State University, and University of Arizona. Here are the most common colleges for bioinformatics computer scientists in the US based on their resumes.
Bioinformatics computer scientist common collegePercentages
Cornell University25.00%
Jackson State University25.00%
University of Arizona25.00%
Massachusetts Institute of Technology25.00%

Best majors for bioinformatics computer scientists

RankMajorPercentages
1Health/Medical Preparatory Programs25.0%
2Chemistry25.0%
3Physics25.0%
4Mathematics25.0%

Best colleges for bioinformatics computer scientists

The best colleges for bioinformatics computer scientists are Northwestern University, Vanderbilt University, and Harvard University.

A bioinformatics computer 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 bioinformatics computer 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 bioinformatics computer scientists.

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,832

Enrollment

4,550

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 Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

5. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$12,424

Enrollment

15,201

6. Princeton University

Princeton, NJ • Private

In-state tuition

$50,340

Enrollment

5,301

7. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

8. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

9. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

In-state tuition

$53,430

Enrollment

5,963

10. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

20 best online courses for bioinformatics computer scientists

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4. Intro to Machine Learning with PyTorch

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Learn foundational machine learning techniques -- from data manipulation to unsupervised and supervised algorithms...

5. Plant Bioinformatic Methods

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The past 15 years have been exciting ones in plant biology. Hundreds of plant genomes have been sequenced, RNA-seq has enabled transcriptome-wide expression profiling, and a proliferation of "-seq"-based methods has permitted protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions to be determined cheaply and in a high-throughput manner. These data sets in turn allow us to generate hypotheses at the click of a mouse or tap of a finger.The Plant Bioinformatics Specialization on Coursera introduces core...

6. Access Bioinformatics Databases with Biopython

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In this 1-hour long project-based course, you will learn how to access, parse, and visualize data from various bioinformatics sequence and structural online databases such as ENTREZ, PDB, KEGG and NCBI using Biopython. You will also interact with various bioinformatics file formats such as FASTA, PDB, GENBANK and XML along with various parsers to read and modify these files using Biopython. Note: This course works best for learners who are based in the North America region. We’re currently...

7. Genetics and Next Generation Sequencing for Bioinformatics

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9. Python Programming (Part Time)

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10. Intro to Coding

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13. Bioinformatics

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14. Plant Bioinformatics Capstone

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15. Bioinformatics with Python

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A Complete Guide For Beginners...

16. Bioinformatics; Learn Docking & Mol Dynamics Simulation

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17. Intro to Data Science

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19. Artificial Intelligence

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20. Bioinformatics Capstone: Big Data in Biology

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Top 10 most affordable universities for bioinformatics computer scientists

The most affordable schools for bioinformatics computer scientists are Brigham Young University, inter american university of puerto rico arecibo, and inter american university of puerto rico bayamon.

If the best universities for bioinformatics computer 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 bioinformatics computer scientists.

1. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

2. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Arecibo

Arecibo, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$5,872

Cost of attendance

13,476

3. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Bayamon

Bayamon, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$5,940

Cost of attendance

13,508

4. Augusta University

Augusta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$8,604

Cost of attendance

20,618

5. University of Colorado Denver

Denver, CO • Private

In-state tuition

$9,283

Cost of attendance

22,243

6. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

7. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

8. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

9. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Cost of attendance

25,527

10. SUNY at Buffalo

Buffalo, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,099

Cost of attendance

24,568

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for bioinformatics computer scientists

The hardest universities for bioinformatics computer scientists to get into are Northwestern University, Vanderbilt University, and Harvard University.

Some great schools for bioinformatics computer 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 bioinformatics computer 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. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

2. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

3. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

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. Princeton University

Princeton, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,503

7. Harvey Mudd College

Claremont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

14%

SAT average

1,531

8. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,516

9. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

10. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for bioinformatics computer scientists

The easiest schools for bioinformatics computer scientists to get into are Augusta University, rutgers, the state university of new jersey - camden, and our lady of the lake university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a bioinformatics computer 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 bioinformatics computer scientists.

1. Augusta University

Augusta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

80%

SAT average

1,172

2. Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey - Camden

Camden, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,086

3. Our Lady of the Lake University

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,002

4. University of Colorado Denver

Denver, CO • Private

Admissions rate

64%

SAT average

1,132

5. Saint Vincent College and Seminary

Latrobe, PA • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

1,126

6. King University

Bristol, TN • Private

Admissions rate

58%

SAT average

1,094

7. Nova Southeastern University

Fort Lauderdale, FL • Private

Admissions rate

79%

SAT average

1,196

8. Mississippi Valley State University

Itta Bena, MS • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

945

9. Brigham Young University - Idaho

Rexburg, ID • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,140

10. Washington State University

Pullman, WA • Private

Admissions rate

77%

SAT average

1,123

Average bioinformatics computer scientist salary by education level

According to our data, bioinformatics computer scientists with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $60,632 annually. Bioinformatics computer scientists with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $51,790.
Bioinformatics computer scientist education levelBioinformatics computer scientist salary
Master's Degree$60,632
Bachelor's Degree$51,790

Bioinformatics computer 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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