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Bioinformatics developer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a bioinformatics developer. Bioinformatics developers usually study computer science, biostatistics, or biology. 65% of bioinformatics developers hold a bachelor's degree, and 26% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 34 real bioinformatics developer resumes to see exactly what bioinformatics developer education sections show.
The most common colleges for bioinformatics developers are the Texas State University and the Texas State University.
There are also many online bioinformatics developer courses to help get the education required to be a bioinformatics developer.
What education do you need to become a bioinformatics developer?
What degree do you need to be a bioinformatics developer?
- Bachelor's, 65%
- Master's, 26%
- Doctorate, 9%
What should I major in to become a bioinformatics developer?
- Computer Science, 24%
- Biostatistics, 16%
- Biology, 12%
- Chemistry, 8%
- Other Majors, 40%
Most common colleges for bioinformatics developers
| Bioinformatics developer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Texas State University | 11.11% |
| Western Connecticut State University | 5.56% |
| Tacoma Community College | 5.56% |
| New York University | 5.56% |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 5.56% |
Best majors for bioinformatics developers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Computer Science | 24.0% |
| 2 | Biostatistics | 16.0% |
| 3 | Biology | 12.0% |
| 4 | Chemistry | 8.0% |
| 5 | Business | 8.0% |
Best colleges for bioinformatics developers
The best colleges for bioinformatics developers are Northwestern University, Harvard University, and Harvey Mudd College.
A bioinformatics developer 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 developers. 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 developers.
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. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
7. Georgetown University
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$54,104
Enrollment
7,089
8. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
9. University of California - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$13,226
Enrollment
31,568
10. University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$14,184
Enrollment
30,845
20 best online courses for bioinformatics developers
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1. Software Engineering Immersive (Full-time)
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Prepare for a data science career by learning the fundamental data programming tools: R, SQL, command line, and git...
4. Full Stack Web Developer
Design and develop modern web applications.Students will also learn how to deploy a Flask-based web application to the cloud using Docker and Kubernetes...
5. Bioinformatics Capstone: Big Data in Biology
In this course, you will learn how to use the BaseSpace cloud platform developed by Illumina (our industry partner) to apply several standard bioinformatics software approaches to real biological data. In particular, in a series of Application Challenges will see how genome assembly can be used to track the source of a food poisoning outbreak, how RNA-Sequencing can help us analyze gene expression data on the tissue level, and compare the pros and cons of whole genome vs. whole exome sequencing...
6. Plant Bioinformatic Methods
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...
7. Genetics and Next Generation Sequencing for Bioinformatics
For software professionals entering Bioinformatics: DNA sequencing data analysis, NGS, & Biology prerequisites...
8. Learn Bioinformatics From Scratch (Theory & Practical)
Best Bioinformatics course for Students, Academia and Industry Professionals to learn Bioinformatics and biological data...
9. Data Science (Part Time)
Create robust predictive models with statistics and Python programming. Build confidence and credibility to tackle complex machine learning problems on the job. This course is offered in person and live online, in a remote classroom setting...
10. Python Programming (Part Time)
Gain fluency in Python — the world's fastest-growing major programming language — and start leveraging its versatile capabilities to build web and data science applications. This course is offered in person and live online, in a remote classroom setting...
11. Android Kotlin Developer
Master Android app development with Kotlin, a modern programming language that enables developers to be more concise and productive. Build professional apps for the world's most popular mobile platform using Android Studio and Kotlin...
12. Artificial Intelligence for Trading
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13. Plant Bioinformatics Capstone
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. In Plant Bioinformatics on Coursera.org, we covered 33 plant-specific...
14. Access Bioinformatics Databases with Biopython
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...
15. Bioinformatics with Python
A Complete Guide For Beginners...
16. Bioinformatics; Learn Docking & Mol Dynamics Simulation
Best Bioinformatics Course To Learn Advance Bioinformatics Techniques Like Docking & Molecular Dynamics Simulations...
17. Front-End Web Development (Part Time)
Start building responsive websites with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript — a versatile skill set with powerful applications in a variety of design, marketing, and other tech-adjacent roles. This course is offered in person and live online, in a remote classroom setting...
18. JavaScript Development (Part Time)
Gain fluency in JavaScript — the world's most popular programming language — and start leveraging its versatile capabilities to build rich, interactive websites and applications. This course is offered in person and live online, in a remote classroom setting...
19. Data Engineer
Learn to design data models, build data warehouses and data lakes, automate data pipelines, and work with massive datasets...
20. iOS Developer
Master the Swift programming language, and create a portfolio of iOS apps for iPhone and iPad to showcase your skills!...
Top 10 most affordable universities for bioinformatics developers
The most affordable schools for bioinformatics developers are Brigham Young University, university of south florida, and university of north carolina at chapel hill.
If the best universities for bioinformatics developers 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 developers.
1. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
2. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
3. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Cost of attendance
25,527
4. California State University - San Bernardino
San Bernardino, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,922
Cost of attendance
18,522
5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
6. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Arecibo
Arecibo, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$5,872
Cost of attendance
13,476
7. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Bayamon
Bayamon, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$5,940
Cost of attendance
13,508
8. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
9. University of Missouri - Kansas City
Kansas City, MO • Private
In-state tuition
$8,178
Cost of attendance
20,934
10. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,207
Cost of attendance
25,275
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for bioinformatics developers
The hardest universities for bioinformatics developers to get into are Northwestern University, Harvard University, and Harvey Mudd College.
Some great schools for bioinformatics developers 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 developers 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. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
3. Harvey Mudd College
Claremont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
14%
SAT average
1,531
4. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
5. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
6. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
7. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
8. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
7%
SAT average
1,545
9. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
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 developers
The easiest schools for bioinformatics developers to get into are Nyack College, saint martin's university, and oklahoma wesleyan university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a bioinformatics developer 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 developers.
1. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
2. Saint Martin's University
Lacey, WA • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,111
3. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
4. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
5. Linfield College
McMinnville, OR • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
1,117
6. The University of Texas at El Paso
El Paso, TX • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,035
7. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
99%
SAT average
1,008
8. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
9. Washington State University
Pullman, WA • Private
Admissions rate
77%
SAT average
1,123
10. Our Lady of the Lake University
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,002
Average bioinformatics developer salary by education level
| Bioinformatics developer education level | Bioinformatics developer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $92,113 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $85,500 |
| Doctorate Degree | $98,737 |
Bioinformatics developer education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025