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Bioinformatics engineer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a bioinformatics engineer. Bioinformatics engineers usually study biostatistics, computer science, or biology. 47% of bioinformatics engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 27% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 54 real bioinformatics engineer resumes to see exactly what bioinformatics engineer education sections show.
The most common colleges for bioinformatics engineers are the University of Cincinnati and the University of Cincinnati.
There are also many online bioinformatics engineer courses to help get the education required to be a bioinformatics engineer.
What education do you need to become a bioinformatics engineer?
What degree do you need to be a bioinformatics engineer?
- Bachelor's, 47%
- Master's, 27%
- Doctorate, 20%
- Associate, 4%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a bioinformatics engineer?
- Biostatistics, 33%
- Computer Science, 13%
- Biology, 8%
- Pharmacy, 6%
- Other Majors, 40%
Most common colleges for bioinformatics engineers
| Bioinformatics engineer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Cincinnati | 12.50% |
| University of California, Santa Barbara | 8.33% |
| University of California - Davis | 8.33% |
| University of the Sciences | 4.17% |
| University of Washington | 4.17% |
Best majors for bioinformatics engineers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Biostatistics | 33.3% |
| 2 | Computer Science | 12.5% |
| 3 | Biology | 8.3% |
| 4 | Pharmacy | 6.3% |
| 5 | Electrical Engineering | 4.2% |
Best colleges for bioinformatics engineers
The best colleges for bioinformatics engineers are Harvard University, Northwestern University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
A bioinformatics engineer 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 engineers. 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 engineers.
1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,832
Enrollment
4,550
2. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
4. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$12,424
Enrollment
15,201
5. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
6. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
7. University of California - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$13,226
Enrollment
31,568
8. University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$14,184
Enrollment
30,845
9. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
10. Brown University
Providence, RI • Private
In-state tuition
$55,466
Enrollment
6,752
20 best online courses for bioinformatics engineers
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Prepare for a data science career by learning the fundamental data programming tools: R, SQL, command line, and git...
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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. Whole genome sequencing of bacterial genomes - tools and applications
This course will cover the topic of Whole genome sequencing (WGS) of bacterial genomes which is becoming more and more relevant for the medical sector. WGS technology and applications are high on international political agenda, as the classical methods are being replaced by WGS technology and therefore bioinformatic tools are extremely important for allowing the people working in this sector to be able to analyze the data and obtain results that can be interpreted and used for different...
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
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8. Bioinformatics with Python
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Top 10 most affordable universities for bioinformatics engineers
The most affordable schools for bioinformatics engineers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and brigham young university.
If the best universities for bioinformatics engineers 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 engineers.
1. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
2. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
3. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
4. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
5. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Socorro, NM • Private
In-state tuition
$7,770
Cost of attendance
21,244
6. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
7. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Cost of attendance
25,527
8. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Mayaguez, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$4,094
Cost of attendance
14,302
9. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
10. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for bioinformatics engineers
The hardest universities for bioinformatics engineers to get into are Harvard University, Northwestern University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Some great schools for bioinformatics engineers 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 engineers 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. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
7%
SAT average
1,545
4. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
5. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
6. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
7. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
8. Brown University
Providence, RI • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
9. University of Chicago
Chicago, IL • Private
Admissions rate
7%
SAT average
1,520
10. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for bioinformatics engineers
The easiest schools for bioinformatics engineers to get into are Barry University, nyack college, and oklahoma wesleyan university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a bioinformatics engineer 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 engineers.
1. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
2. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
3. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
4. The University of Texas at El Paso
El Paso, TX • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,035
5. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
99%
SAT average
1,008
6. Sonoma State University
Rohnert Park, CA • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
1,072
7. Saint Martin's University
Lacey, WA • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,111
8. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,054
9. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
10. Our Lady of the Lake University
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,002
Average bioinformatics engineer salary by education level
| Bioinformatics engineer education level | Bioinformatics engineer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $112,864 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $102,189 |
| Doctorate Degree | $123,819 |
Bioinformatics engineer education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025