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Bioinformatics scientist education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a bioinformatics scientist. Bioinformatics scientists usually study biostatistics, biochemistry, biophysics, molecular biology, or computer science. 43% of bioinformatics scientists hold a bachelor's degree, and 31% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 162 real bioinformatics scientist resumes to see exactly what bioinformatics scientist education sections show.
The most common colleges for bioinformatics scientists are the Carnegie Mellon University and the Carnegie Mellon University.
There are also many online bioinformatics scientist courses to help get the education required to be a bioinformatics scientist.
What education do you need to become a bioinformatics scientist?
What degree do you need to be a bioinformatics scientist?
- Bachelor's, 43%
- Master's, 31%
- Doctorate, 24%
- Associate, 1%
- Other Degrees, 1%
What should I major in to become a bioinformatics scientist?
- Biostatistics, 17%
- Computer Science, 13%
- Biology, 11%
- Other Majors, 44%
Most common colleges for bioinformatics scientists
| Bioinformatics scientist common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Carnegie Mellon University | 17.07% |
| University of California, Santa Barbara | 12.20% |
| University of California - Davis | 9.76% |
| University of Wisconsin Colleges | 4.88% |
| University of Washington | 4.88% |
Best majors for bioinformatics scientists
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Biostatistics | 16.8% |
| 2 | Biochemistry, Biophysics, Molecular Biology | 15.1% |
| 3 | Computer Science | 13.4% |
| 4 | Biology | 10.9% |
| 5 | Genetics | 7.6% |
Best colleges for bioinformatics scientists
The best colleges for bioinformatics scientists are Harvard University, Duke University, and Columbia University in the City of New York.
A bioinformatics 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 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 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. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
5. University of California - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$13,226
Enrollment
31,568
6. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
7. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
8. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
In-state tuition
$49,816
Enrollment
6,840
9. University of California, Irvine
Irvine, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$13,700
Enrollment
29,722
10. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
20 best online courses for bioinformatics scientists
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2. 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...
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4. Genetics and Next Generation Sequencing for Bioinformatics
For software professionals entering Bioinformatics: DNA sequencing data analysis, NGS, & Biology prerequisites...
5. Plant Bioinformatics
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. For instance, knowing where and when a gene is expressed can help us narrow down the...
6. 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...
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Join Us in a Top 50 MOOC of All Time!\n\nHow do we sequence and compare genomes? How do we identify the genetic basis for disease? How do we construct an evolutionary Tree of Life for all species on Earth?\n\nWhen you complete this Specialization, you will learn how to answer many questions in modern biology that have become inseparable from the computational approaches used to solve them. You will also obtain a toolkit of existing software resources built on these computational approaches and...
10. 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...
11. Bioinformatics; Learn Docking & Mol Dynamics Simulation
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12. Practical SQL Bootcamp for Data Analysts and Data Scientists
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14. Technical Analysis with Python for Algorithmic Trading
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15. SQL for Data Analysis - with SQL Server
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16. SQL Course 2023: SQL for Data Analysis and Data Science.
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17. Algorithmic Trading & Time Series Analysis in Python and R
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18. Applied Statistical Modeling for Data Analysis in R
Your Complete Guide to Statistical Data Analysis and Visualization For Practical Applications in R...
19. SQL Masterclass for Data Analysis with BigData
Master SQL queries and Become an In-demand SQL Professional. Also included - Data Analysis of Big Data with Big Query...
20. Essential Non Technical Skills of Effective Data Scientists
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Top 10 most affordable universities for bioinformatics scientists
The most affordable schools for bioinformatics 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 bioinformatics 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 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. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
5. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
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. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
9. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
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 bioinformatics scientists
The hardest universities for bioinformatics scientists to get into are Harvard University, Duke University, and Columbia University in the City of New York.
Some great schools for bioinformatics 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 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. University of Chicago
Chicago, IL • Private
Admissions rate
7%
SAT average
1,520
5. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
6. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
7. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
8. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
9. Yale University
New Haven, CT • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,517
10. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for bioinformatics scientists
The easiest schools for bioinformatics 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 a bioinformatics 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 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. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
5. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
6. The University of Texas at El Paso
El Paso, TX • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,035
7. Curry College
Milton, MA • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,026
8. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,054
9. Marymount University
Arlington, VA • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,065
10. Life University
Marietta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
94%
SAT average
979
Average bioinformatics scientist salary by education level
| Bioinformatics scientist education level | Bioinformatics scientist salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $88,856 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $87,168 |
| Doctorate Degree | $93,187 |
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025