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Bioinformatics software engineer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a bioinformatics software engineer. Bioinformatics software engineers usually study biostatistics, computer science, or biology. 64% of bioinformatics software engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 28% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 31 real bioinformatics software engineer resumes to see exactly what bioinformatics software engineer education sections show.
The most common colleges for bioinformatics software engineers are the University of California, Berkeley and the University of California, Berkeley.
There are also many online bioinformatics software engineer courses to help get the education required to be a bioinformatics software engineer.
What education do you need to become a bioinformatics software engineer?
What degree do you need to be a bioinformatics software engineer?
- Bachelor's, 64%
- Master's, 28%
- Diploma, 4%
- Doctorate, 4%
What should I major in to become a bioinformatics software engineer?
- Biostatistics, 14%
- Computer Science, 11%
- Biology, 7%
- Other Majors, 61%
Most common colleges for bioinformatics software engineers
| Bioinformatics software engineer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of California, Berkeley | 18.75% |
| Indiana Institute of Technology | 6.25% |
| University of Houston | 6.25% |
| Humboldt State University | 6.25% |
| Remington College | 6.25% |
Best majors for bioinformatics software engineers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Biostatistics | 14.3% |
| 2 | Computer Science | 10.7% |
| 3 | Biology | 7.1% |
| 4 | Information Systems | 7.1% |
| 5 | Area Studies | 7.1% |
Best colleges for bioinformatics software engineers
The best colleges for bioinformatics software engineers are University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Northwestern University.
A bioinformatics software 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 software 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 software engineers.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. University of California, Irvine
Irvine, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$13,700
Enrollment
29,722
3. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
4. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,207
Enrollment
30,905
5. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
6. University of Georgia
Athens, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,830
Enrollment
29,474
7. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
8. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
9. SUNY at Buffalo
Buffalo, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$10,099
Enrollment
21,404
10. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,522
Enrollment
13,760
20 best online courses for bioinformatics software engineers
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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. 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...
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Top 10 most affordable universities for bioinformatics software engineers
The most affordable schools for bioinformatics software engineers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, hunter college of the city university of new york, and california state university - long beach.
If the best universities for bioinformatics software 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 software 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. 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 Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
5. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
6. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
7. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Socorro, NM • Private
In-state tuition
$7,770
Cost of attendance
21,244
8. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
9. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Mayaguez, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$4,094
Cost of attendance
14,302
10. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for bioinformatics software engineers
The hardest universities for bioinformatics software engineers to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Northwestern University.
Some great schools for bioinformatics software 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 software 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. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
2. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
4. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
5. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
6. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
7. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
8. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
9. Brown University
Providence, RI • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
10. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for bioinformatics software engineers
The easiest schools for bioinformatics software engineers to get into are Barry University, university of houston - downtown, and d'youville college.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a bioinformatics software 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 software engineers.
1. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
2. University of Houston - Downtown
Houston, TX • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,012
3. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
4. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
5. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
6. The University of Texas at El Paso
El Paso, TX • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,035
7. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
8. Texas A&M University - Kingsville
Kingsville, TX • Private
Admissions rate
89%
SAT average
1,035
9. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
99%
SAT average
1,008
10. Thomas More University
Crestview Hills, KY • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
1,099
Average bioinformatics software engineer salary by education level
| Bioinformatics software engineer education level | Bioinformatics software engineer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $106,380 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $97,266 |
| Doctorate Degree | $115,646 |
Bioinformatics software engineer education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025