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Bioinformatics specialist education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a bioinformatics specialist. Bioinformatics specialists usually study computer science, biology, or biostatistics. 49% of bioinformatics specialists hold a bachelor's degree, and 33% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 65 real bioinformatics specialist resumes to see exactly what bioinformatics specialist education sections show.
The most common colleges for bioinformatics specialists are the Winthrop University and the Winthrop University.
There are also many online bioinformatics specialist courses to help get the education required to be a bioinformatics specialist.
What education do you need to become a bioinformatics specialist?
What degree do you need to be a bioinformatics specialist?
- Bachelor's, 49%
- Master's, 33%
- Doctorate, 16%
- Diploma, 2%
What should I major in to become a bioinformatics specialist?
- Computer Science, 16%
- Biology, 13%
- Biostatistics, 13%
- Chemistry, 9%
- Other Majors, 49%
Most common colleges for bioinformatics specialists
| Bioinformatics specialist common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Winthrop University | 8.00% |
| University of the Sciences | 8.00% |
| University of Illinois at Chicago | 8.00% |
| University of Pittsburgh | 8.00% |
| University of Maryland - College Park | 8.00% |
Best majors for bioinformatics specialists
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Computer Science | 16.4% |
| 2 | Biology | 12.7% |
| 3 | Biostatistics | 12.7% |
| 4 | Chemistry | 9.1% |
| 5 | Biomedical Engineering | 7.3% |
Best colleges for bioinformatics specialists
The best colleges for bioinformatics specialists are Harvard University, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Northwestern University.
A bioinformatics specialist 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 specialists. 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 specialists.
1. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
2. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
3. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
4. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
5. University of California, Irvine
Irvine, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$13,700
Enrollment
29,722
6. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
7. University of Connecticut
Storrs, CT • Private
In-state tuition
$15,730
Enrollment
18,830
8. North Carolina State University
Raleigh, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$9,101
Enrollment
23,708
9. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
10. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,207
Enrollment
30,905
20 best online courses for bioinformatics specialists
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1. 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...
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...
3. Genetics and Next Generation Sequencing for Bioinformatics
For software professionals entering Bioinformatics: DNA sequencing data analysis, NGS, & Biology prerequisites...
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A Complete Guide For Beginners...
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 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...
7. Learn Bioinformatics From Scratch (Theory & Practical)
Best Bioinformatics course for Students, Academia and Industry Professionals to learn Bioinformatics and biological data...
8. Learn Bioinformatics in 6 Days
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9. 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...
10. Bioinformatics
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11. Bioinformatics; Learn Docking & Mol Dynamics Simulation
Best Bioinformatics Course To Learn Advance Bioinformatics Techniques Like Docking & Molecular Dynamics Simulations...
12. Pareto Analysis Masterclass: Pareto Specialist (Accredited)
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13. Applied Statistical Modeling for Data Analysis in R
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14. SQL Course 2023: SQL for Data Analysis and Data Science.
Master the Art of SQL Querying and Postgre SQL for Data Analysis and Data Science An using Real World SQL Database...
15. Tableau Data Analyst/Specialist Desktop Certification
From beginners to skills needed for Data Analyst or Desktop Specialist certifications. Tableau 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020...
16. Six Sigma Green Belt: Kano Analysis Specialist (Accredited)
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17. Python Data Analysis & Visualization Bootcamp
Financial Data Analysis and Visualization with Python: The High Quality Study kit...
18. Statistics for Data Analysis Using R
Learn Programming in R & R Studio • Descriptive, Inferential Statistics • Plots for Data Visualization • Data Science...
19. PL/SQL by Example - Beginner to Advanced PL/SQL
Using PL/SQL learn how to combine the efficiency of SQL & Procedural Language(PL) to build a powerful PL/SQL Application...
20. Data Analysis with Pandas and Python
Analyze data quickly and easily with Python's powerful pandas library! All datasets included --- beginners welcome!...
Top 10 most affordable universities for bioinformatics specialists
The most affordable schools for bioinformatics specialists are University of Florida, california state university - long beach, and hunter college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for bioinformatics specialists 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 specialists.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
3. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
4. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
5. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
6. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,140
Cost of attendance
14,430
7. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Socorro, NM • Private
In-state tuition
$7,770
Cost of attendance
21,244
8. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Cost of attendance
25,527
9. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
10. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for bioinformatics specialists
The hardest universities for bioinformatics specialists to get into are Harvard University, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Northwestern University.
Some great schools for bioinformatics specialists 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 specialists 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. 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. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
5. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
6. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
7. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
8. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
9. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
10. California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, CA • Private
Admissions rate
7%
SAT average
1,566
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for bioinformatics specialists
The easiest schools for bioinformatics specialists to get into are Barry University, the university of texas at el paso, and saint cloud state university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a bioinformatics specialist 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 specialists.
1. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
2. The University of Texas at El Paso
El Paso, TX • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,035
3. Saint Cloud State University
Saint Cloud, MN • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
1,086
4. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
5. Washington State University
Pullman, WA • Private
Admissions rate
77%
SAT average
1,123
6. Saint Martin's University
Lacey, WA • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,111
7. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
8. Augusta University
Augusta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
80%
SAT average
1,172
9. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
99%
SAT average
1,008
10. Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis
Indianapolis, IN • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
1,111
Average bioinformatics specialist salary by education level
| Bioinformatics specialist education level | Bioinformatics specialist salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $78,751 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $70,393 |
| Doctorate Degree | $95,605 |
Bioinformatics specialist education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025