Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Cell biologist education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a cell biologist. Cell biologists usually study biology, genetics, or biochemistry, biophysics, molecular biology. 69% of cell biologists hold a bachelor's degree, and 18% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 96 real cell biologist resumes to see exactly what cell biologist education sections show.
The most common colleges for cell biologists are the University of California - Davis and the University of California - Davis.
There are also many online cell biologist courses to help get the education required to be a cell biologist.
What education do you need to become a cell biologist?
What degree do you need to be a cell biologist?
- Bachelor's, 69%
- Master's, 18%
- Doctorate, 12%
- Associate, 1%
What should I major in to become a cell biologist?
- Biology, 47%
- Genetics, 10%
- Biotechnology, 6%
- Other Majors, 31%
Most common colleges for cell biologists
| Cell biologist common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of California - Davis | 9.38% |
| Northern Illinois University | 9.38% |
| George Mason University | 9.38% |
| George Washington University, The | 6.25% |
| Pennsylvania State University | 6.25% |
Best majors for cell biologists
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Biology | 47.0% |
| 2 | Genetics | 9.6% |
| 3 | Biochemistry, Biophysics, Molecular Biology | 6.0% |
| 4 | Biotechnology | 6.0% |
| 5 | Microbiology | 4.8% |
Best colleges for cell biologists
The best colleges for cell biologists are Stanford University, Harvard University, and Columbia University in the City of New York.
A cell biologist with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for cell biologists. 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 cell biologists.
1. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
2. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
3. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
4. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
5. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
6. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
7. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
In-state tuition
$49,816
Enrollment
6,840
8. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Enrollment
34,564
9. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
10. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
20 best online courses for cell biologists
Advertising disclosure
1. The Little Stuff: Energy, Cells, and Genetics
In this course, we will explore the smaller side of biology: molecular biology. We’ll cover basic topics including cell biology and how cells can go “rogue” and turn into cancer, how energy from the sun is transferred to fuel our bodies, basics of genetics and inheritance, and genetic technologies. At the end of this course, we will discuss ethical and moral implications of several exciting and new genetic technologies...
2. Physics of silicon solar cells
The first MOOC “Photovoltaic solar energy” is a general presentation of the solar photovoltaics technologies in the global energetic context, without extensive details. In particular the description of the solar cell operation is restricted to the ideal case In contrast this second MOOC allows a deep understanding of the properties of solar cells based on crystalline semiconductors. It consists in a general presentation of the physics of the photovoltaics devices with a particular emphasize on...
3. Get more productive using think-cell and PowerPoint
Use think-cell and create charts based on MS Excel data in Power Point 3.5 times faster that any Power Point Expert...
4. Learn Digital Painting to Make Cell Shaded Concept Art
Become a cell shading master!...
5. Experimental Methods in Systems Biology
Learn about the technologies underlying experimentation used in systems biology, with particular focus on RNA sequencing, mass spec-based proteomics, flow/mass cytometry and live-cell imaging. A key driver of the systems biology field is the technology allowing us to delve deeper and wider into how cells respond to experimental perturbations. This in turns allows us to build more detailed quantitative models of cellular function, which can give important insight into applications ranging from...
6. Chemical Biology
Chemical biology is a burgeoning field that has rapidly risen to prominence. This surge of interest has been fuelled by chemical biology’s applicability to understanding critical processes in live cells or model organisms in real time. This success has arisen because chemical biology straddles a nexus between chemistry, biology, and physics. Thus, chemical biology can harness rapid chemistry to observe or perturb biological processes, that are in turn reported using physical assays, all in an...
7. Applied Statistical Modeling for Data Analysis in R
Your Complete Guide to Statistical Data Analysis and Visualization For Practical Applications in R...
8. Core Spatial Data Analysis: Introductory GIS with R and QGIS
Become Proficient In Spatial Data Analysis Using R & QGIS By Working On A Real Project - Get A Job In Spatial Data!...
9. Reverse and complement nucleic acid sequences (DNA, RNA) using R
In this 1-hour long project-based course, you will learn the basic building blocks in the R language and how to Develop an R program that constructs reverse, complement, and reverse-complement nucleic acid sequences (DNA, RNA). Also, you will make your code read a file that has a long DNA sequence and deal with one of the complete genomes for the novel coronavirus...
10. 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...
11. Statistics for Data Analysis Using R
Learn Programming in R & R Studio • Descriptive, Inferential Statistics • Plots for Data Visualization • Data Science...
12. Technical Analysis: Trading Smart With Technical Analysis
Master Real-World Technical Analysis: Revolutionize Your Trading Game & Profit In Stocks, Forex & Crypto!...
13. [Intermediate] Spatial Data Analysis with R, QGIS & More
Become an Open source GIS Guru and Tackle Spatial Data Analysis Using R, QGIS, GRASS & GOOGLE EARTH...
14. Applied Time Series Analysis and Forecasting with R Projects
Use R to work on real world time series analysis and forecasting examples. Applied data science with R...
15. Regression Analysis for Statistics & Machine Learning in R
Learn Complete Hands-On Regression Analysis for Practical Statistical Modelling and Machine Learning in R...
16. Practical Microsoft Excel + Microsoft Excel data analysis
Practical Microsoft Excel + Data Analysis With Microsoft Excel For Data Sciences. Accredited...
17. Technical Analysis Stock Trading -Practice Assignment Course
45 Solved & Fully Explained Assignments To Practice Stock Market Technical Analysis To Trade Stocks , Options & Forex...
18. Applied Multivariate Analysis with R
Learn to use R software to conduct PCAs, MDSs, cluster analyses, EFAs and to estimate SEM models...
19. Complete Remote Sensing Image Analysis with ENVI Software
Learn basic to advanced remote sensing image processing, spatial analysis, and GIS techniques using ENVI software...
20. Technical Analysis MasterClass:Trading By Technical Analysis
Stock Market Technical Analysis Secrets for Forex , Stock Trading , Options , Swing Trading & Day Trading + ASSIGNMENTS...
Top 10 most affordable universities for cell biologists
The most affordable schools for cell biologists are University of Florida, hunter college of the city university of new york, and california state university - bakersfield.
If the best universities for cell biologists 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 cell biologists.
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 - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
4. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
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. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Cost of attendance
25,527
8. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
9. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
10. California State University - Fresno
Fresno, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,587
Cost of attendance
16,915
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for cell biologists
The hardest universities for cell biologists to get into are Stanford University, Harvard University, and Columbia University in the City of New York.
Some great schools for cell biologists 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 cell biologists 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. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
2. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
3. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
4. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
5. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
6. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
7. Yale University
New Haven, CT • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,517
8. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
9. California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, CA • Private
Admissions rate
7%
SAT average
1,566
10. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for cell biologists
The easiest schools for cell biologists to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, wayland baptist university, and barry university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a cell biologist 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 cell biologists.
1. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
2. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
3. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
4. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
5. Our Lady of the Lake University
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,002
6. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
99%
SAT average
1,008
7. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
8. Thomas More University
Crestview Hills, KY • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
1,099
9. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
10. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
Average cell biologist salary by education level
| Cell biologist education level | Cell biologist salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $71,336 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $64,848 |
| Doctorate Degree | $83,751 |
Cell biologist education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common life, physical, and social science questions.
Search for cell biologist jobs
Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025