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Clinical microbiologist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a clinical microbiologist. Clinical microbiologists usually study biology, microbiology, or medical technician. 76% of clinical microbiologists hold a bachelor's degree, and 11% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 154 real clinical microbiologist resumes to see exactly what clinical microbiologist education sections show.

The most common colleges for clinical microbiologists are the University of Delaware and the University of Delaware.

There are also many online clinical microbiologist courses to help get the education required to be a clinical microbiologist.

What education do you need to become a clinical microbiologist?

What degree do you need to be a clinical microbiologist?

The most common degree for clinical microbiologists is bachelor's degree, with 76% of clinical microbiologists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 11% and master's degree degree at 7%.
  • Bachelor's, 76%
  • Master's, 11%
  • Associate, 7%
  • Diploma, 3%
  • Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a clinical microbiologist?

You should major in biology to become a clinical microbiologist. 23% of clinical microbiologists major in biology. Other common majors for a clinical microbiologist include microbiology and medical technician.

Most common colleges for clinical microbiologists

Clinical microbiologists often get their degrees at University of Delaware, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Wagner College. Here are the most common colleges for clinical microbiologists in the US based on their resumes.
Clinical microbiologist common collegePercentages
University of Delaware14.29%
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill8.57%
Wagner College8.57%
University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point5.71%
University of the Sciences5.71%

Best majors for clinical microbiologists

Best colleges for clinical microbiologists

The best colleges for clinical microbiologists are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Columbia University in the City of New York.

A clinical microbiologist with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for clinical microbiologists. 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 clinical microbiologists.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

3. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Enrollment

34,564

4. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

5. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

6. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

7. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$54,104

Enrollment

7,089

8. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

9. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

10. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

20 best online courses for clinical microbiologists

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1. Clinical Natural Language Processing

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This course teaches you the fundamentals of clinical natural language processing (NLP). In this course you will learn the basic linguistic principals underlying NLP, as well as how to write regular expressions and handle text data in R. You will also learn practical techniques for text processing to be able to extract information from clinical notes. Finally, you will have a chance to put your skills to the test with a real-world practical application where you develop text processing...

2. Clinical Trials Operations

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This specialization is designed for individuals and teams that will be running or interacting with clinical trials. In four courses, learners will develop insights and build the skills they need to design, manage, and monitor clinical trials as well as analyze, document, and communicate the results. Learners will also learn best practices regarding ethics, safety, participant recruitment, regulatory compliance, and reporting standards. The core principles and skills of the specialization will...

3. Basic of Clinical Data Management

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Clinical Data Management...

4. The Beginners Course for Clinical Research

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4.5
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The Essentials of Clinical Trials - Clinical Research for Beginners...

5. Clinical Kidney, Pancreas and Islet Transplantation

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Kidney transplantation is a major advance of modern medicine which provides high-quality of life for patients with end-stage renal disease. What used to be an experimental, risky, and very limited treatment option more than 50 years ago is now routinely performed in many countries worldwide. The number of renal transplants is expected to rise sharply in the next decade since the proportion of patients with end stage renal disease is increasing. Are you interested in clinical kidney, pancreas...

6. Clinical Data Science

coursera

Are you interested in how to use data generated by doctors, nurses, and the healthcare system to improve the care of future patients? If so, you may be a future clinical data scientist!\n\nThis specialization provides learners with hands on experience in use of electronic health records and informatics tools to perform clinical data science. This series of six courses is designed to augment learner’s existing skills in statistics and programming to provide examples of specific challenges,...

7. Good Clinical Practice ICH GCP for Clinical Research

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Certification on ICH GCP E6 R2 Good Clinical Practice for Clinical Research The Only Complete Course You Can Find Online...

8. The Simplest Guide to Clinical Trials Data Analysis with SAS

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Step into the world of Pharmaceutical industry Clinical Trials Clinical Research Biostatistics Clinical SAS SAS...

9. Predictive Modeling and Transforming Clinical Practice

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This course teaches you the fundamentals of transforming clinical practice using predictive models. This course examines specific challenges and methods of clinical implementation, that clinical data scientists must be aware of when developing their predictive models...

10. Informed Clinical Decision Making using Deep Learning

coursera

This specialisation is for learners with experience in programming that are interested in expanding their skills in applying deep learning in Electronic Health Records and with a focus on how to translate their models into Clinical Decision Support Systems.\n\nThe main areas that would explore are:\n\nData mining of Clinical Databases: Ethics, MIMIC III database, International Classification of Disease System and definition of common clinical outcomes. Deep learning in Electronic Health...

11. Good Clinical Practice for Clinical Research Professionals

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4.5
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The Complete, Certified ICH GCP (R2 & R3) Course for Investigators, Study Coordinators, Sponsors, Monitors and Study staff...

12. Certificate Course in Clinical Research (CCCR)

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4
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A Clinical Research Course-ICH-GCP E6(R2), Clinical Trials, Essential Documents, Sponsor, Investigator, Pharmaceuticals...

13. Clinical Trials Analysis, Monitoring, and Presentation

coursera

In this course, you’ll learn more advanced operational skills that you and your team need to run a successful clinical trial. You’ll learn about the computation of sample size and how to develop a sample size calculation that’s suitable for your trial design and outcome measures. You’ll also learn to use statistical methods to monitor your trial for safety, integrity, and efficacy. Next, you’ll learn how to report the results from your clinical trials through both journal articles and data...

14. Introduction to Clinical Data Science

coursera

This course will prepare you to complete all parts of the Clinical Data Science Specialization. In this course you will learn how clinical data are generated, the format of these data, and the ethical and legal restrictions on these data. You will also learn enough SQL and R programming skills to be able to complete the entire Specialization - even if you are a beginner programmer. While you are taking this course you will have access to an actual clinical data set and a free, online...

15. Become a Microbiology Laboratory Technician

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Microbiology...

16. Good Clinical Practice (GCP)

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4.2
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Key features of the GCP guideline, roles and responsibilities involved and the requirements of essential documentation...

17. Immunology: The Immune System and its Failures

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Our online Immunology Specialisation has been developed to provide central concepts in human immunology as well as advanced topics from cutting-edge research relating to clinical disease of the immune system over five designated specialisations.\n\nThe initial two courses discuss the role of the innate and adaptive immune responses serving to protect the body from harmful pathogens, which if dysregulated can also lead to immune-mediated diseases such as immunodeficiencies, autoimmunity, allergy...

18. Making Data Science Work for Clinical Reporting

coursera

This course is aimed to demonstate how principles and methods from data science can be applied in clinical reporting. By the end of the course, learners will understand what requirements there are in reporting clinical trials, and how they impact on how data science is used. The learner will see how they can work efficiently and effectively while still ensuring that they meet the needed standards...

19. Operations Management A-Z: Business Processes and Systems

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4.6
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Operations Management: Supply Chain & Business Processes in Industry for Manufacturing and Services Organizations...

20. Clinical Research for beginners

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4.2
(462)

The Art of Publishing - Master Pub Med, Study design, Biostatistics, Journal choice, Manuscript writing & Referencing...

Top 10 most affordable universities for clinical microbiologists

The most affordable schools for clinical microbiologists are University of Florida, hunter college of the city university of new york, and california state university - los angeles.

If the best universities for clinical microbiologists 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 clinical microbiologists.

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 - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

4. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

5. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

6. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

7. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

8. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

9. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

10. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for clinical microbiologists

The hardest universities for clinical microbiologists to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Columbia University in the City of New York.

Some great schools for clinical microbiologists 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 clinical microbiologists 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. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

3. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

4. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

5. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

6. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,516

7. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

8. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,456

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 clinical microbiologists

The easiest schools for clinical microbiologists to get into are D'Youville College, barry university, and curry college.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a clinical microbiologist 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 clinical microbiologists.

1. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

2. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

3. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

4. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

5. Marymount University

Arlington, VA • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,065

6. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

7. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

8. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

9. AdventHealth University

Orlando, FL • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,016

10. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

Average clinical microbiologist salary by education level

Clinical microbiologists with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $79,659 annually. With a Master's degree, clinical microbiologists earn a median annual income of $70,420 compared to $65,445 for clinical microbiologists with an Bachelor's degree.
Clinical microbiologist education levelClinical microbiologist salary
Master's Degree$70,420
Bachelor's Degree$65,445
Doctorate Degree$79,659

Clinical microbiologist education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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