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Contract researcher education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a contract researcher. Contract researchers usually study business, biology, or psychology. 64% of contract researchers hold a bachelor's degree, and 19% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 923 real contract researcher resumes to see exactly what contract researcher education sections show.
The most common colleges for contract researchers are the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Texas at Austin.
There are also many online contract researcher courses to help get the education required to be a contract researcher.
What education do you need to become a contract researcher?
What degree do you need to be a contract researcher?
- Bachelor's, 64%
- Master's, 19%
- Associate, 7%
- Doctorate, 7%
- Other Degrees, 3%
What should I major in to become a contract researcher?
- Business, 13%
- Biology, 11%
- Psychology, 9%
- History, 7%
- Other Majors, 60%
Most common colleges for contract researchers
| Contract researcher common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Texas at Austin | 8.82% |
| New York University | 6.86% |
| Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey | 6.86% |
| University of Colorado at Boulder | 5.88% |
| Eastern Washington University | 4.90% |
Best majors for contract researchers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 12.6% |
| 2 | Biology | 11.4% |
| 3 | Psychology | 9.4% |
| 4 | History | 7.2% |
| 5 | Chemistry | 7.0% |
Best colleges for contract researchers
The best colleges for contract researchers are Northwestern University, Vanderbilt University, and Johns Hopkins University.
A contract researcher with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for contract researchers. 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 contract researchers.
1. University of Georgia
Athens, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,830
Enrollment
29,474
2. University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, WI • Private
In-state tuition
$10,555
Enrollment
30,360
3. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$10,595
Enrollment
30,184
4. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Enrollment
33,495
5. Framingham State University
Framingham, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$10,520
Enrollment
3,804
6. Texas State University
San Marcos, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$10,280
Enrollment
34,187
7. Ohio State University
Columbus, OH • Private
In-state tuition
$10,726
Enrollment
45,769
8. University of Delaware
Newark, DE • Private
In-state tuition
$13,680
Enrollment
19,060
9. Central Washington University
Ellensburg, WA • Private
In-state tuition
$8,072
Enrollment
10,529
10. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
20 best online courses for contract researchers
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Use Python, SQL and Statistics to advance your programming skills and refine your ability to work with messy, complex datasets...
4. Marketing Analytics
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5. Market Research
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6. Market Research
"Finding the Story in the Data” is the most important emerging capability for market researchers according to GRIT (Greenbook Research Industry Trends) Report 2016. This specialization, designed for learners with no previous Marketing Research experience teaches a comprehensive marketing research approach that will help learners find and communicate the story in the data.\n\nStudents will learn how to initiate a research project for targeted business needs, conduct research through multiple...
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12. Data Visualization
You will start by building data visualizations and dashboards, considering your audiences to be as effective as possible. Then, you’ll move into drafting presentations using storytelling techniques, visualizations, and animations to provide data-driven recommendations...
13. Data Science for Health Research
In Data Science for Health Research, learn to organize and visualize health data using statistical analysis in programs like R. Explore how to translate data, interpret statistical models, and predict outcomes to help make data-informed decisions within the public health field...
14. How to Visualize Research Data in Tableau
Publishing research often requires the preparation of visual elements like charts, tables, and graphs to better explain the text in a research report. Creating these elements can be done easily and effectively in Tableau. Using Tableau, large and small data sets can be visualized with precision, creativity, interactivity, and options in Tableau. After taking this course learners will know how to create a table, a geovisualization, and a pie chart. Three of the most common research...
15. Basic of Clinical Data Management
Clinical Data Management...
16. Market Research: Dekker's Complete Marketing Research Course
Competitor Analysis, Market Research Analysis, Marketing Analytics, Consumer Analytics, Conversion Rate Optimization...
17. Digital Marketing
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18. Intro to Data Analysis
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19. Global Marketing Research and Analytics
Understand and conduct market research on a global scale...
20. Research Methodology
Academic Research Business Research Thesis & Dissertation Report Research Paper / Journal...
Top 10 most affordable universities for contract researchers
The most affordable schools for contract researchers are Fashion Institute of Technology, florida state university, and university of florida.
If the best universities for contract researchers 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 contract researchers.
1. Fashion Institute of Technology
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$5,740
Cost of attendance
17,864
2. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
3. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
4. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
5. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
6. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
7. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
8. California State University - Fresno
Fresno, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,587
Cost of attendance
16,915
9. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
10. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,207
Cost of attendance
25,275
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for contract researchers
The hardest universities for contract researchers to get into are Northwestern University, Vanderbilt University, and Johns Hopkins University.
Some great schools for contract researchers 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 contract researchers 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. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
3. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
4. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
5. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
6. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
Admissions rate
28%
SAT average
1,429
7. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
8. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
Admissions rate
47%
SAT average
1,390
9. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
10. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for contract researchers
The easiest schools for contract researchers to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, lim college, and university of the incarnate word.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a contract researcher 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 contract researchers.
1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
2. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
3. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
4. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
5. Linfield College
McMinnville, OR • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
1,117
6. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,054
7. Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey - Camden
Camden, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,086
8. Centenary University
Hackettstown, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
67%
SAT average
987
9. William Paterson University of New Jersey
Wayne, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
994
10. Marymount University
Arlington, VA • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,065
Average contract researcher salary by education level
| Contract researcher education level | Contract researcher salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $72,577 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $52,855 |
| Doctorate Degree | $74,229 |
Contract researcher education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025