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Doctoral research assistant education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a doctoral research assistant. Doctoral research assistants usually study chemistry, biology, or psychology. 56% of doctoral research assistants hold a bachelor's degree, and 22% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 2,655 real doctoral research assistant resumes to see exactly what doctoral research assistant education sections show.
The most common colleges for doctoral research assistants are the University of California, Santa Barbara and the University of California, Santa Barbara.
There are also many online doctoral research assistant courses to help get the education required to be a doctoral research assistant.
What education do you need to become a doctoral research assistant?
What degree do you need to be a doctoral research assistant?
- Bachelor's, 56%
- Master's, 22%
- Doctorate, 18%
- Associate, 2%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a doctoral research assistant?
- Chemistry, 15%
- Biology, 12%
- Psychology, 10%
- Other Majors, 56%
Most common colleges for doctoral research assistants
| Doctoral research assistant common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of California, Santa Barbara | 9.77% |
| University of Maryland - College Park | 7.81% |
| Pennsylvania State University | 6.25% |
| University of Florida | 5.86% |
| National University | 5.47% |
Best majors for doctoral research assistants
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chemistry | 15.1% |
| 2 | Biology | 11.9% |
| 3 | Psychology | 10.4% |
| 4 | Chemical Engineering | 7.4% |
| 5 | Electrical Engineering | 6.5% |
Best colleges for doctoral research assistants
The best colleges for doctoral research assistants are Harvard University, Duke University, and Columbia University in the City of New York.
A doctoral research assistant with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for doctoral research assistants. 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 doctoral research assistants.
1. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
2. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
3. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
4. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
In-state tuition
$53,399
Enrollment
7,356
5. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
6. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
7. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,207
Enrollment
30,905
8. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
9. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
10. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$10,595
Enrollment
30,184
20 best online courses for doctoral research assistants
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6. 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...
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16. Market Research: Dekker's Complete Marketing Research Course
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17. Applied Statistical Modeling for Data Analysis in R
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18. Core Spatial Data Analysis: Introductory GIS with R and QGIS
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19. Fundamentals of Data Analysis for Big Data
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20. Global Marketing Research and Analytics
Understand and conduct market research on a global scale...
Top 10 most affordable universities for doctoral research assistants
The most affordable schools for doctoral research assistants are Hunter College of the City University of New York, baruch college of the city university of new york, and california state university - bakersfield.
If the best universities for doctoral research assistants 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 doctoral research assistants.
1. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
2. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
3. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
4. Queens College of the City University of New York
Queens, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,338
Cost of attendance
14,281
5. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
6. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
7. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
8. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
9. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
10. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for doctoral research assistants
The hardest universities for doctoral research assistants to get into are Harvard University, Duke University, and Columbia University in the City of New York.
Some great schools for doctoral research assistants 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 doctoral research assistants 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. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
3. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
4. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
5. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
6. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
7. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
8. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
9. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
10. University of Chicago
Chicago, IL • Private
Admissions rate
7%
SAT average
1,520
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for doctoral research assistants
The easiest schools for doctoral research assistants to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, kean university, and rutgers, the state university of new jersey - camden.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a doctoral research assistant 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 doctoral research assistants.
1. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
2. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
3. Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey - Camden
Camden, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,086
4. William Paterson University of New Jersey
Wayne, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
994
5. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,054
6. American International College
Springfield, MA • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
1,010
7. Rosemont College
Rosemont, PA • Private
Admissions rate
89%
SAT average
1,026
8. Hardin-Simmons University
Abilene, TX • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,085
9. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
10. Saint Joseph's College of Maine
Standish, ME • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,069
Average doctoral research assistant salary by education level
| Doctoral research assistant education level | Doctoral research assistant salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $63,888 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $55,144 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $56,976 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $59,003 |
Doctoral research assistant education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025