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Doctoral student education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a doctoral student. Doctoral students usually study biology, biochemistry, biophysics, molecular biology, or chemistry. 53% of doctoral students hold a bachelor's degree, and 30% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 4,101 real doctoral student resumes to see exactly what doctoral student education sections show.
The most common colleges for doctoral students are the University of California - Davis and the University of California - Davis.
There are also many online doctoral student courses to help get the education required to be a doctoral student.
What education do you need to become a doctoral student?
What degree do you need to be a doctoral student?
- Bachelor's, 53%
- Master's, 30%
- Doctorate, 14%
- Associate, 1%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a doctoral student?
- Biology, 17%
- Chemistry, 12%
- Psychology, 7%
- Other Majors, 51%
Most common colleges for doctoral students
| Doctoral student common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of California - Davis | 9.59% |
| National University | 7.67% |
| Cornell University | 6.85% |
| University of California, Santa Barbara | 6.03% |
| Texas A&M University | 5.75% |
Best majors for doctoral students
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Biology | 17.5% |
| 2 | Biochemistry, Biophysics, Molecular Biology | 13.4% |
| 3 | Chemistry | 11.5% |
| 4 | Psychology | 7.0% |
| 5 | Microbiology | 5.1% |
Best colleges for doctoral students
The best colleges for doctoral students are Stanford University, Harvard University, and Northwestern University.
A doctoral student 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 students. 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 students.
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 Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
4. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
5. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
6. University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$14,184
Enrollment
30,845
7. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
8. Georgetown University
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$54,104
Enrollment
7,089
9. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
10. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
20 best online courses for doctoral students
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1. 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...
2. 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...
3. Business Analysis - Data Modelling
How to analyse and model business data requirements...
4. Applied Statistical Modeling for Data Analysis in R
Your Complete Guide to Statistical Data Analysis and Visualization For Practical Applications in R...
5. Psychological Research
This specialization is primarily aimed at first- and second-year undergraduates interested in psychology, data analysis, ethics in research, and quantitative research methods along with high school students and professionals with similar interests.\n\nLearners will develop knowledge about the fundamentals of research design for quantitative studies in psychology, analysis of data from quantitative studies in psychology, and ethical standards for conducting psychological research. Learning...
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. General Biology I: Foundations of Biology
An essential course in Biology for students of all ages...
8. Qualitative Data Analysis using MAXQDA: Scratch to Advanced
Master Qualitative Research Method, Content Analysis, Grounded Theory, Thematic Analysis and more with MAXQDA Analytics...
9. Data Analysis with Python Project
The "Data Analysis Project" course empowers students to apply their knowledge and skills gained in this specialization to conduct a real-life data analysis project of their interest. Participants will explore various directions in data analysis, including supervised and unsupervised learning, regression, clustering, dimension reduction, association rules, and outlier detection. Throughout the modules, students will learn essential data analysis techniques and methodologies and embark on a...
10. 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...
11. Research Methods For Business Students
A-Z guide to writing a rockstar Research Paper with a bulletproof Research Methodology!...
12. Genetics and Next Generation Sequencing for Bioinformatics
For software professionals entering Bioinformatics: DNA sequencing data analysis, NGS, & Biology prerequisites...
13. 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...
14. Reverse and complement nucleic acid sequences (DNA, RNA) using Python
In this 1-hour long project-based course, you will learn the basic building blocks in the Python language and how to Develop a Python 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...
15. Complete Data Science Training with Python for Data Analysis
Beginners python data analytics : Data science introduction : Learn data science : Python data analysis methods tutorial...
16. The 16-hour SPSS Pro: Analysis, Interpretation, and Write-Up
16 Hours of Instruction From a 13 Year Researcher and College Instructor...
17. 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...
18. Cancer Biology 101
Risk factors, how cancer grows, and how to treat it...
19. Research Methodology: Complete Research Project Blueprint
Research Methodology From A-Z. A Step-by-Step Guide Through Research Design, Data Collection, Analysis, & Interpretation...
20. 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!...
Top 10 most affordable universities for doctoral students
The most affordable schools for doctoral students are University of Florida, hunter college of the city university of new york, and california state university - bakersfield.
If the best universities for doctoral students 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 students.
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. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
5. California State University - Fresno
Fresno, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,587
Cost of attendance
16,915
6. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
7. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
8. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
9. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
10. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for doctoral students
The hardest universities for doctoral students to get into are Stanford University, Harvard University, and Northwestern University.
Some great schools for doctoral students 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 students 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. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
4. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
5. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
6. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
7. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
8. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
9. Georgetown University
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,456
10. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for doctoral students
The easiest schools for doctoral students 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 doctoral student 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 students.
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. Thomas More University
Crestview Hills, KY • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
1,099
8. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
9. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
10. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
Average doctoral student salary by education level
| Doctoral student education level | Doctoral student salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $67,791 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $59,507 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $62,147 |
| Doctorate Degree | $69,412 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $60,322 |
Doctoral student education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common education, training, and library questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025