Post job

Drug inspector education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a drug inspector. Drug inspectors usually study pharmacy, management, or business. 55% of drug inspectors hold a bachelor's degree, and 20% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 28 real drug inspector resumes to see exactly what drug inspector education sections show.

The most common colleges for drug inspectors are the University of Connecticut and the University of Connecticut.

There are also many online drug inspector courses to help get the education required to be a drug inspector.

What education do you need to become a drug inspector?

What degree do you need to be a drug inspector?

The most common degree for drug inspectors is bachelor's degree, with 55% of drug inspectors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 20% and associate degree degree at 15%.
  • Bachelor's, 55%
  • Associate, 20%
  • Diploma, 15%
  • High School Diploma, 10%

What should I major in to become a drug inspector?

You should major in pharmacy to become a drug inspector. 29% of drug inspectors major in pharmacy. Other common majors for a drug inspector include management and business.

Most common colleges for drug inspectors

Drug inspectors often get their degrees at University of Connecticut, Boston University, and Southern New Hampshire University. Here are the most common colleges for drug inspectors in the US based on their resumes.
Drug inspector common collegePercentages
University of Connecticut12.50%
Boston University12.50%
Southern New Hampshire University12.50%
United States Coast Guard Academy12.50%
University of the Sacred Heart12.50%

Best majors for drug inspectors

RankMajorPercentages
1Pharmacy28.6%
2Management14.3%
3Business14.3%
4Biology4.8%
5Health Sciences And Services4.8%

Best colleges for drug inspectors

The best colleges for drug inspectors are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and University of Pennsylvania.

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

1. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

4. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

5. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

6. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

7. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

8. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

9. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

10. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

20 best online courses for drug inspectors

Advertising disclosure

1. Drug Development Product Management

coursera

Pharmaceutical and biotech companies are spending years and millions of dollars developing drugs or promising new biologics, all with the hopes of saving or enhancing patients’ lives. This specialization will provide you with a 30,000 feet view of the entire process of drug discovery and development. In the first course you will begin with learning how scientists go from selecting a drug discovery target to filing an Initial New Drug application. In the second course you will learn the...

2. Drug Discovery

coursera

The University of California San Diego, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Drug Discovery course brings you lectures from both faculty and industry experts. With this course, recorded on campus at UCSD, we seek to share our access to top people in the field who bring an unprecedented range of expertise on drug discovery. In this course you will learn the drug discovery process up to the filing of an Initial New Drug Application or IND. Each week you will learn the steps that...

3. Pharmaceutical Industry Drug Regulatory Affairs (DRA)

udemy
4.5
(256)

Empowering Professionals in the Pharmaceutical Industry: A Comprehensive Online Course in Drug Regulatory Affairs...

4. Certificate Course in Drug Regulatory Affairs (DRA)

udemy
4.2
(1,430)

Pharma course (NDA, ANDA, CTD, DMF, USFDA, Regulatory strategy, GMP, Clinical Research, Orange Book, Pharmaceuticals)...

5. Drug Commercialization

coursera

The University of California San Diego, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Drug Commercialization course brings you lectures from both faculty and industry experts. With this course, recorded on campus at UCSD, we seek to share our access to top people in the field who bring an unprecedented range of expertise on drug commercialization. This course will cover pharmacoeconomic, marketing strategy, intellectual property strategy, portfolio management, managed markets and...

6. Drug Development

coursera

The University of California San Diego, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Drug Development course brings you lectures from both faculty and industry experts. With this course, recorded on campus at UCSD, we seek to share our access to top people in the field who bring an unprecedented range of expertise on drug development. In this course you will learn the different stages of clinical development as well as the regulatory including but not limited to, an Investigational New...

7. Alcohol and Drug Addictions: Psychology - ACCREDITED CERT

udemy
4.8
(792)

Learn psychology of human behaviour related to addictions, alcohol- and drug treatments, diagnose & symptoms, overdose...

8. Certificate Course in Pharmacovigilance

udemy
4.4
(782)

Drug safety, Drug development and discovery, ICSR , Adverse events, Global guidelines, Med DRA, PV Audits...

9. Pharma Drug Regulatory Affairs Certificate Course - DRA 2023

udemy
4
(484)

DRA, Orange book, USFDA, e CTD, CTD, INDA, NDA, ANDA, DMF, ICH, Software Demo, RA Jobs, Quiz, Pharma Skills, Updated 2023...

10. Top Drugs 1 - Medications you NEED to Know - Pharmacy

udemy
4.5
(417)

Part 1: Blood Pressure, Diabetes, Cholesterol, and OTC: Cough, Cold, Allergy - Condition Overview and Common Medications...

11. The Pharmaceutical R & D Process in Healthcare

udemy
4.4
(331)

Learn about clinical trials, drug regulations, biotech products, generics, marketing and more. *Biotech Update! 1/22*...

12. Addiction & Mental Health - Chemically Speaking Two (2hrs)

udemy
4.7
(311)

Substance Abuse & Mental Health Interventions - Understand Drug & Alcohol Addiction & Mental Health. How to help people...

13. Addiction & Mental Health (Dual Diagnosis) Integrative 12hrs

udemy
4.7
(1,529)

Substance Abuse & Mental Health Interventions: Drug & Alcohol Addiction & Mental Health - Integrative Holistic Approach...

14. Build Powerful Compliance Programs & Prevent Corporate Fraud

udemy
4.4
(289)

Learn everything you need to know to build an effective and powerful compliance culture and prevent corporate fraud...

15. Certificate Course in Clinical Research (CCCR)

udemy
4
(302)

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

16. How to Stop Drinking Alcohol

udemy
4.3
(362)

A Simple Path from Alcohol Misery to Alcohol Mastery...

17. UAS FAR 107 FAA Drone Exam Preparation - INCLUDES NEW RULES

udemy
4.5
(293)

Prepare to pass the FAA knowledge test for UAS Remote Pilot Certification (RPC)...

18. Alcohol ink

udemy
4
(297)

Learn alcohol ink bubbles and abstract...

19. Effective Legal Office Administration

udemy
4.5
(1,067)

Effective Legal Office Administration...

20. MS Office 2013: 10-in-1 Courses To Maximize Productivity

udemy
4.6
(612)

Comprehensive, all-in-one training to get the most out of Microsoft Office 2013. 10-in-1 courses with 80 hours of video...

Top 10 most affordable universities for drug inspectors

The most affordable schools for drug inspectors are University of Florida, california state university - long beach, and california state university - bakersfield.

If the best universities for drug inspectors 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 drug inspectors.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

3. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

4. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

5. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

6. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

7. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

8. California State University - Fresno

Fresno, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,587

Cost of attendance

16,915

9. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

10. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Cost of attendance

25,527

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for drug inspectors

The hardest universities for drug inspectors to get into are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for drug inspectors 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 drug inspectors 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. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

4. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

5. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

7. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

8. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

9. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

10. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for drug inspectors

The easiest schools for drug inspectors to get into are Curry College, barry university, and university of the incarnate word.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a drug inspector 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 drug inspectors.

1. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

2. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

3. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

4. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

5. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

6. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

7. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

8. Marymount University

Arlington, VA • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,065

9. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

10. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

Average drug inspector salary by education level

Drug inspectors with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $74,236 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, drug inspectors earn a median annual income of $69,566 compared to $54,245 for drug inspectors with an Associate degree.
Drug inspector education levelDrug inspector salary
Master's Degree$74,236
High School Diploma or Less$48,642
Bachelor's Degree$69,566
Some College/ Associate Degree$54,245

Drug inspector education FAQs

Search for drug inspector jobs

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.

Browse protective service jobs