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Field scientist education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a field scientist. Field scientists usually study environmental science, biology, or geology. 82% of field scientists hold a bachelor's degree, and 8% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 259 real field scientist resumes to see exactly what field scientist education sections show.
The most common colleges for field scientists are the Eckerd College and the Eckerd College.
There are also many online field scientist courses to help get the education required to be a field scientist.
What education do you need to become a field scientist?
What degree do you need to be a field scientist?
- Bachelor's, 82%
- Master's, 8%
- Associate, 7%
- High School Diploma, 2%
- Other Degrees, 1%
What should I major in to become a field scientist?
Most common colleges for field scientists
| Field scientist common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Eckerd College | 8.16% |
| University of Florida | 6.12% |
| University of South Florida | 6.12% |
| Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey | 6.12% |
| University of California, Santa Cruz | 6.12% |
Best majors for field scientists
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Environmental Science | 28.3% |
| 2 | Biology | 17.6% |
| 3 | Geology | 17.0% |
| 4 | Physics | 3.8% |
| 5 | Ecology, Population Biology, And Epidemiology | 3.1% |
Best colleges for field scientists
The best colleges for field scientists are University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Duke University.
A field scientist with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for field scientists. 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 field scientists.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
3. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
4. University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$14,184
Enrollment
30,845
5. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
6. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
7. University of California - Davis
Davis, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$14,402
Enrollment
30,698
8. SUNY Stony Brook
Stony Brook, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,625
Enrollment
17,407
9. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
10. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
20 best online courses for field scientists
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Top 10 most affordable universities for field scientists
The most affordable schools for field scientists are University of Florida, hunter college of the city university of new york, and brooklyn college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for field scientists 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 field scientists.
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. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
4. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
5. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
6. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
7. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,140
Cost of attendance
14,430
8. Queens College of the City University of New York
Queens, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,338
Cost of attendance
14,281
9. Lehman College of the City University of New York
Bronx, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,210
Cost of attendance
14,359
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 field scientists
The hardest universities for field scientists to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Duke University.
Some great schools for field scientists 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 field scientists 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. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
3. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
4. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
5. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
6. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
7. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
8. Yale University
New Haven, CT • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,517
9. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
10. Dartmouth College
Hanover, NH • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,488
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for field scientists
The easiest schools for field scientists to get into are Wayland Baptist University, barry university, and d'youville college.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a field scientist 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 field scientists.
1. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
2. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
3. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
4. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
5. Curry College
Milton, MA • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,026
6. University of Houston - Downtown
Houston, TX • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,012
7. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
8. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,054
9. Saint Joseph's College of Maine
Standish, ME • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,069
10. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
Average field scientist salary by education level
| Field scientist education level | Field scientist salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $86,362 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $77,792 |
Field scientist education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025