Post job

Formulation scientist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a formulation scientist. Formulation scientists usually study pharmacy, chemistry, or biology. 62% of formulation scientists hold a bachelor's degree, and 23% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 460 real formulation scientist resumes to see exactly what formulation scientist education sections show.

The most common colleges for formulation scientists are the Long Island University and the Long Island University.

There are also many online formulation scientist courses to help get the education required to be a formulation scientist.

What education do you need to become a formulation scientist?

What degree do you need to be a formulation scientist?

The most common degree for formulation scientists is bachelor's degree, with 62% of formulation scientists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 23% and master's degree degree at 11%.
  • Bachelor's, 62%
  • Master's, 23%
  • Doctorate, 11%
  • Associate, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a formulation scientist?

You should major in pharmacy to become a formulation scientist. 40% of formulation scientists major in pharmacy. Other common majors for a formulation scientist include chemistry and biology.

Most common colleges for formulation scientists

Formulation scientists often get their degrees at Long Island University, Stevens Institute of Technology, and Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Here are the most common colleges for formulation scientists in the US based on their resumes.
Formulation scientist common collegePercentages
Long Island University18.52%
Stevens Institute of Technology8.64%
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey7.41%
Drexel University4.94%
Johns Hopkins University4.94%

Best majors for formulation scientists

Best colleges for formulation scientists

The best colleges for formulation scientists are Columbia University in the City of New York, Harvard University, and Duke University.

A formulation 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 formulation 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 formulation scientists.

1. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

2. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

3. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

4. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

5. University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$13,226

Enrollment

31,568

6. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

7. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

In-state tuition

$53,430

Enrollment

5,963

8. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

9. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

In-state tuition

$49,816

Enrollment

6,840

10. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

20 best online courses for formulation scientists

Advertising disclosure

1. 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...

2. Strategy Formulation

coursera

The purpose of this course is to present, analyze and discuss the different facets of business strategy formulation. Emphasizing that strategy can be seen as a unified theme that provides coherence and direction to the actions and decisions of a firm, we will cover a variety of business strategy topics concerned with firm positioning in the context of different markets, industries and locations. At the end of the course, you will be able to: - Identify why a strong strategy is essential for the...

3. 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)...

4. Pharmaceutical Industry Drug Regulatory Affairs (DRA)

udemy
4.5
(256)

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

5. 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...

6. Mastering Software Development in R

coursera

R is a programming language and a free software environment for statistical computing and graphics, widely used by data analysts, data scientists and statisticians. This Specialization covers R software development for building data science tools. As the field of data science evolves, it has become clear that software development skills are essential for producing and scaling useful data science results and products.\n\nThis Specialization will give you rigorous training in the R language,...

7. Essential Non Technical Skills of Effective Data Scientists

udemy
4.4
(1,019)

Boost your Data Science Career by developing these crucial Non Technical Skills & become a Successful Data Scientist...

8. Learn Data Science & Machine Learning with R from A-Z

udemy
4.7
(1,340)

Become a professional Data Scientist with R and learn Machine Learning, Data Analysis + Visualization, Web Apps + more!...

9. The Data Scientist’s Toolbox

coursera

In this course you will get an introduction to the main tools and ideas in the data scientist's toolbox. The course gives an overview of the data, questions, and tools that data analysts and data scientists work with. There are two components to this course. The first is a conceptual introduction to the ideas behind turning data into actionable knowledge. The second is a practical introduction to the tools that will be used in the program like version control, markdown, git, GitHub, R, and...

10. Der Werkzeugkasten des Data Scientist

coursera

In this course you will get an introduction to the main tools and ideas in the data scientist's toolbox. The course gives an overview of the data, questions, and tools that data analysts and data scientists work with. There are two components to this course. The first is a conceptual introduction to the ideas behind turning data into actionable knowledge. The second is a practical introduction to the tools that will be used in the program like version control, markdown, git, GitHub, R, and...

11. 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...

12. Product Development & Systems Engineering

udemy
4.6
(3,086)

The complete Product Development & Systems Engineering course! Earn 25 contact hours AND prepare to take the INCOSE Exam...

13. Databases for Data Scientists

coursera

Whether you are a beginning programmer with an interest in Data Science, a data scientist working closely with content experts, or a software developer seeking to learn about the database layer of the stack this specialization is for you! We focus on the relational database which is the most widely used type of database. Relational databases have dominated the database software marketplace for nearly four decades and form a core, foundational part of software development. In this specialization...

14. Product Management+Agile Requirements using Product Backlog

udemy
4
(769)

Learn to manage requirements as professional scrum product owner using user stories ( Business Analysis ,Scrum Master)...

15. R Level 1 - Data Analytics with R

udemy
4.6
(3,228)

Use R for Data Analytics and Data Mining...

16. Practical Regulatory Affairs 2020 - US FDA Medical Devices

udemy
4.4
(726)

A practical course discussing the US FDA Medical Device regulations for real-world situations...

17. R Tidyverse Reporting and Analytics for Excel Users

udemy
4.5
(735)

From Excel To Big Data and Interactive Dashboard Visualizations in 5 Hours...

18. d3.js - Complete Developer Data Visualization Guide

udemy
4.2
(321)

Bring Data to life with D3.Js Data Visualization Library. Master Java Script, HTML, CSS and Build Stunning Data Visuals...

19. R Programming: Advanced Analytics In R For Data Science

udemy
4.7
(8,622)

Take Your R & R Studio Skills To The Next Level. Data Analytics, Data Science, Statistical Analysis in Business, GGPlot2...

20. R Programming Hands-on Specialization for Data Science (Lv1)

udemy
4.5
(539)

An in-depth course on R language with real-world Data Science examples to supercharge your R data analysis skills...

Top 10 most affordable universities for formulation scientists

The most affordable schools for formulation scientists are University of Florida, california state university - long beach, and hunter college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for formulation 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 formulation scientists.

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. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

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. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

8. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

9. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

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 formulation scientists

The hardest universities for formulation scientists to get into are Columbia University in the City of New York, Harvard University, and Duke University.

Some great schools for formulation 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 formulation 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. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

2. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

3. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,516

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

5. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

6. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,517

7. University of Chicago

Chicago, IL • Private

Admissions rate

7%

SAT average

1,520

8. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

9. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

10. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for formulation scientists

The easiest schools for formulation scientists to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, d'youville college, and barry university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a formulation 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 formulation scientists.

1. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

2. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

3. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

4. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

5. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

6. The University of Texas at El Paso

El Paso, TX • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,035

7. San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,054

8. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

9. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

10. University of Houston - Downtown

Houston, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,012

Average formulation scientist salary by education level

According to our data, formulation scientists with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $91,678 annually. Formulation scientists with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $87,469.
Formulation scientist education levelFormulation scientist salary
Master's Degree$87,469
Bachelor's Degree$85,828
Doctorate Degree$91,678

Formulation scientist education FAQs

Search for formulation scientist 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 life, physical, and social science jobs