Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Genomics scientist education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a genomics scientist. Genomics scientists usually study biology, biochemistry, biophysics, molecular biology, or microbiology. 50% of genomics scientists hold a bachelor's degree, and 33% hold an doctoral degree. We analyzed 20 real genomics scientist resumes to see exactly what genomics scientist education sections show.
The most common colleges for genomics scientists are the New England Law | Boston and the New England Law | Boston.
There are also many online genomics scientist courses to help get the education required to be a genomics scientist.
What education do you need to become a genomics scientist?
What degree do you need to be a genomics scientist?
- Bachelor's, 50%
- Doctorate, 33%
- Master's, 17%
What should I major in to become a genomics scientist?
- Biology, 21%
- Microbiology, 16%
- Other Majors, 31%
Most common colleges for genomics scientists
| Genomics scientist common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| New England Law | Boston | 15.38% |
| Southern Illinois University Carbondale | 15.38% |
| City College of New York of the City University of New York, The | 7.69% |
| New York University | 7.69% |
| Armstrong State University | 7.69% |
Best majors for genomics scientists
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Biology | 21.1% |
| 2 | Biochemistry, Biophysics, Molecular Biology | 21.1% |
| 3 | Microbiology | 15.8% |
| 4 | Cell Biology And Anatomical Science | 10.5% |
| 5 | Law | 10.5% |
Best colleges for genomics scientists
The best colleges for genomics scientists are Stanford University, Harvard University, and Duke University.
A genomics 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 genomics 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 genomics scientists.
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 Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
4. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
5. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
6. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
In-state tuition
$49,816
Enrollment
6,840
7. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
8. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Enrollment
34,564
9. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
10. Yale University
New Haven, CT • Private
In-state tuition
$53,430
Enrollment
5,963
20 best online courses for genomics scientists
Advertising disclosure
1. Genomic Data Science
With genomics sparks a revolution in medical discoveries, it becomes imperative to be able to better understand the genome, and be able to leverage the data and information from genomic datasets. Genomic Data Science is the field that applies statistics and data science to the genome.\n\nThis Specialization covers the concepts and tools to understand, analyze, and interpret data from next generation sequencing experiments. It teaches the most common tools used in genomic data science including...
2. Whole genome sequencing of bacterial genomes - tools and applications
This course will cover the topic of Whole genome sequencing (WGS) of bacterial genomes which is becoming more and more relevant for the medical sector. WGS technology and applications are high on international political agenda, as the classical methods are being replaced by WGS technology and therefore bioinformatic tools are extremely important for allowing the people working in this sector to be able to analyze the data and obtain results that can be interpreted and used for different...
3. Essential Non Technical Skills of Effective Data Scientists
Boost your Data Science Career by developing these crucial Non Technical Skills & become a Successful Data Scientist...
4. Statistics for Data Science and Business Analysis
Statistics you need in the office: Descriptive & Inferential statistics, Hypothesis testing, Regression analysis...
5. Bioconductor for Genomic Data Science
Learn to use tools from the Bioconductor project to perform analysis of genomic data. This is the fifth course in the Genomic Big Data Specialization from Johns Hopkins University...
6. Command Line Tools for Genomic Data Science
Introduces to the commands that you need to manage and analyze directories, files, and large sets of genomic data. This is the fourth course in the Genomic Big Data Science Specialization from Johns Hopkins University...
7. The Data Science Course: Complete Data Science Bootcamp 2023
Complete Data Science Training: Mathematics, Statistics, Python, Advanced Statistics in Python, Machine & Deep Learning...
8. Business Analysis: Developing Requirements
Master the methods involved in planning and gathering requirements and framing input into requirements documents...
9. 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...
10. Bioinformatics Capstone: Big Data in Biology
In this course, you will learn how to use the BaseSpace cloud platform developed by Illumina (our industry partner) to apply several standard bioinformatics software approaches to real biological data. In particular, in a series of Application Challenges will see how genome assembly can be used to track the source of a food poisoning outbreak, how RNA-Sequencing can help us analyze gene expression data on the tissue level, and compare the pros and cons of whole genome vs. whole exome sequencing...
11. Software Development: Better Requirements Gathering Skills
Boost Your Software Requirements Gathering Skills Today! Learn The Techniques That Work!...
12. Data Science, Analytics & AI for Business & the Real World™
Use Data Science & Statistics To Solve Business Problems & Gain Insights Into Everyday Problems With 35+ Case Studies...
13. 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...
14. 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...
15. Introduction to Machine Learning for Data Science
A primer on Machine Learning for Data Science. Revealed for everyday people, by the Backyard Data Scientist...
16. Business Analysis: Functional & Non-Functional Requirements
Simple Requirements Decomposition / Drill-Down Techniques for Defining Product Behaviors and Qualities (Now with AI)...
17. 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...
18. 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...
19. Drug Development Product Management
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...
20. Databases for Data Scientists
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...
Top 10 most affordable universities for genomics scientists
The most affordable schools for genomics scientists are University of Florida, hunter college of the city university of new york, and california state university - bakersfield.
If the best universities for genomics 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 genomics 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. 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. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
6. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Cost of attendance
25,527
7. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
8. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
9. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
10. California State University - Northridge
Northridge, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,893
Cost of attendance
18,870
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for genomics scientists
The hardest universities for genomics scientists to get into are Stanford University, Harvard University, and Duke University.
Some great schools for genomics 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 genomics 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. 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. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
4. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
5. Yale University
New Haven, CT • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,517
6. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
7. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
8. University of Chicago
Chicago, IL • Private
Admissions rate
7%
SAT average
1,520
9. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
10. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for genomics scientists
The easiest schools for genomics scientists to get into are Barry University, notre dame de namur university, and d'youville college.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a genomics 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 genomics scientists.
1. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
2. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
3. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
4. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
5. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
6. Curry College
Milton, MA • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,026
7. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
8. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
9. Marymount University
Arlington, VA • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,065
10. Our Lady of the Lake University
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,002
Average genomics scientist salary by education level
| Genomics scientist education level | Genomics scientist salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $94,114 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $84,053 |
| Doctorate Degree | $114,423 |
Genomics scientist education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common life, physical, and social science questions.
Search for genomics scientist jobs
Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025