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Life sciences instructor education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a life sciences instructor. Life sciences instructors usually study biology, education, or business. 67% of life sciences instructors hold a bachelor's degree, and 25% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 89 real life sciences instructor resumes to see exactly what life sciences instructor education sections show.

The most common colleges for life sciences instructors are the University of Houston and the University of Houston.

There are also many online life sciences instructor courses to help get the education required to be a life sciences instructor.

What education do you need to become a life sciences instructor?

What degree do you need to be a life sciences instructor?

The most common degree for life sciences instructors is bachelor's degree, with 67% of life sciences instructors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 25% and master's degree degree at 6%.
  • Bachelor's, 67%
  • Master's, 25%
  • Doctorate, 6%
  • High School Diploma, 3%

What should I major in to become a life sciences instructor?

You should major in biology to become a life sciences instructor. 34% of life sciences instructors major in biology. Other common majors for a life sciences instructor include education and business.

Most common colleges for life sciences instructors

Life sciences instructors often get their degrees at University of Houston, Texas Southern University, and University of South Alabama. Here are the most common colleges for life sciences instructors in the US based on their resumes.
Life sciences instructor common collegePercentages
University of Houston6.90%
Texas Southern University6.90%
University of South Alabama6.90%
University of California - Davis6.90%
Arizona State University6.90%

Best majors for life sciences instructors

Best colleges for life sciences instructors

The best colleges for life sciences instructors are Harvard University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University in the City of New York.

A life sciences instructor with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for life sciences instructors. 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 life sciences instructors.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

6. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

7. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

8. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

9. University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$14,184

Enrollment

30,845

10. University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA • Private

In-state tuition

$17,653

Enrollment

16,405

20 best online courses for life sciences instructors

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Top 10 most affordable universities for life sciences instructors

The most affordable schools for life sciences instructors are Hunter College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for life sciences instructors 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 life sciences instructors.

1. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

2. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

4. Lehman College of the City University of New York

Bronx, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,210

Cost of attendance

14,359

5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

6. Queens College of the City University of New York

Queens, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,338

Cost of attendance

14,281

7. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

8. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

9. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

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 life sciences instructors

The hardest universities for life sciences instructors to get into are Harvard University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University in the City of New York.

Some great schools for life sciences instructors 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 life sciences instructors 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. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

3. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

4. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

5. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

6. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

7. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

8. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

9. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,456

10. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for life sciences instructors

The easiest schools for life sciences instructors to get into are Barry University, mount saint mary's university, and wayland baptist university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a life sciences instructor 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 life sciences instructors.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

3. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

4. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,046

5. Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,053

6. San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,054

7. Our Lady of the Lake University

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,002

8. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

9. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

10. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

Average life sciences instructor salary by education level

According to our data, life sciences instructors with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $79,060 annually. Life sciences instructors with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $78,105.
Life sciences instructor education levelLife sciences instructor salary
Master's Degree$78,105
Bachelor's Degree$64,346
Doctorate Degree$79,060

Life sciences instructor education FAQs

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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.

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