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Pharmaceutical scientist education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a pharmaceutical scientist. Pharmaceutical scientists usually study pharmacy, chemistry, or chemical engineering. 63% of pharmaceutical scientists hold a bachelor's degree, and 23% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 113 real pharmaceutical scientist resumes to see exactly what pharmaceutical scientist education sections show.
The most common colleges for pharmaceutical scientists are the University of California - Davis and the University of California - Davis.
There are also many online pharmaceutical scientist courses to help get the education required to be a pharmaceutical scientist.
What education do you need to become a pharmaceutical scientist?
What degree do you need to be a pharmaceutical scientist?
- Bachelor's, 63%
- Master's, 23%
- Doctorate, 11%
- Associate, 3%
- Other Degrees, 0%
What should I major in to become a pharmaceutical scientist?
- Pharmacy, 25%
- Chemistry, 25%
- Chemical Engineering, 12%
- Biology, 11%
- Other Majors, 27%
Most common colleges for pharmaceutical scientists
| Pharmaceutical scientist common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of California - Davis | 9.09% |
| New York University | 6.06% |
| University of Connecticut | 6.06% |
| Drexel University | 6.06% |
| University of the Sciences | 6.06% |
Best majors for pharmaceutical scientists
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pharmacy | 25.5% |
| 2 | Chemistry | 24.5% |
| 3 | Chemical Engineering | 11.8% |
| 4 | Biology | 10.8% |
| 5 | Business | 2.9% |
Best colleges for pharmaceutical scientists
The best colleges for pharmaceutical scientists are Harvard University, Duke University, and Columbia University in the City of New York.
A pharmaceutical 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 pharmaceutical 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 pharmaceutical scientists.
1. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
2. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
3. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
4. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
5. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
6. University of California - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$13,226
Enrollment
31,568
7. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
8. Yale University
New Haven, CT • Private
In-state tuition
$53,430
Enrollment
5,963
9. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
10. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
In-state tuition
$49,816
Enrollment
6,840
20 best online courses for pharmaceutical scientists
Advertising disclosure
1. 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...
2. Drug Development
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...
3. Pharmaceutical Industry Drug Regulatory Affairs (DRA)
Empowering Professionals in the Pharmaceutical Industry: A Comprehensive Online Course in Drug Regulatory Affairs...
4. Certificate Course in Drug Regulatory Affairs (DRA)
Pharma course (NDA, ANDA, CTD, DMF, USFDA, Regulatory strategy, GMP, Clinical Research, Orange Book, Pharmaceuticals)...
5. Drug Discovery
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...
6. Drug Commercialization
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...
7. The Pharmaceutical R & D Process in Healthcare
Learn about clinical trials, drug regulations, biotech products, generics, marketing and more. *Biotech Update! 1/22*...
8. Pharma Drug Regulatory Affairs Certificate Course - DRA 2023
DRA, Orange book, USFDA, e CTD, CTD, INDA, NDA, ANDA, DMF, ICH, Software Demo, RA Jobs, Quiz, Pharma Skills, Updated 2023...
9. Practical Pharmaceutical Supply Management: LMIC Focus
Pharmaceutical Supply Mastery: From Procurement to Efficient Distribution...
10. Basic Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)
Learn the good practices that applies to the pharmaceutical industry...
11. Certificate Course in Clinical Research (CCCR)
A Clinical Research Course-ICH-GCP E6(R2), Clinical Trials, Essential Documents, Sponsor, Investigator, Pharmaceuticals...
12. Product Development & Systems Engineering
The complete Product Development & Systems Engineering course! Earn 25 contact hours AND prepare to take the INCOSE Exam...
13. Your Guide to the Pharmaceutical Industry
Learn about the pharma industry quickly - current trends, medicines, healthcare, pharmacy markets & major developments...
14. Certificate Course in Pharmacovigilance
Drug safety, Drug development and discovery, ICSR , Adverse events, Global guidelines, Med DRA, PV Audits...
15. Product Management 101
Learn to become a more strategic product manager - and have a greater impact on your company and your products...
16. Product Management Crash Course; IT Product Management
Product Management Essentials & Product Management Fundamentals to kick-start your career in Product Management...
17. Project/ Product Management Frameworks & Methods MasterClass
Learn the top Product Managers skills - Lean, Agile, Design Thinking, JTBD, SMART, HEART, DACI, SPADE, CIRCLES and more...
18. Comprehensive Product management for Product managers
Become a great product manager with comprehensive product management Real world case study with JIRA & Confluence...
19. Introduction Agile & Scrum for Product Owners
[UNOFFICIAL] Learn about agility & Scrum. Prepare for your Project Manager or Product Owner certification in 2023!...
20. 50 Personal Development And Personal Productivity Skills
Personal transformation to be a top-1% performer! Personal development, business productivity, and personal productivity...
Top 10 most affordable universities for pharmaceutical scientists
The most affordable schools for pharmaceutical scientists are University of Florida, hunter college of the city university of new york, and california state university - long beach.
If the best universities for pharmaceutical 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 pharmaceutical 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 - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
4. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
5. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
6. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
7. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
8. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
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 pharmaceutical scientists
The hardest universities for pharmaceutical scientists to get into are Harvard University, Duke University, and Columbia University in the City of New York.
Some great schools for pharmaceutical 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 pharmaceutical 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. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
2. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
3. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
4. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
5. Yale University
New Haven, CT • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,517
6. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
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 pharmaceutical scientists
The easiest schools for pharmaceutical 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 pharmaceutical 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 pharmaceutical 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 pharmaceutical scientist salary by education level
| Pharmaceutical scientist education level | Pharmaceutical scientist salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $77,067 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $75,511 |
| Doctorate Degree | $81,068 |
Pharmaceutical scientist education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025