Regulatory affairs director education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a regulatory affairs director. Regulatory affairs directors usually study business, biology, or chemistry. 67% of regulatory affairs directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 14% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 573 real regulatory affairs director resumes to see exactly what regulatory affairs director education sections show.

The most common colleges for regulatory affairs directors are the University of California - Davis and the University of California - Davis.

There are also many online regulatory affairs director courses to help get the education required to be a regulatory affairs director.

What education do you need to become a regulatory affairs director?

What degree do you need to be a regulatory affairs director?

The most common degree for regulatory affairs directors is bachelor's degree, with 67% of regulatory affairs directors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 14% and master's degree degree at 13%.

Bachelor's, 67%

Master's, 14%

Doctorate, 13%

Associate, 6%

Other Degrees, 0%

What should I major in to become a regulatory affairs director?

You should major in business to become a regulatory affairs director. 15% of regulatory affairs directors major in business. Other common majors for a regulatory affairs director include biology and chemistry.

Business, 15%

Biology, 13%

Chemistry, 9%

Law, 8%

Other Majors, 55%

Most common colleges for regulatory affairs directors

Regulatory affairs directors often get their degrees at University of California - Davis, Indiana University Bloomington, and Pennsylvania State University. Here are the most common colleges for regulatory affairs directors in the US based on their resumes.

Regulatory affairs director common college	Percentages
University of California - Davis	9.09%
Indiana University Bloomington	6.49%
Pennsylvania State University	6.49%
University of California, Santa Barbara	6.49%
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	6.49%

Show more common regulatory affairs director colleges

Best majors for regulatory affairs directors

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	14.7%
2	Biology	13.0%
3	Chemistry	9.1%
4	Law	8.5%
5	Psychology	7.5%

Show more common regulatory affairs director majors

Best colleges for regulatory affairs directors

The best colleges for regulatory affairs directors are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

A regulatory affairs director with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for regulatory affairs directors. 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 regulatory affairs directors.

1. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

5. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

6. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

8. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

9. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$15,094

Enrollment

32,974

10. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

20 best online courses for regulatory affairs directors

Advertising disclosure

1. Regulatory Compliance

Every organization faces a myriad of risks that can threaten its operations, reputation, and bottom line. A robust, effective compliance program can make the difference between companies that successfully navigate those risks, and those that become cautionary tales.\n\nThis specialization will introduce the essential elements of effective organizational compliance by exploring the concepts, considerations, and strategies for assessing risks and managing the compliance function. You will learn...

2. Clinical Trials Operations

This specialization is designed for individuals and teams that will be running or interacting with clinical trials. In four courses, learners will develop insights and build the skills they need to design, manage, and monitor clinical trials as well as analyze, document, and communicate the results. Learners will also learn best practices regarding ethics, safety, participant recruitment, regulatory compliance, and reporting standards. The core principles and skills of the specialization will...

3. Pharmaceutical Industry Drug Regulatory Affairs (DRA)

4.5

(256)

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

4. Certificate Course in Drug Regulatory Affairs (DRA)

4.2

(1,430)

Pharma course (NDA, ANDA, CTD, DMF, USFDA, Regulatory strategy, GMP, Clinical Research, Orange Book, Pharmaceuticals)...

5. FinTech Law and Policy

Being a successful FinTech firm requires more than just great technology; it also requires an understanding of the laws and regulations applicable to your business. This course will provide you with that understanding. You will learn about the critical legal, regulatory, and policy issues associated with cryptocurrencies, initial coin offerings, online lending, new payments and wealth management technologies, and financial account aggregators. In addition, you will learn how regulatory agencies...

6. 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...

7. Practical Regulatory Affairs 2020 - US FDA Medical Devices

4.4

(726)

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

8. Pharma Drug Regulatory Affairs Certificate Course - DRA 2023

(484)

DRA, Orange book, USFDA, e CTD, CTD, INDA, NDA, ANDA, DMF, ICH, Software Demo, RA Jobs, Quiz, Pharma Skills, Updated 2023...

9. Financial Regulation in Emerging Markets and the Rise of Fintech Companies

This course explores the developments that have fueled the emergence of fintech companies around the world. Following the changing regulatory environment, especially since the 1997 Asian and 2008 global financial crisis, governments have enacted far-reaching new financial regulations for safeguarding financial stability. However, banks and financial institutions have found it increasingly difficult to be profitable in these new regulatory environments. Technology is taking leaps forward in...

10. Cybersecurity Management and Compliance

In this course, you’ll learn about data and record management, Information security, standards and policy formation, and implementation. You’ll also explore cloud adoption frameworks and regulatory compliance frameworks. This course will take you one step closer to the Microsoft Cybersecurity Analyst Professional Certificate, which requires no degree or prior experience. After completing this course, you'll be able to: • Explain the principles of cloud security planning • Identify security...

11. EU Medical Device Regulatory Affairs explained Simply

4.3

(391)

How to get approval to sell Medical Devices within the European Union. Understand regulatory affairs & ISO 13485 2016...

12. Practical Regulatory Affairs 2020 - European Medical Devices

4.5

(527)

A practical course discussing the EU Medical Device Regulation (MDR) in real-world situations...

13. Batteries and Electric Vehicles

Batteries and Electric Vehicles: This course will focus on aspects of battery performance in zero emission vehicles, EV charger networks and second life applications of EV batteries, and standards and regulatory requirements...

14. Medical Device Regulation 2017/745 EU regulatory affairs.

4.3

(764)

Understand regulations for medical devices in simple terms to gain market approval of a medical device in the EU...

15. The Simplest Guide to Clinical Trials Data Analysis with SAS

4.4

(1,044)

Step into the world of Pharmaceutical industry Clinical Trials Clinical Research Biostatistics Clinical SAS SAS...

16. ISO 13485 Demystified - Medical Devices' QMS 360° Insights

(648)

Deep dive into the world of ISO 13485 international standard for medical devices' QMS, basic concepts & requirements...

17. Introduction to Compliance Risk Management CRM

4.1

(300)

Compliance risk management CRM for Compliance, Risk Management, Internal Audit and IS Security Professionals...

18. ISO 13485 - IQOQPQ - Process Validation for Medical Devices

4.1

(389)

Installation Qualification (IQ), Operational Qualification (OQ) & Performance Qualification (PQ) Medical Devices...

19. Medical Devices Quality Management System - ISO 13485:2016

4.2

(631)

Awareness and Application for the requirements of ISO 13485:2016 for Medical Device Development and QMS...

20. ISO 9001, ISO 14001 & ISO 45001 Internal Auditor

4.1

(348)

Integrated Management System ISO 9001, ISO 14001 & ISO 45001 Internal Auditor...

Top 10 most affordable universities for regulatory affairs directors

The most affordable schools for regulatory affairs directors are SUNY Farmingdale, university of florida, and california state university - bakersfield.

If the best universities for regulatory affairs directors 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 regulatory affairs directors.

1. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

2. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

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. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

6. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

7. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

8. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

9. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

10. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,238

Cost of attendance

21,567

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for regulatory affairs directors

The hardest universities for regulatory affairs directors to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for regulatory affairs directors 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 regulatory affairs directors 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

SAT average

1,497

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

5. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

7. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

8. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

9. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,517

10. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,520

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for regulatory affairs directors

The easiest schools for regulatory affairs directors to get into are Barry University, university of north texas at dallas, and oklahoma wesleyan university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a regulatory affairs director 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 regulatory affairs directors.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

3. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

4. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

5. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

6. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

7. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

8. University of Baltimore

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,020

9. Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,050

10. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

Average regulatory affairs director salary by education level

Regulatory affairs directors with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $160,670 annually. With a Master's degree, regulatory affairs directors earn a median annual income of $151,604 compared to $134,684 for regulatory affairs directors with an Bachelor's degree.

Regulatory affairs director education level	Regulatory affairs director salary
Master's Degree	$151,604
High School Diploma or Less	$105,181
Bachelor's Degree	$134,684
Doctorate Degree	$160,670
Some College/ Associate Degree	$110,719

Regulatory affairs director education FAQs

What is the best college for Regulatory Affairs Directors?

Have more questions? See all answers to common executive management questions.

Search for regulatory affairs director jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

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.

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse executive management jobs