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Research and development scientist education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a research and development scientist. Research and development scientists usually study chemistry, biology, or biochemistry, biophysics, molecular biology. 62% of research and development scientists hold a bachelor's degree, and 17% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 3,583 real research and development scientist resumes to see exactly what research and development scientist education sections show.
The most common colleges for research and development scientists are the University of California, Santa Barbara and the University of California, Santa Barbara.
There are also many online research and development scientist courses to help get the education required to be a research and development scientist.
What education do you need to become a research and development scientist?
What degree do you need to be a research and development scientist?
- Bachelor's, 62%
- Master's, 17%
- Doctorate, 10%
- Associate, 7%
- Other Degrees, 4%
What should I major in to become a research and development scientist?
Most common colleges for research and development scientists
| Research and development scientist common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of California, Santa Barbara | 11.95% |
| Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey | 9.62% |
| Purdue University | 6.71% |
| Drexel University | 5.54% |
| Brigham Young University | 5.25% |
Best majors for research and development scientists
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chemistry | 25.7% |
| 2 | Biology | 15.1% |
| 3 | Biochemistry, Biophysics, Molecular Biology | 8.8% |
| 4 | Chemical Engineering | 5.8% |
| 5 | Pharmacy | 5.4% |
Best colleges for research and development scientists
The best colleges for research and development scientists are Harvard University, Duke University, and Columbia University in the City of New York.
A research and development 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 research and development 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 research and development 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 research and development 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. 50 Personal Development And Personal Productivity Skills
Personal transformation to be a top-1% performer! Personal development, business productivity, and personal productivity...
5. Strategic Product Development
This course discusses how companies create new products that customers want while achieving their financial objectives. Learners begin by defining the product strategies necessary to ensure a company’s long-term growth. Learners then explore the different product development processes used by high-tech businesses today, such as Stage-Gate and Lean/Agile techniques. Learners conclude by illustrating the tools to build the high-performance teams that take the development process from concept...
6. Market Research
The Market Research Specialisation focuses on the essentials of research and the research process. This Specialisation will teach you how to use qualitative and quantitative research methods, how to develop and manage a questionnaire development strategy, how to develop measurements, how to collect data and how to analyze and present them.\n\nOnce you have completed this Specialisation, you will have a good understanding of market research including:\n\nEssentials of market research Components...
7. Mechanical design and Product development process
Learn the basic ideas and concepts behind developing mechanical products related to mechanical engineering...
8. Product Development & Systems Engineering
The complete Product Development & Systems Engineering course! Earn 25 contact hours AND prepare to take the INCOSE Exam...
9. Mastering Software Development in R
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,...
10. Product and Service Development: Empathy Mapping with Miro
By the end of this project, you will be fluent in identifying and creating Empathy Maps based on persona for new products and services and in deriving opportunities from your analysis, thus generating positive results for your business venture. This project is designed to engage and harness your visionary and exploratory abilities. You will use proven models in strategy and product development with the Miro platform to explore and analyze customer data combined with the development of Empathy...
11. Certificate Course in Drug Regulatory Affairs (DRA)
Pharma course (NDA, ANDA, CTD, DMF, USFDA, Regulatory strategy, GMP, Clinical Research, Orange Book, Pharmaceuticals)...
12. Global Marketing Research and Analytics
Understand and conduct market research on a global scale...
13. New Product Development For Small Businesses and Start-Ups
In this 1 hr 40 mins long project-based course, you will learn about the process of developing a new product for start-up companies, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). You will learn about idea generation and the evaluation processes in product development by using an idea generation model and online resources like Google Trends and Amazon. You will use methods to evaluate your product concept through market segmentation, growth potential, and the competition to your product. You...
14. Understanding Research Methods
This MOOC is about demystifying research and research methods. It will outline the fundamentals of doing research, aimed primarily, but not exclusively, at the postgraduate level. It places the student experience at the centre of our endeavours by engaging learners in a range of robust and challenging discussions and exercises befitting SOAS, University of London's status as a research-intensive university and its rich research heritage. The course will appeal to those of you who require an...
15. Certificate Course in Clinical Research (CCCR)
A Clinical Research Course-ICH-GCP E6(R2), Clinical Trials, Essential Documents, Sponsor, Investigator, Pharmaceuticals...
16. Fast-start Usability Testing and UX Research - Begin Today!
Beginner to advanced in mere hours! Learn to confidently use modern, effective usability testing and UX research methods...
17. Manufacturing Guide for Mechanical Product Development
Learn how everyday physical products are manufactured with no prior experience in engineering...
18. Qualitative Data Analysis using MAXQDA: Scratch to Advanced
Master Qualitative Research Method, Content Analysis, Grounded Theory, Thematic Analysis and more with MAXQDA Analytics...
19. Executive Coaching and Business Case Development
The Guide to Executive Coaching and Business Case Development Success...
20. Research Methodology: Complete Research Project Blueprint
Research Methodology From A-Z. A Step-by-Step Guide Through Research Design, Data Collection, Analysis, & Interpretation...
Top 10 most affordable universities for research and development scientists
The most affordable schools for research and development 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 research and development 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 research and development 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 research and development scientists
The hardest universities for research and development scientists to get into are Harvard University, Duke University, and Columbia University in the City of New York.
Some great schools for research and development 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 research and development 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 research and development scientists
The easiest schools for research and development 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 research and development 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 research and development 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 research and development scientist salary by education level
| Research and development scientist education level | Research and development scientist salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $87,756 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $86,163 |
| Doctorate Degree | $91,840 |
Research and development scientist education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025