Research coordinator education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a research coordinator. Research coordinators usually study psychology, nursing, or biology. 65% of research coordinators hold a bachelor's degree, and 18% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 7,582 real research coordinator resumes to see exactly what research coordinator education sections show.

The most common colleges for research coordinators are the New York University and the New York University.

There are also many online research coordinator courses to help get the education required to be a research coordinator.

There are certain research coordinator certifications that you should consider. These research coordinator certifications include Certified Clinical Research Professional (CCRP) and Certified Clinical Research Coordinator (CCRC).

What education do you need to become a research coordinator?

What degree do you need to be a research coordinator?

The most common degree for research coordinators is bachelor's degree, with 65% of research coordinators earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 18% and master's degree degree at 8%.

Bachelor's, 65%

Master's, 18%

Associate, 8%

Doctorate, 4%

Other Degrees, 5%

What should I major in to become a research coordinator?

You should major in psychology to become a research coordinator. 23% of research coordinators major in psychology. Other common majors for a research coordinator include nursing and biology.

Psychology, 23%

Nursing, 13%

Biology, 12%

Business, 10%

Other Majors, 42%

Most common colleges for research coordinators

Research coordinators often get their degrees at New York University, University of Washington, and University of Houston. Here are the most common colleges for research coordinators in the US based on their resumes.

Research coordinator common college	Percentages
New York University	9.10%
University of Washington	7.28%
University of Houston	6.37%
University of Maryland - College Park	6.11%
University of Phoenix	5.85%

Show more common research coordinator colleges

Best majors for research coordinators

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Psychology	22.7%
2	Nursing	13.2%
3	Biology	11.9%
4	Business	9.9%
5	Public Health	4.9%

Show more common research coordinator majors

Best colleges for research coordinators

The best colleges for research coordinators are Northwestern University, Duke University, and Johns Hopkins University.

A research coordinator 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 coordinators. 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 coordinators.

1. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

2. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

4. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,625

Enrollment

17,407

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

6. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

7. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

8. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

9. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

10. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

20 best online courses for research coordinators

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3. Statistics / Data Analysis: Survey Data and Likert Scales

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7. Certificate Course in Clinical Research (CCCR)

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20. Data Science:Data Mining & Natural Language Processing in R

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Harness the Power of Machine Learning in R for Data/Text Mining, & Natural Language Processing with Practical Examples...

Top 10 most affordable universities for research coordinators

The most affordable schools for research coordinators are California State University - Bakersfield, california state university - long beach, and suny farmingdale.

If the best universities for research coordinators 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 coordinators.

1. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

2. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

3. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

4. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

5. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

6. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

7. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

8. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

9. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

10. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for research coordinators

The hardest universities for research coordinators to get into are Northwestern University, Duke University, and Johns Hopkins University.

Some great schools for research coordinators 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 coordinators 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. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

2. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,516

3. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

5. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,512

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

7. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

8. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

9. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

Admissions rate

23%

SAT average

1,434

10. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for research coordinators

The easiest schools for research coordinators to get into are D'Youville College, bluefield college, and oklahoma wesleyan university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a research coordinator 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 coordinators.

1. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

2. Bluefield College

Bluefield, VA • Private

Admissions rate

95%

SAT average

980

3. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

4. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

5. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

6. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

7. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

8. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

9. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

10. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

Average research coordinator salary by education level

Research coordinators with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $61,743 annually. With a Master's degree, research coordinators earn a median annual income of $58,407 compared to $53,150 for research coordinators with an Bachelor's degree.

Research coordinator education level	Research coordinator salary
Master's Degree	$58,407
High School Diploma or Less	$43,881
Bachelor's Degree	$53,150
Doctorate Degree	$61,743
Some College/ Associate Degree	$45,806

Research coordinator education FAQs

What is the best college for Research Coordinators?

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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

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