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Research Fellow Education Requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a research fellow. Research fellows usually study chemistry, biology, or biochemistry, biophysics, molecular biology. 47% of research fellows hold a bachelor's degree, and 32% hold an doctoral degree. We analyzed 21,509 real research fellow resumes to see exactly what research fellow education sections show.
The most common colleges for research fellows are the University of California, Santa Barbara and the University of California, Santa Barbara.
There are also many online research fellow courses to help get the education required to be a research fellow.
There are certain research fellow certifications that you should consider. These research fellow certifications include Certified Clinical Research Professional (CCRP) and Clinical Research Assistant.
What education do you need to become a research fellow?
What degree do you need to be a research fellow?
- Bachelor's, 47%
- Doctorate, 32%
- Master's, 18%
- Associate, 1%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a research fellow?
- Chemistry, 16%
- Biology, 15%
- Psychology, 6%
- Other Majors, 51%
Most common colleges for research fellows
| Research Fellow Common College | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of California, Santa Barbara | 7.58% |
| University of Maryland - College Park | 6.96% |
| University of California - Davis | 6.62% |
| New York University | 5.89% |
| National University | 5.33% |
Best majors for research fellows
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chemistry | 16.2% |
| 2 | Biology | 14.8% |
| 3 | Biochemistry, Biophysics, Molecular Biology | 12.5% |
| 4 | Psychology | 6.3% |
| 5 | Microbiology | 5.4% |
Best colleges for research fellows
The best colleges for research fellows are Harvard University, Duke University, and Columbia University in the City of New York.
A research fellow 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 fellows. 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 fellows.
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 fellows
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In Data Science for Health Research, learn to organize and visualize health data using statistical analysis in programs like R. Explore how to translate data, interpret statistical models, and predict outcomes to help make data-informed decisions within the public health field...
3. The Beginners Course for Clinical Research
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4. Research Methodology: Complete Research Project Blueprint
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5. Foundations of Health Equity Research
Introduces students to the core principles of health equity research. Covers topics such as defining health equity, engaging community and policy stakeholders, patient-centeredness, cultural competence, and dissemination of research findings. Content will recognize different geographic, cultural, and social contexts where health inequities occur...
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. Applied Statistical Modeling for Data Analysis in R
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8. Research Methodology
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9. Clinical Trials Data Management and Quality Assurance
In this course, you’ll learn to collect and care for the data gathered during your trial and how to prevent mistakes and errors through quality assurance practices. Clinical trials generate an enormous amount of data, so you and your team must plan carefully by choosing the right collection instruments, systems, and measures to protect the integrity of your trial data. You’ll learn how to assemble, clean, and de-identify your datasets. Finally, you’ll learn to find and correct deficiencies...
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In this course, the second in the Market Research Specialization, you will go in-depth with qualitative market research methods, from design to implementation to analysis. Week 1: Define qualitative research and how it differs from quantitative research. Explore the various qualitative research methods and evaluate when and how to use them for your research project. Week 2: Design the qualitative instruments necessary for your interviews or focus groups, and plan your recruitment efforts. Write...
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12. Clinical Research for beginners
The Art of Publishing - Master Pub Med, Study design, Biostatistics, Journal choice, Manuscript writing & Referencing...
13. How to Visualize Research Data in Tableau
Publishing research often requires the preparation of visual elements like charts, tables, and graphs to better explain the text in a research report. Creating these elements can be done easily and effectively in Tableau. Using Tableau, large and small data sets can be visualized with precision, creativity, interactivity, and options in Tableau. After taking this course learners will know how to create a table, a geovisualization, and a pie chart. Three of the most common research...
14. Good Clinical Practice ICH GCP for Clinical Research
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15. Basic of Clinical Data Management
Clinical Data Management...
16. Market Research: Dekker's Complete Marketing Research Course
Competitor Analysis, Market Research Analysis, Marketing Analytics, Consumer Analytics, Conversion Rate Optimization...
17. Qualitative Data Analysis using MAXQDA: Scratch to Advanced
Master Qualitative Research Method, Content Analysis, Grounded Theory, Thematic Analysis and more with MAXQDA Analytics...
18. Global Marketing Research and Analytics
Understand and conduct market research on a global scale...
19. Data Science:Data Mining & Natural Language Processing in R
Harness the Power of Machine Learning in R for Data/Text Mining, & Natural Language Processing with Practical Examples...
20. Certificate Course in Clinical Research (CCCR)
A Clinical Research Course-ICH-GCP E6(R2), Clinical Trials, Essential Documents, Sponsor, Investigator, Pharmaceuticals...
Top 10 most affordable universities for research fellows
The most affordable schools for research fellows 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 fellows 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 fellows.
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 fellows
The hardest universities for research fellows to get into are Harvard University, Duke University, and Columbia University in the City of New York.
Some great schools for research fellows 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 fellows 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 fellows
The easiest schools for research fellows 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 fellow 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 fellows.
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 fellow salary by education level
| Research Fellow education level | Research Fellow salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $52,461 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $51,599 |
| Doctorate Degree | $54,664 |
Research Fellow Education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025