Research project coordinator education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a research project coordinator. Research project coordinators usually study psychology, biology, or business. 67% of research project coordinators hold a bachelor's degree, and 21% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 3,035 real research project coordinator resumes to see exactly what research project coordinator education sections show.

The most common colleges for research project coordinators are the University of California - Davis and the University of California - Davis.

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

There are certain research project coordinator certifications that you should consider. These research project coordinator certifications include Certified Clinical Research Professional (CCRP) and Master Project Manager (MPM).

What education do you need to become a research project coordinator?

What degree do you need to be a research project coordinator?

The most common degree for research project coordinators is bachelor's degree, with 67% of research project coordinators earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 21% and master's degree degree at 4%.

Bachelor's, 67%

Master's, 21%

Doctorate, 4%

Associate, 4%

Other Degrees, 4%

What should I major in to become a research project coordinator?

You should major in psychology to become a research project coordinator. 18% of research project coordinators major in psychology. Other common majors for a research project coordinator include biology and business.

Psychology, 18%

Biology, 14%

Business, 12%

Political Science, 5%

Other Majors, 51%

Most common colleges for research project coordinators

Research project coordinators often get their degrees at University of California - Davis, University of California, Santa Barbara, and Emory University. Here are the most common colleges for research project coordinators in the US based on their resumes.

Research project coordinator common college	Percentages
University of California - Davis	8.13%
University of California, Santa Barbara	7.07%
Emory University	7.07%
Northeastern University	6.36%
University of Washington	5.30%

Show more common research project coordinator colleges

Best majors for research project coordinators

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Psychology	17.9%
2	Biology	13.7%
3	Business	11.6%
4	Political Science	4.9%
5	Sociology	4.2%

Show more common research project coordinator majors

Best colleges for research project coordinators

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

A research project 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 project 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 project coordinators.

1. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

2. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

5. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

6. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,465

Enrollment

6,483

7. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

In-state tuition

$53,399

Enrollment

7,356

8. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

9. University of California - San Diego

La Jolla, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$14,167

Enrollment

30,279

10. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

20 best online courses for research project coordinators

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

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How to Process Survey Data and Analyze Likert Scales In SPSS...

4. Research Methodology: Complete Research Project Blueprint

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Top 10 most affordable universities for research project coordinators

The most affordable schools for research project coordinators are Hunter College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and baruch college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for research project 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 project coordinators.

1. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

2. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

3. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

4. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

6. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

7. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

8. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Cost of attendance

25,275

9. San Jose State University

San Jose, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,796

Cost of attendance

24,514

10. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for research project coordinators

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

Some great schools for research project 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 project 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. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

3. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,516

4. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

5. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

6. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,512

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

8. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

9. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

Admissions rate

23%

SAT average

1,434

10. Swarthmore College

Swarthmore, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,465

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

The easiest schools for research project coordinators to get into are Bluefield College, notre dame de namur university, and life university.

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

1. Bluefield College

Bluefield, VA • Private

Admissions rate

95%

SAT average

980

2. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

3. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

979

4. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

5. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

6. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

7. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

8. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

9. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

10. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

Average research project coordinator salary by education level

According to our data, research project coordinators with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $59,593 annually. Research project coordinators with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $56,773.

Research project coordinator education level	Research project coordinator salary
Master's Degree	$56,773
High School Diploma or Less	$44,234
Bachelor's Degree	$52,287
Doctorate Degree	$59,593
Some College/ Associate Degree	$45,923

Research project coordinator education FAQs

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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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