Research scholar can be a very good position for students in college or graduate programs looking to build their resume. A research scholar is typically a college or graduate student who works under an advisor works on projects in a specific field of study, seeking to analyze and uncover new information that can be presented in academic or trade journals. Depending on department, a research scholar's duties may include, but are not limited to, data gathering, statistical analysis, laboratory experiments, and authoring research papers.
Research scholars should possess strong analytical, written, verbal, and problem-solving skills, as well as be able to work with other team members. Working as a research scholar can help a student develop further knowledge and experience in their area of study, and these skills can help in future vocations as teachers or analysts. Typically, research scholars conduct their work in addition to attending classes, and are usually paid a stipend for a set duration of time. They may also receive a tuition waiver, and some may work for organizations outside of a university as part of their research assignments.
Depending on whether or not the researcher is a college student, graduate student, or post-graduate, some research scholars can make up to $58,000 a year, and job growth for this field is projected at 8% by 2028.
What is a Research Scholar?
What Does a Research Scholar Do
There are certain skills that many research scholars have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed analytical skills, detail oriented and communication skills.
How To Become a Research Scholar
If you're interested in becoming a research scholar, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 55.4% of research scholars have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 24.4% of research scholars have master's degrees. Even though most research scholars have a college degree, it's impossible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Research Scholar Career Paths
As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, a research scholar can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as research fellow, progress to a title such as research scientist and then eventually end up with the title senior scientist.
Average Salary for a Research Scholar
What Am I Worth?
States With The Most Research Scholar Jobs
Mouse over a state to see the number of active research scholar jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where research scholars earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
Number Of Research Scholar Jobs By State
| Rank | State | Number of Jobs | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 4,124 | $73,360 |
| 2 | Texas | 1,476 | $52,472 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | 1,340 | $68,580 |
| 4 | Florida | 1,321 | $47,106 |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | 1,104 | $47,820 |
| 6 | Illinois | 1,084 | $61,131 |
| 7 | New Jersey | 988 | $79,449 |
| 8 | New York | 937 | $60,734 |
| 9 | North Carolina | 820 | $55,531 |
| 10 | Virginia | 775 | $52,852 |
| 11 | Michigan | 729 | $39,869 |
| 12 | Colorado | 725 | $53,634 |
| 13 | Ohio | 711 | $49,093 |
| 14 | Minnesota | 710 | $53,989 |
| 15 | Georgia | 706 | $60,289 |
| 16 | Washington | 691 | $64,375 |
| 17 | Oregon | 604 | $62,104 |
| 18 | Missouri | 525 | $57,908 |
| 19 | Indiana | 476 | $54,594 |
| 20 | Arizona | 474 | $63,457 |
| 21 | Tennessee | 471 | $47,526 |
| 22 | Wisconsin | 380 | $50,817 |
| 23 | Maryland | 312 | $55,896 |
| 24 | Connecticut | 289 | $58,258 |
| 25 | Utah | 263 | $53,040 |
| 26 | Iowa | 246 | $42,503 |
| 27 | Nebraska | 207 | $49,444 |
| 28 | New Mexico | 199 | $53,810 |
| 29 | Kentucky | 196 | $59,381 |
| 30 | Oklahoma | 195 | $38,434 |
| 31 | Louisiana | 194 | $60,444 |
| 32 | Kansas | 189 | $57,288 |
| 33 | New Hampshire | 166 | $56,445 |
| 34 | South Carolina | 153 | $55,451 |
| 35 | Alabama | 149 | $44,405 |
| 36 | Mississippi | 127 | $58,750 |
| 37 | Rhode Island | 120 | $61,545 |
| 38 | Arkansas | 116 | $60,131 |
| 39 | Idaho | 114 | $56,426 |
| 40 | Maine | 113 | $46,207 |
| 41 | West Virginia | 112 | $59,995 |
| 42 | Nevada | 103 | $63,898 |
| 43 | Delaware | 102 | $66,814 |
| 44 | Montana | 98 | $46,815 |
| 45 | Vermont | 90 | $40,218 |
| 46 | South Dakota | 77 | $46,078 |
| 47 | Hawaii | 61 | $47,856 |
| 48 | North Dakota | 59 | $45,952 |
| 49 | Wyoming | 52 | $51,920 |
| 50 | Alaska | 20 | $56,507 |
Top Colleges for Research Scholars
1. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
2. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
3. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
4. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
5. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
6. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
7. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
8. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
9. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
10. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Top Skills For a Research Scholar
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 7.0% of research scholars listed analyze data on their resume, but soft skills such as analytical skills and detail oriented are important as well.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Research Scholar Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Research Scholar templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Research Scholar resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Research Scholar Demographics
Research Scholar Gender Distribution
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among research scholars, 48.2% of them are women, while 51.8% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among research scholars is White, which makes up 58.9% of all research scholars.
- The most common foreign language among research scholars is Spanish at 24.5%.
Work Experience Programs For Research Scholars
Virtual work experience programs replicate work at top companies and help you gain the skills to be successful when applying and working there. In only a few hours, learn the relevant tools necessary to complete a typical work day at that company. Virtual work experience programs are 100% free, open-access, and self-paced. No experience or application is required!
Company: Accenture North America
Cost: Free
Duration: 4-5 hours
Company: Tata
Cost: Free
Duration: 3.5-4.5 hours
Company: BCG
Cost: Free
Duration: 5-6 hours
Company: Accenture North America
Cost: Free
Duration: 5-6 hours
Company: Herbert Smith Freehills
Cost: Free
Duration: 5-6 hours
Online Courses For Research Scholar That You May Like
SPSS data analysis made easy. Become an expert in advanced statistical analysis with SPSS...
Research Methodology From A-Z. A Step-by-Step Guide Through Research Design, Data Collection, Analysis, & Interpretation...
Academic Research Business Research Thesis & Dissertation Report Research Paper / Journal...
Best States For a Research Scholar
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a research scholar. The best states for people in this position are New Jersey, California, Massachusetts, and Delaware. Research scholars make the most in New Jersey with an average salary of $79,449. Whereas in California and Massachusetts, they would average $73,360 and $68,580, respectively. While research scholars would only make an average of $66,814 in Delaware, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. New Jersey
$79,449
Avg. Salary
2. Massachusetts
$68,580
Avg. Salary
3. California
$73,360
Avg. Salary
How Do Research Scholar Rate Their Jobs?
Top Research Scholar Employers
Most Common Employers For Research Scholar
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York University | $94,126 | $45.25 | 48 |
| 2 | Columbia University in the City of New York | $93,881 | $45.14 | 16 |
| 3 | Stanford University | $89,319 | $42.94 | 18 |
| 4 | University of California | $84,161 | $40.46 | 8 |
| 5 | Princeton University | $78,593 | $37.79 | 13 |
| 6 | Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center | $74,006 | $35.58 | 77 |
| 7 | Massachusetts General Hospital | $69,287 | $33.31 | 16 |
| 8 | NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration | $68,301 | $32.84 | 11 |
| 9 | University of California Press | $67,075 | $32.25 | 16 |
| 10 | University of Michigan | $66,294 | $31.87 | 9 |
Research Scholar Videos
