Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Research volunteer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a research volunteer. Research volunteers usually study biology, psychology, or biochemistry, biophysics, molecular biology. 74% of research volunteers hold a bachelor's degree, and 13% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 3,707 real research volunteer resumes to see exactly what research volunteer education sections show.
The most common colleges for research volunteers are the University of California - Davis and the University of California - Davis.
There are also many online research volunteer courses to help get the education required to be a research volunteer.
What education do you need to become a research volunteer?
What degree do you need to be a research volunteer?
- Bachelor's, 74%
- Master's, 13%
- Associate, 5%
- Doctorate, 4%
- Other Degrees, 4%
What should I major in to become a research volunteer?
- Biology, 24%
- Psychology, 18%
- Chemistry, 6%
- Other Majors, 46%
Most common colleges for research volunteers
| Research volunteer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of California - Davis | 12.77% |
| University of California, Santa Barbara | 10.90% |
| University of Florida | 7.71% |
| New York University | 5.59% |
| Ohio State University | 5.59% |
Best majors for research volunteers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Biology | 23.9% |
| 2 | Psychology | 17.6% |
| 3 | Biochemistry, Biophysics, Molecular Biology | 5.6% |
| 4 | Chemistry | 5.5% |
| 5 | Biotechnology | 4.3% |
Best colleges for research volunteers
The best colleges for research volunteers are Harvard University, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Duke University.
A research volunteer 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 volunteers. 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 volunteers.
1. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
2. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
3. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
4. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
5. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
6. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
In-state tuition
$53,399
Enrollment
7,356
7. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
8. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
9. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
10. SUNY Stony Brook
Stony Brook, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,625
Enrollment
17,407
20 best online courses for research volunteers
Advertising disclosure
1. Psychological Research
This specialization is primarily aimed at first- and second-year undergraduates interested in psychology, data analysis, ethics in research, and quantitative research methods along with high school students and professionals with similar interests.\n\nLearners will develop knowledge about the fundamentals of research design for quantitative studies in psychology, analysis of data from quantitative studies in psychology, and ethical standards for conducting psychological research. Learning...
2. 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...
3. SPSS For Research
SPSS data analysis made easy. Become an expert in advanced statistical analysis with SPSS...
4. Research Methodology: Complete Research Project Blueprint
Research Methodology From A-Z. A Step-by-Step Guide Through Research Design, Data Collection, Analysis, & Interpretation...
5. Data Science for Health Research
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...
6. Understanding Clinical Research: Behind the Statistics
If you’ve ever skipped over the results section of a medical paper because terms like “confidence interval” or “p-value” go over your head, then you’re in the right place. You may be a clinical practitioner reading research articles to keep up-to-date with developments in your field or a medical student wondering how to approach your own research. Greater confidence in understanding statistical analysis and the results can benefit both working professionals and those undertaking research...
7. Statistics / Data Analysis in SPSS: Inferential Statistics
Increase Your Data Analytic Skills – Highly Valued And Sought After By Employers...
8. Statistics / Data Analysis: Survey Data and Likert Scales
How to Process Survey Data and Analyze Likert Scales In SPSS...
9. 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...
10. SPSS Masterclass: Learn SPSS From Scratch to Advanced
The Only Course You Will Ever Need to Learn IBM SPSS Statistics, Research, & Data Analysis Scratch to Advanced Level...
11. Research Methodology
Academic Research Business Research Thesis & Dissertation Report Research Paper / Journal...
12. The 16-hour SPSS Pro: Analysis, Interpretation, and Write-Up
16 Hours of Instruction From a 13 Year Researcher and College Instructor...
13. Qualitative Data Analysis using MAXQDA: Scratch to Advanced
Master Qualitative Research Method, Content Analysis, Grounded Theory, Thematic Analysis and more with MAXQDA Analytics...
14. Complete Data Wrangling & Data Visualisation With Python
Learn to Preprocess, Wrangle and Visualise Data For Practical Data Science Applications in Python...
15. Statistics/Data Analysis with SPSS: Descriptive Statistics
Increase Your Descriptive Data Analytic Skills – Highly Valued And Sought After By Employers...
16. Complete Data Entry Skills Course - Learn Data Entry Skills
Learn Essential Data Entry Skills Now To Enhance Your Career -Word - Excel - Database - Data Entry Jobs...
17. Fundamentals of Data Analysis for Big Data
This course prepares participants to begin running data analysis on databases...
18. Data Entry Skills: A Complete Data Entry Course from Scratch
A Complete Guide to Data Entry Skills: Learn Data Entry Skills and become a Data Entry Pro & Get a Online Data Entry Job...
19. Market Research: Dekker's Complete Marketing Research Course
Competitor Analysis, Market Research Analysis, Marketing Analytics, Consumer Analytics, Conversion Rate Optimization...
20. Global Marketing Research and Analytics
Understand and conduct market research on a global scale...
Top 10 most affordable universities for research volunteers
The most affordable schools for research volunteers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, hunter college of the city university of new york, and california state university - bakersfield.
If the best universities for research volunteers 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 volunteers.
1. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
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 - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
4. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
5. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
6. Queens College of the City University of New York
Queens, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,338
Cost of attendance
14,281
7. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
8. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
9. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
10. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for research volunteers
The hardest universities for research volunteers to get into are Harvard University, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Duke University.
Some great schools for research volunteers 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 volunteers 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. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
3. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
4. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
5. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
6. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
7. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
8. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
9. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
10. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for research volunteers
The easiest schools for research volunteers to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, kean university, and felician university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a research volunteer 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 volunteers.
1. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
2. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
3. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
4. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
5. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
6. Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey - Camden
Camden, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,086
7. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,054
8. William Paterson University of New Jersey
Wayne, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
994
9. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
10. American International College
Springfield, MA • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
1,010
Average research volunteer salary by education level
| Research volunteer education level | Research volunteer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $65,031 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $52,889 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $55,373 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $58,159 |
Research volunteer education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common life, physical, and social science questions.
Search for research volunteer jobs
Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025