How To Become A Scientific Programmer Analyst: What It Is and Career Path

What is a scientific programmer analyst and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Erik Johnson Ph.D.

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a scientific programmer analyst. For example, did you know that they make an average of $40.29 an hour? That's $83,798 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 9% and produce 56,000 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a scientific programmer analyst?

Erik Johnson Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Economics, Carthage College

Economics gives you a set of tools to analyze a variety of policy and business problems. However, determining which tools to apply in which situation requires that you learn the industry, you are working from top to bottom. When you begin a new job in a new field, be sure to do everything you can to understand how the organization and the industry work to understand the primary incentives that everyone faces. One right way to do this is to make as many connections within the company you are working for as possible, and always be on the lookout for new opportunities within the company and how they can help you learn more. Moreover, do your best to ensure that a significant portion of your job involves some creative endeavors, such as economic modeling or building tools for yourself or others to use. As computing power continues to become cheaper, and artificial intelligence becomes more advanced, relatively repetitive tasks become more comfortable and easier to automate. Therefore, you will have less job security. Creative tasks, such as modeling and tool building, are difficult to automate and are more likely to provide you with more satisfaction.

ScoreScientific Programmer AnalystUS Average

Salary

6.5

Avg. Salary $83,798

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.3

Growth rate 9%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.19%

Asian 14.55%

Black or African American 10.32%

Hispanic or Latino 11.08%

Unknown 5.01%

White 58.85%

Gender

female 25.29%

male 74.71%

Age - 42

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 42

Stress level

5.3

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.3

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.8

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a scientific programmer analyst

Explore scientific programmer analyst education requirements

Most common scientific programmer analyst degrees

Bachelor's

71.4 %

Master's

21.4 %

Doctorate

4.8 %

Start to develop specific scientific programmer analyst skills

Skills	Percentages
Python	28.58%
Linux	14.35%
MATLAB	12.18%
Unix	7.78%
Fortran	7.12%

Complete relevant scientific programmer analyst training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New scientific programmer analysts learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a scientific programmer analyst based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real scientific programmer analyst resumes.

Research scientific programmer analyst duties and responsibilities

Conduct comparative functional assessment of simulation models written in FORTRAN code, which lead to DoD-wide adoption of assessment results.
Manage to increase company productivity by implementing digital scanning system to replace handwriting practices while being responsible for entire SDLC process.
Port HP-UX programs to Linux.
Develop graphical user interfaces (GUI).

Apply for scientific programmer analyst jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a scientific programmer analyst job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

Average scientific programmer analyst salary

The average scientific programmer analyst salary in the United States is $83,798 per year or $40 per hour. Scientific programmer analyst salaries range between $64,000 and $108,000 per year.

Average scientific programmer analyst salary

$83,798 Yearly

$40.29 hourly

What is a scientific programmer analyst and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a scientific programmer analyst?

Scientific programmer analyst career paths

Key steps to become a scientific programmer analyst

Explore scientific programmer analyst education requirements

Most common scientific programmer analyst degrees

Start to develop specific scientific programmer analyst skills

Complete relevant scientific programmer analyst training and internships

Research scientific programmer analyst duties and responsibilities

Apply for scientific programmer analyst jobs

How did you land your first scientific programmer analyst job

Average scientific programmer analyst salary

How do scientific programmer analysts rate their job?