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Scientific programmer analyst education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a scientific programmer analyst. Scientific programmer analysts usually study computer science, meteorology, or mathematics. 71% of scientific programmer analysts hold a bachelor's degree, and 21% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 92 real scientific programmer analyst resumes to see exactly what scientific programmer analyst education sections show.

The most common colleges for scientific programmer analysts are the Purdue University and the Purdue University.

There are also many online scientific programmer analyst courses to help get the education required to be a scientific programmer analyst.

What education do you need to become a scientific programmer analyst?

What degree do you need to be a scientific programmer analyst?

The most common degree for scientific programmer analysts is bachelor's degree, with 71% of scientific programmer analysts earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 21% and master's degree degree at 5%.
  • Bachelor's, 71%
  • Master's, 21%
  • Doctorate, 5%
  • Diploma, 1%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a scientific programmer analyst?

You should major in computer science to become a scientific programmer analyst. 23% of scientific programmer analysts major in computer science. Other common majors for a scientific programmer analyst include meteorology and mathematics.

Most common colleges for scientific programmer analysts

Scientific programmer analysts often get their degrees at Purdue University, University of Maryland - College Park, and University of Houston. Here are the most common colleges for scientific programmer analysts in the US based on their resumes.
Scientific programmer analyst common collegePercentages
Purdue University10.53%
University of Maryland - College Park10.53%
University of Houston7.89%
Drexel University7.89%
Pennsylvania State University7.89%

Best majors for scientific programmer analysts

Best colleges for scientific programmer analysts

The best colleges for scientific programmer analysts are Northwestern University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Duke University.

A scientific programmer analyst with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for scientific programmer analysts. 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 scientific programmer analysts.

1. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

2. University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$13,226

Enrollment

31,568

3. University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$14,184

Enrollment

30,845

4. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

5. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

6. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

7. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,465

Enrollment

6,483

8. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

In-state tuition

$53,399

Enrollment

7,356

9. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

10. Dartmouth College

Hanover, NH • Private

In-state tuition

$55,453

Enrollment

4,312

20 best online courses for scientific programmer analysts

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Use Python, SQL and Statistics to advance your programming skills and refine your ability to work with messy, complex datasets...

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Prepare for a data science career by learning the fundamental data programming tools: R, SQL, command line, and git...

5. C++ For C Programmers, Part B

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This course is for experienced C programmers who want to program in C++. The examples and exercises require a basic understanding of algorithms and object-oriented software...

6. Data Structures and Algorithms In C# ( DSA )

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20. Intro to Data Analytics

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Top 10 most affordable universities for scientific programmer analysts

The most affordable schools for scientific programmer analysts are California State University - Long Beach, hunter college of the city university of new york, and city college of new york of the city university of new york, the.

If the best universities for scientific programmer analysts 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 scientific programmer analysts.

1. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

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. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,140

Cost of attendance

14,430

4. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

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. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

8. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

9. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Cost of attendance

25,275

10. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for scientific programmer analysts

The hardest universities for scientific programmer analysts to get into are Northwestern University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Duke University.

Some great schools for scientific programmer analysts 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 scientific programmer analysts 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

8%

SAT average

1,508

2. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

3. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,516

4. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

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

6%

SAT average

1,512

7. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

8. Dartmouth College

Hanover, NH • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,488

9. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

10. University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, CA • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,448

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for scientific programmer analysts

The easiest schools for scientific programmer analysts to get into are Texas A&M; University - Kingsville, university of the incarnate word, and washington adventist hospital.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a scientific programmer analyst 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 scientific programmer analysts.

1. Texas A&M University - Kingsville

Kingsville, TX • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,035

2. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

3. Washington Adventist Hospital

Takoma Park, MD • Private

Admissions rate

52%

SAT average

958

4. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

5. San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,054

6. The University of Texas at El Paso

El Paso, TX • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,035

7. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

8. Lamar University

Beaumont, TX • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,043

9. Old Dominion University

Norfolk, VA • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,093

10. Indiana State University

Terre Haute, IN • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

1,019

Average scientific programmer analyst salary by education level

According to our data, scientific programmer analysts with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $92,389 annually. Scientific programmer analysts with a Doctorate degree earn an average annual salary of $91,769.
Scientific programmer analyst education levelScientific programmer analyst salary
Master's Degree$92,389
Bachelor's Degree$85,363
Doctorate Degree$91,769
Some College/ Associate Degree$76,779

Scientific programmer analyst education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
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.

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