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Senior medical writer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a senior medical writer. Senior medical writers usually study nursing, biology, or pharmacy. 55% of senior medical writers hold a bachelor's degree, and 16% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 520 real senior medical writer resumes to see exactly what senior medical writer education sections show.
The most common colleges for senior medical writers are the University of Connecticut and the University of Connecticut.
There are also many online senior medical writer courses to help get the education required to be a senior medical writer.
There are certain senior medical writer certifications that you should consider. These senior medical writer certifications include Medical Assistant and Clinical Trial Investigator (CTI).
What education do you need to become a senior medical writer?
What degree do you need to be a senior medical writer?
- Bachelor's, 55%
- Master's, 16%
- Doctorate, 14%
- Associate, 9%
- Other Degrees, 6%
What should I major in to become a senior medical writer?
- Nursing, 22%
- Biology, 15%
- Pharmacy, 6%
- Psychology, 6%
- Other Majors, 51%
Most common colleges for senior medical writers
| Senior medical writer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Connecticut | 9.84% |
| University of Pennsylvania | 8.20% |
| University of Delaware | 8.20% |
| University of Florida | 4.92% |
| Widener University | 4.92% |
Best majors for senior medical writers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nursing | 22.2% |
| 2 | Biology | 14.5% |
| 3 | Pharmacy | 6.0% |
| 4 | Psychology | 5.6% |
| 5 | Microbiology | 5.6% |
Best colleges for senior medical writers
The best colleges for senior medical writers are Northeastern University, University of Southern California, and Vanderbilt University.
A senior medical writer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for senior medical writers. 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 senior medical writers.
1. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
2. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,522
Enrollment
13,760
3. University of Houston
Houston, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$8,913
Enrollment
37,291
4. University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, WI • Private
In-state tuition
$10,555
Enrollment
30,360
5. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
6. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
7. SUNY Stony Brook
Stony Brook, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,625
Enrollment
17,407
8. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,207
Enrollment
30,905
9. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
10. University of Georgia
Athens, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,830
Enrollment
29,474
20 best online courses for senior medical writers
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Top 10 most affordable universities for senior medical writers
The most affordable schools for senior medical writers are University of Florida, brigham young university, and hunter college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for senior medical writers 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 senior medical writers.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
3. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
4. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
5. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Cost of attendance
25,527
6. 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
7. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
8. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
9. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
10. York College of the City University of New York
Jamaica, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,158
Cost of attendance
14,204
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for senior medical writers
The hardest universities for senior medical writers to get into are Northeastern University, University of Southern California, and Vanderbilt University.
Some great schools for senior medical writers 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 senior medical writers 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. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
2. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
3. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
4. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
5. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
Admissions rate
23%
SAT average
1,434
6. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
7. Georgetown University
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,456
8. University of Miami
Coral Gables, FL • Private
Admissions rate
32%
SAT average
1,365
9. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
Admissions rate
23%
SAT average
1,398
10. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for senior medical writers
The easiest schools for senior medical writers to get into are D'Youville College, mount saint mary's university, and holy names university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a senior medical writer 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 senior medical writers.
1. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
2. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
3. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
4. Saint Joseph's College of Maine
Standish, ME • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,069
5. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
6. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
7. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
8. AdventHealth University
Orlando, FL • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,016
9. Rochester University
Rochester Hills, MI • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,002
10. William Paterson University of New Jersey
Wayne, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
994
Average senior medical writer salary by education level
| Senior medical writer education level | Senior medical writer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $105,719 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $106,618 |
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025