Research Assistants: How to Become One
If you were to ask a group of research assistants about how they arrived at their current job, there's a good chance you would get several different answers about the paths and steps that each person took.
That said, there are still ways that you can develop a baseline understanding of the preparation that is necessary to become one.
The Best Adult Colleges and Careers Guide has gathered data to provide you with insight into the type of education that's commonly required for research assistants to land a job. This page contains information, sourced from real job postings, that describes the experience levels and specific skills that employers of research assistants expect candidates to have. In the end, this information will help you create an education or professional development plan that aligns with your career aspirations.
Keep reading to learn more about career steps for research assistants.
What Education & Experience is Needed for Research Assistants?
Do research assistants need a degree? What kind of experience do research assistants typically need? Thanks to data sourced from Lightcast™ from real job postings, we can get some clarity on those questions, as well as the level of education that is commonly required for research assistants to secure jobs.
Education Level Required in Job Postings for Research Assistants
Jobs Postings for Research Assistants By Education
- Bachelor's degree: 6,999 (39%)
- Master's degree: 5,655 (32%)
- Ph.D. or professional degree: 3,621 (20%)
- No Education Listed: 1,034 (6%)
- High School or GED: 524 (3%)
A bachelor's degree is the level of education sought the most by employers of research assistants. According to job data, a bachelor's degree was required for 39% of positions. In 32% of job listings a master's degree was required and in 20% of postings a ph.d. or professional degree was required.
Experience Level Required in Job Postings for Research Assistants
Jobs Postings for Research Assistants By Experience
- 0-1 Years: 1,852 (26%)
- 2-3 Years: 2,954 (41%)
- 4-6 Years: 1,839 (26%)
- 7-9 Years: 252 (4%)
- 10+ Years: 287 (4%)
While the amount of required experience will vary based on the responsibility and seniority of the position, an aggregate view of job posting data can help paint a picture of the experience level sought for most job openings for research assistants. In 41% of job postings for Research Assistants, employers were looking for candidates with 2-3 years of experience. In 26% of listings employers were looking for candidates with 0-1 years of experience, while 4-6 years of experience was sought in 26% of job postings for research assistants.
What Kind of Degree Do Research Assistants Need?
So far this page has provided detail into the level of education and the amount of experience required in job openings for research assistants, but what type of education or degree will help prepare you for a career in the field?
According to occupational data obtained through Lightcast,™ there are 61 key academic programs that can help prepare prospective research assistants, and in 2021 a total of 151,626 of those programs were completed at institutions in the United States.
Check out the information below to learn more about the specific programs that should be considered by prospective research assistants.
Top Degree Programs for Research Assistants
Top 5 Degree Programs for Research Assistants (2021)
| Program | Completions |
|---|---|
| Sociology, General. | 38,336 |
| Economics, General. | 28,803 |
| Social Sciences, General. | 18,699 |
| Public Administration. | 16,791 |
| Criminology. | 10,904 |
| Program | Completions |
|---|---|
| Sociology, General. | 38,336 |
| Economics, General. | 28,803 |
| Social Sciences, General. | 18,699 |
| Public Administration. | 16,791 |
| Criminology. | 10,904 |
| Public Policy Analysis, General. | 5,667 |
| Geography. | 4,941 |
| Religion/Religious Studies. | 3,618 |
| Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General. | 2,903 |
| Women's Studies. | 2,868 |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies, Other. | 2,142 |
| American/United States Studies/Civilization. | 1,419 |
| African-American/Black Studies. | 1,196 |
| Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians. | 1,170 |
| Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution. | 1,159 |
| Asian Studies/Civilization. | 925 |
| Hispanic-American, Puerto Rican, and Mexican-American/Chicano Studies. | 883 |
| Area Studies, Other. | 775 |
| Regional Studies (U.S., Canadian, Foreign). | 686 |
| Ethnic Studies. | 673 |
| Latin American Studies. | 632 |
| East Asian Studies. | 627 |
| Public Administration and Social Service Professions, Other. | 563 |
| Sociology and Anthropology. | 541 |
| American Indian/Native American Studies. | 527 |
| Business Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences. | 486 |
| Intercultural/Multicultural and Diversity Studies. | 482 |
| Near and Middle Eastern Studies. | 411 |
| Disability Studies. | 348 |
| Deaf Studies. | 297 |
| African Studies. | 213 |
| Russian Studies. | 166 |
| Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, Other. | 158 |
| European Studies/Civilization. | 155 |
| French Studies. | 144 |
| Asian-American Studies. | 139 |
| Public Policy Analysis, Other. | 114 |
| Italian Studies. | 108 |
| Latin American and Caribbean Studies. | 104 |
| German Studies. | 95 |
| Chinese Studies. | 90 |
| Gay/Lesbian Studies. | 85 |
| Russian, Central European, East European and Eurasian Studies. | 77 |
| Japanese Studies. | 73 |
| Western European Studies. | 70 |
| History and Political Science. | 66 |
| Applied/Public Sociology. | 49 |
| Spanish and Iberian Studies. | 47 |
| Folklore Studies. | 44 |
| South Asian Studies. | 33 |
| Scandinavian Studies. | 24 |
| Pacific Area/Pacific Rim Studies. | 23 |
| Ural-Altaic and Central Asian Studies. | 15 |
| Southeast Asian Studies. | 14 |
| Work and Family Studies. | 13 |
| Irish Studies. | 12 |
| Korean Studies. | 9 |
| Slavic Studies. | 9 |
| Canadian Studies. | 3 |
| Caribbean Studies. | 1 |
| Commonwealth Studies. | 1 |
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What Skills Do Research Assistants Need?
Education and experience have been covered, so what are the specific skills and traits needed by research assistants to secure a job?
A good way to understand this is to examine actual job postings for skills commonly sought by employers. Continue reading for a breakdown of specialized skills found in job postings for research assistants, as well as common skills that can help you thrive in the workplace.
In-Demand Skills for Today's Research Assistants
Based on 11,716 job postings
Top 5 Specialized Skills for Research Assistants
| Skills | Postings | % of Total Postings |
|---|---|---|
| SPSS (Statistical Software) | 4,852 | 41% |
| Psychology | 4,561 | 39% |
| SAS (Software) | 4,543 | 39% |
| R (Programming Language) | 4,361 | 37% |
| Data Analysis | 4,259 | 36% |
Top 5 Common Skills for Research Assistants
| Skills | Postings | % of Total Postings |
|---|---|---|
| Research | 11,469 | 98% |
| Communications | 5,860 | 50% |
| Writing | 5,157 | 44% |
| Presentations | 4,011 | 34% |
| Microsoft Excel | 3,282 | 28% |
Based on 11,716 job postings related to research assistants, spss (statistical software) was the top specialized skill sought by employers, with 41% of all postings looking for that skillset. Skills for psychology, sas (software), r (programming language), data analysis and data collection were also highly sought.
As for common skills, research was the most desired skill found in job postings for research assistants, followed by communications, writing, presentations, microsoft excel and management.
| Skill | Postings | % of Total Postings |
|---|---|---|
| SPSS (Statistical Software) | 4,852 | 41% |
| Psychology | 4,561 | 39% |
| SAS (Software) | 4,543 | 39% |
| R (Programming Language) | 4,361 | 37% |
| Data Analysis | 4,259 | 36% |
| Data Collection | 3,907 | 33% |
| Social Sciences | 2,701 | 23% |
| Project Management | 2,292 | 20% |
| Statistical Analysis | 2,172 | 19% |
| Stata | 2,150 | 18% |
| Data Management | 1,861 | 16% |
| Statistics | 1,788 | 15% |
| SQL (Programming Language) | 1,785 | 15% |
| Research Experiences | 1,705 | 15% |
| Statistical Software | 1,693 | 14% |
| Python (Programming Language) | 1,663 | 14% |
| Research Methodologies | 1,660 | 14% |
| Surveys | 1,613 | 14% |
| Quantitative Research | 1,586 | 14% |
| Economics | 1,457 | 12% |
| Skill | Postings | % of Total Postings |
|---|---|---|
| Research | 11,469 | 98% |
| Communications | 5,860 | 50% |
| Writing | 5,157 | 44% |
| Presentations | 4,011 | 34% |
| Microsoft Excel | 3,282 | 28% |
| Management | 3,220 | 27% |
| Detail Oriented | 3,048 | 26% |
| Microsoft PowerPoint | 2,006 | 17% |
| Interpersonal Communications | 1,977 | 17% |
| Coordinating | 1,975 | 17% |
| Planning | 1,900 | 16% |
| Leadership | 1,872 | 16% |
| Innovation | 1,851 | 16% |
| Organizational Skills | 1,789 | 15% |
| Microsoft Office | 1,785 | 15% |
| Verbal Communication Skills | 1,582 | 14% |
| Problem Solving | 1,462 | 12% |
| Operations | 1,257 | 11% |
| Report Writing | 1,253 | 11% |
| Time Management | 1,042 | 9% |
Additional Links
Ready to dig deeper into career information about research assistants? Visit our other pages focused on salary and education for research assistants.
What do research assistants do?
How much do research assistants make?
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