Want to be a part of the next major medical breakthrough? Get started with one of our best online master's in clinical research degrees.
Clinical research is the study of disease and wellness. At its core, it's about creating a higher quality of healthcare and a higher quality of life.
In practice, clinical research is an intersection of a number of different, sometimes opposing, fields: medicine, business, law, and ethics. A graduate degree can give you the tools you need to contribute to this dynamic and rapidly changing industry.
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What kind of master's degree in clinical research should you get?
On-campus programs offer several advantages: structured schedules, plenty of face time with professors and peers, and more opportunity to work in campus research centers or labs.
But online degree programs have their own set of benefits: flexible scheduling, round-the-clock access to learning material, and the ability to study with top institutions from anywhere in the country. For this ranking, we focus exclusively on online programs.
Of course, this list represents a small fraction of all the schools that offer distance learning. Stop by our ranking of the Best Online Colleges to get a broader view of all your options.
How much money do people make with a master's degree in clinical research?
Clinical research can be a highly lucrative field. In fact, CNN ranked Clinical Research Associate fourth on its list of the Best Jobs in America. The median pay for these jobs is $90,700.
With a master's degree, you could qualify for leadership positions within clinical research teams. These managerial roles come with more responsibility, higher minimum qualifications, and bigger paychecks. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median pay for Medical and Health Services Managers is $98,350 per year.
What can you do with a master's degree in clinical research?
Here are some common job titles within the clinical research field:
Medical and clinical laboratory technologist
Medical scientist
Medical and health services manager
Clinical research associate
Biological technician
It's important to consider your professional goals before you begin your academic program. Graduate degrees often give you an opportunity to specialize in a particular phase of clinical research, such as clinical trial design, product development, or regulatory compliance. Deciding which aspect of clinical research most intrigues you will help you choose the right program.
What are the requirements for a master's degree in clinical research?
At the very least, you'll need a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution. Some schools will only consider applicants with a Bachelor of Science in a health care or bioscience discipline. Other programs will accept students with more widely varying educational backgrounds, particularly if they have relevant professional experience.
In order to graduate with a master's degree in clinical research, expect to complete a major research project as your capstone experience. These research projects, which may take the form of a practicum or thesis, typically last two or more semesters.
What are the best online master's degrees in clinical research?
We analyze data from other reputable ranking publications, such as U.S. News & World Report, as well as student review sites, like Cappex and RateMyProfessor. We also examine information from the National Center for Educational Statistics, PayScale, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
This wide variety of data points allows us to create a list that's thorough, accurate, and comprehensive. We hope our ranking of the Best Online Master's in Clinical Research Degrees puts you one step closer to your ideal career.
Ranking
See our rankings methodology page.
