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Medical Scientist

An undifferentiated clinical science program that prepares clinicians to conduct clinical and translational research in various areas. Note: programs that prepare clinicians to conduct research in specific scientific fields should report under the relevant CIP code series (e.g., Series 26 Biological and Biomedical Sciences). Examples: [Medical Scientist (MS)], [Medical Scientist (PhD)]

Types of Degrees Medical Scientist Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Medical Scientist can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Master’s Degree	817
Doctor’s Degree	230

What Medical Scientist Majors Need to Know

Studies in Medical Scientist develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Medical Scientist graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Medical Scientist emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set built by a Medical Scientist program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Medical Scientist careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Medical Scientist graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Working with Computers	4.4 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.3 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.0 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.0 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.0 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Medical Scientist professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
R	Object or component oriented development software	✓
IBM SPSS Statistics	Analytical or scientific software	—
StataCorp Stata	Analytical or scientific software	—
SAS	Analytical or scientific software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Python	Object or component oriented development software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Medical Scientist graduates include:

• Research Coordinator
• Clinical Trials Manager
• Clinical Project Manager
• Clinical Trial Coordinator
• Postdoctoral Associate
• Clinical Program Manager
• Oncology Clinical Research Coordinator
• Clinical Research Coordinator
• Postdoctoral Fellow
• Clinical Coordinator
• Clinical Research Manager
• Clinical Research Administrator
• Postdoctoral Researcher
• Postdoctoral Research Fellow
• Clinical Research Nurse Coordinator

What Can You Do With a Medical Scientist Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Medical Scientist commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Clinical Research Coordinators	10.4%	$110,931	$93,765–$128,096
Epidemiologists	3.2%	$87,636	$68,312–$106,960
Natural Sciences Managers	8.7%	$132,227	$103,692–$160,762
Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists	8.9%	$111,314	$90,148–$132,479
Water Resource Specialists	-0.4%	$179,716	$147,213–$212,219

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Medical Scientist graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	38.8%
Master’s degree	23.1%
Post-doctoral training	11.0%
Doctoral degree	8.8%
Postsecondary certificate	5.5%
Some college courses	4.4%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	4.0%
High school diploma or equivalent	3.3%
Post-master’s certificate	0.8%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.4%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Medical Scientist?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 66% of Medical Scientist degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	691	66.0%
Men	356	34.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Medical Scientist graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	480	45.8%
Asian	154	14.7%
Hispanic or Latino	93	8.9%
Black or African American	111	10.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	0.1%
Two or More Races	33	3.2%
Race Unknown	44	4.2%
International Students	131	12.5%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Medical Scientist Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Medical Scientist graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$160,729
4 years	$166,630
5 years	$197,894

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $197,894 — roughly 23% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Medical Scientist Programs

Online study are documented by IPEDS for Medical Scientist. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Master’s	5	4
Doctoral (Research)	2	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Medical Scientist Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Medical Scientist graduates earn a median of $166,630 four years after completion — roughly 338% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Environmental Health	1,269
Medical Clinical Sciences/Graduate Medical Studies	1,163
Clinical and Translational Science	79
Medical Clinical Sciences/Graduate Medical Studies, Other	33
Temporomandibular Disorders and Orofacial Pain	4
Pain Management	—
Tropical Medicine	—

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.