How To Become A Research Assistant: What It Is and Career Path

Q: How long does it take to become a Research Assistant?

It takes 2 years of professional experience to become a research assistant. That is the time it takes to learn specific research assistant skills, but does not account for time spent in formal education. If you include the normal education requirements to complete a college degree, then it takes 5 to 7 years years to become a research assistant.

Q: Can anyone be a research assistant?

No, not anyone can be a research assistant. A research assistant position, typically in a clinical or academic setting, is usually for individuals who already have a bachelor's degree or master's degree and are considering a career in academia (e.g., Ph.D.) or more advanced clinical research procedures (e.g., DNA extraction).

Q: Do you need a PhD to be a research assistant?

No, you do not need a PhD to be a research assistant. The minimum educational requirements to become a Research Assistant will depend on the employer. A degree in a relevant discipline with research experience (Honours) is commonly required, although some employers may require a master's level qualification or enrollment in a PhD program.

Q: How do I get a job as a research assistant?

To get a job as a research assistant, you should have a bachelor's degree and a general interest in conducting research in an academic or clinical setting. Many research assistants are bachelor's students (or soon-to-be graduates). However, some research assistants have a master's degree or Ph.D. (e.g., postdoc research assistant fellowship).

Q: How to get research experience

You must inquire with a professor at the university in order to get research experience. It helps if you have already taken a class with the specific professor, and especially if you have already established a relationship outside of their class.

Q: What qualifications do you need to be a research assistant?

The qualifications you need to be a research assistant are a bachelor's degree (or in the process of earning one) and a keen interest in the research process. The duties of a research assistant can vary throughout the life of a research project. In the early stages, you may be required to look for grants or funding opportunities. Many research projects cannot be undertaken without funding from an overseeing body such as a government department, research council, or private company.

What is a research assistant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Experts

Helen Mango Ph.D.,

Daniel Patten Ph.D.

A research assistant works with a principal investigator to conduct research in fields such as science, social sciences, and humanities. They assist in literature searches, data collection and analysis, and manuscript preparation. Research assistants help in designing experiments, recruiting participants, and managing databases. They often work in academic or research institutions to collaborate with other researchers and faculty. Research assistants must have analytical and organizational skills and the ability to work independently or with a team.

What general advice would you give to a Research Assistant?

Helen Mango Ph.D.

Professor of Geology and Chemistry, Castleton University

Emphasize skills learned - field, laboratory, computer, writing.... Also, that geology is multi-disciplinary. It uses chemistry, physics, math, biology, tech.

ScoreResearch AssistantUS Average

Salary

3.4

Avg. Salary $42,896

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

4.5

Growth Rate 19%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.03%

Asian 16.88%

Black or African American 8.62%

Hispanic or Latino 15.36%

Unknown 6.03%

White 52.08%

Gender

female 53.72%

male 46.28%

Age - 35

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 35

Stress Level

4.5

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

7.8

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

10.0

Work Life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a Research Assistant?

Pros

Opportunities for networking and building professional relationships
Possible authorship on publications
Exposure to various research methodologies and techniques
Potential for career advancement in academia or industry
Chance to work on cutting-edge research projects

Cons

Low pay or lack of benefits
Long hours and demanding workload
Limited autonomy in research projects
Competitive job market with few full-time positions available
Limited recognition for contributions to research projects

Key steps to become a research assistant

Explore research assistant education requirements

Most common research assistant degrees

Bachelor's

74.2 %

Master's

14.2 %

Associate

4.5 %

Start to develop specific research assistant skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	9.20%
Lab Equipment	9.17%
Data Collection	7.55%
Laboratory Equipment	5.49%
Research Projects	4.71%

Complete relevant research assistant training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New research assistants learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a research assistant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real research assistant resumes.

Research research assistant duties and responsibilities

Update twitter profile and manage social media campaign.
Manage social media publications to spread awareness and notifications on Facebook.
Evaluate patients' study eligibility via medical history, obtain informed consent, enroll patients, and achieve enrollment quotas.
Learned many laboratory techniques, assays, and protocols; western blot, real-time PCR, tick collection, DNA extraction.

Prepare your research assistant resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your research assistant resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a research assistant resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Research Assistant Resume templates

Build a professional Research Assistant resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Research Assistant resume.

Apply for research assistant jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a research assistant job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How Did You Land Your First Research Assistant Job

Munir Salihu

Research Assistant, Center for the Study of Economies of Africa

So I work at the Center for the Study of Economies of Africa, in Abuja Nigeria. My journey started in 2020, during my first semester of university. I had realized that I wanted to dive deeply into research as a career path and as such I concluded that the quickest way to get on this path was to teach my self data analysis with the prominent tools (at that time I decided python was a good fit). I eventually started reading python programming books and videos and improved my skills rapidly. At the end of 2021, I nailed an internship with the Center and I have interned there every other summer break until after graduation. I am now a full-time researcher there and my primary tasks involve data preprocessing, visualization, regression analysis and report writing.

How do research assistants rate their job?

5/5

Based On 1 Ratings

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Research Assistant reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2020

Cons

The struggle of not breaking a certain research topic.

A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2020

Pros

It's all about getting data, follow up on project, ensuring that jobs are done properly, write reports after a project is done. You travel if the job or project you're handling is out station.

A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2019

Pros

I like to explore more in community health related field and benefit the future generations from avoidable diseases and help them with information related to health aspects.

What is a research assistant and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a Research Assistant?

What are the pros and cons of being a Research Assistant?

Research Assistant career paths

Key steps to become a research assistant

Explore research assistant education requirements

Most common research assistant degrees

Start to develop specific research assistant skills

Complete relevant research assistant training and internships

Research research assistant duties and responsibilities

Prepare your research assistant resume

Choose From 10+ Customizable Research Assistant Resume templates

Apply for research assistant jobs

How Did You Land Your First Research Assistant Job

Average research assistant salary

How do research assistants rate their job?

Research Assistant reviews

Research Assistant FAQs

How long does it take to become a Research Assistant?

Can anyone be a research assistant?

Do you need a PhD to be a research assistant?

How do I get a job as a research assistant?

How to get research experience

What qualifications do you need to be a research assistant?

Search for research assistant jobs

Research Assistant jobs by state