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research administration

What research administration Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in research administration emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Administrative — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills built by a research administration program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Abilities

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

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, research administration graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.4 / 7
Working with Computers	4.4 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.3 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.3 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.2 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.1 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.0 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by research administration professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Project	Project management software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft SharePoint	Document management software	—
StataCorp Stata	Analytical or scientific software	—
FileMaker Pro	Data base user interface and query software	—
Structured query language SQL	Data base user interface and query software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for research administration graduates include:

• Clinical Manager
• Research Director
• Testing Director
• Registrar
• Extension Work Director
• Clinical Project Manager
• Clinical Trials Manager
• Research Coordinator
• Research Development Director
• Quarrying Manager
• Environmental Program Manager
• Clinical Coordinator
• Clinical Research Administrator
• Clinical Program Coordinator
• Clinical Data Coordinator

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	55.6%
Master’s degree	14.2%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	6.9%
Postsecondary certificate	5.0%
Doctoral degree	4.7%
High school diploma or equivalent	4.7%
Some college courses	3.6%
Post-doctoral training	2.8%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.9%
First professional degree	0.5%
Post-master’s certificate	0.2%

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

How Much Do research administration Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of research administration 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	$62,537
4 years	$63,883
5 years	$71,749

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $71,749 — roughly 15% above the 1-year mark.

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

Is a Degree in research administration Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, research administration graduates earn a median of $63,883 four years after completion — roughly 68% 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	CIP Code
Business Administration, Management and Operations	52.02
Business Administration and Management, General	52.0201
Business Administration, Management and Operations, Other	52.0299
Customer Service Management	52.0207
E-Commerce/Electronic Commerce	52.0208
Logistics, Materials, and Supply Chain Management	52.0203
Non-Profit/Public/Organizational Management	52.0206
Office Management and Supervision	52.0204
Operations Management and Supervision	52.0205
Organizational Leadership	52.0213
Project Management	52.0211
Purchasing, Procurement/Acquisitions and Contracts Management	52.0202

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.