Best Social Science Research Assistant programs in Louisiana, ranked by enrollment
Assist social scientists in laboratory, survey, and other social science research.
23 schools in Louisiana run programs that feed this job, graduating 2,930 people a year. The job pays a median of $52,600 in Louisiana across about 340 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Louisiana that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
10 programs in Louisiana that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Louisiana (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Louisiana page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 42.0101In Louisiana → | 1,765 | 60.2% | 22 | $31,426 | $25,250 |
| 2 | CIP 45.1001In Louisiana → | 523 | 17.8% | 14 | $35,631 | $23,538 |
| 3 | CIP 45.1101In Louisiana → | 399 | 13.6% | 13 | $34,099 | $25,000 |
| 4 | CIP 45.0603In Louisiana → | 95 | 3.2% | 2 | $51,725 | $22,907 |
| 5 | CIP 45.1004In Louisiana → | 38 | 1.3% | 1 | $35,631 | $23,538 |
| 6 | CIP 44.0501In Louisiana → | 34 | 1.2% | 2 | $44,740 | $22,000 |
| 7 | Social Sciences, Generalmain feeder CIP 45.0101In Louisiana → | 27 | 0.9% | 4 | $35,590 | $24,095 |
| 8 | CIP 45.0601In Louisiana → | 25 | 0.9% | 3 | $51,725 | $22,907 |
| 9 | CIP 45.0604In Louisiana → | 21 | 0.7% | 1 | $51,725 | $22,907 |
| 10 | Behavioral Sciencesmain feeder CIP 30.1701In Louisiana → | 3 | 0.1% | 1 | $36,206 | $29,240 |
Top 23 schools in Louisiana
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 15 of the 23 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA Public · 5 feeder programs | 851 | Psychology, General | $23,859 | 69% | — | 73% |
| 2 | Tulane University of Louisiana New Orleans, LA Private not-for-profit · 7 feeder programs | 281 | Political Science and Government, General | $41,265 | 86% | $33,106 | 14% |
| 3 | University of Louisiana at Monroe Monroe, LA Public · 2 feeder programs | 244 | Psychology, General | $29,046 | 54% | — | 85% |
| 4 | University of Louisiana at Lafayette Lafayette, LA Public · 3 feeder programs | 200 | Psychology, General | $22,696 | 53% | — | 87% |
| 5 | Louisiana State University at Alexandria Alexandria, LA Public · 1 feeder programs | 164 | Psychology, General | $30,362 | 34% | — | 92% |
| 6 | Southeastern Louisiana University Hammond, LA Public · 3 feeder programs | 145 | Psychology, General | $20,870 | 45% | — | 99% |
| 7 | Southern University and A & M College Baton Rouge, LA Public · 5 feeder programs | 140 | Psychology, General | $31,165 | 27% | — | 35% |
| 8 | University of New Orleans New Orleans, LA Public · 4 feeder programs | 111 | Psychology, General | $21,243 | 38% | — | 74% |
| 9 | Xavier University of Louisiana New Orleans, LA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 102 | Psychology, General | — | 49% | $19,760 | 69% |
| 10 | Loyola University New Orleans New Orleans, LA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 98 | Psychology, General | $24,241 | 59% | $22,906 | 93% |
| 11 | Nicholls State University Thibodaux, LA Public · 3 feeder programs | 98 | Psychology, General | $24,055 | 54% | — | 91% |
| 12 | McNeese State University Lake Charles, LA Public · 3 feeder programs | 93 | Psychology, General | $26,414 | 47% | — | 78% |
| 13 | Louisiana Tech University Ruston, LA Public · 3 feeder programs | 92 | Psychology, General | $26,988 | 64% | — | 86% |
| 14 | Northwestern State University of Louisiana Natchitoches, LA Public · 1 feeder programs | 73 | Psychology, General | $32,765 | 43% | — | 93% |
| 15 | Grambling State University Grambling, LA Public · 3 feeder programs | 64 | Psychology, General | — | 36% | — | 45% |
| 16 | Louisiana State University - Shreveport Shreveport, LA Public · 2 feeder programs | 63 | Psychology, General | $28,863 | 38% | — | 51% |
| 17 | Southern University at New Orleans New Orleans, LA Public · 1 feeder programs | 28 | Psychology, General | — | 13% | — | 79% |
| 18 | Dillard University New Orleans, LA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 25 | Psychology, General | $33,143 | 43% | $18,826 | 42% |
| 19 | New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary New Orleans, LA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 22 | Psychology, General | — | 74% | — | — |
| 20 | Centenary College of Louisiana Shreveport, LA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 14 | Psychology, General | — | 56% | $24,624 | 56% |
| 21 | Louisiana Christian University Pineville, LA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 9 | Psychology, General | — | 44% | $16,971 | 77% |
| 22 | Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University Baton Rouge, LA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 7 | Psychology, General | — | 45% | $17,925 | 99% |
| 23 | University of Holy Cross New Orleans, LA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 6 | Behavioral Sciences | — | 49% | $16,691 | 74% |
All 23 schools in Louisiana
Every school in Louisiana with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | Baton Rouge | Public | 851 | 5 |
| Tulane University of Louisiana | New Orleans | Private not-for-profit | 281 | 7 |
| University of Louisiana at Monroe | Monroe | Public | 244 | 2 |
| University of Louisiana at Lafayette | Lafayette | Public | 200 | 3 |
| Louisiana State University at Alexandria | Alexandria | Public | 164 | 1 |
| Southeastern Louisiana University | Hammond | Public | 145 | 3 |
| Southern University and A & M College | Baton Rouge | Public | 140 | 5 |
| University of New Orleans | New Orleans | Public | 111 | 4 |
| Xavier University of Louisiana | New Orleans | Private not-for-profit | 102 | 3 |
| Loyola University New Orleans | New Orleans | Private not-for-profit | 98 | 3 |
| Nicholls State University | Thibodaux | Public | 98 | 3 |
| McNeese State University | Lake Charles | Public | 93 | 3 |
| Louisiana Tech University | Ruston | Public | 92 | 3 |
| Northwestern State University of Louisiana | Natchitoches | Public | 73 | 1 |
| Grambling State University | Grambling | Public | 64 | 3 |
What social science research assistants earn in Louisiana
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $61,990. Louisiana pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Louisiana
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Social Science Research Assistants page.
How to become a Social Science Research Assistant
Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Louisiana
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 19 majors mapped to Social Science Research Assistants19 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 03.0204Environmental/Natural Resource Economics
- 30.1701Behavioral Sciences
- 30.4601History and Political Science
- 42.0101Psychology, General
- 42.2708Psychometrics and Quantitative Psychology
- 44.0501Public Policy Analysis, General
- 44.0502Education Policy Analysis
- 44.0503Health Policy Analysis
- 44.0504International Policy Analysis
- 45.0101Social Sciences, General
- 45.0103Survey Research/Methodology
- 45.0601Economics, General
- 45.0602Applied Economics
- 45.0603Econometrics and Quantitative Economics
- 45.0604Development Economics and International Development
- 45.1001Political Science and Government, General
- 45.1004Political Economy
- 45.1101Sociology, General
- 45.1102Applied/Public Sociology
Common questions
Answers for people weighing social science research assistants programs in Louisiana.
What degree do you need to become a Social Science Research Assistant?+
Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Psychology, General, which awarded 1,765 degrees in Louisiana in 2024-25, 60.2% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Social Science Research Assistant?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 10 programs to this occupation. The largest are Psychology, Political Science and Government, Sociology, Economics, plus 3 more. Together they graduate about 2,930 people a year in Louisiana.
How much do social science research assistants earn in Louisiana?+
The median is $52,600 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 15.1% below the U.S. median of $61,990. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for social science research assistants growing?+
BLS projects a +4.4% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 5,200 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Louisiana?+
23 institutions in Louisiana reported graduates from at least one of the 10 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do social science research assistants work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Research Assistant, Research Associate, Social Research Assistant, Graduate Research Assistant among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 19-4061.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
Explore every U.S. college in one conversation
Clema turns plain-language questions into sourced answers across every U.S. institution — earnings, aid, acceptance, graduation, safety, and athletics from IPEDS, College Scorecard, and 10+ federal datasets, built in.
Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card