Best Social Science Research Assistant programs in North Carolina, ranked by enrollment
Assist social scientists in laboratory, survey, and other social science research.
50 schools in North Carolina run programs that feed this job, graduating 8,228 people a year. The job pays a median of $63,710 in North Carolina across about 2,930 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in North Carolina that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
12 programs in North Carolina that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in North Carolina (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 North Carolina page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 42.0101In North Carolina → | 3,779 | 45.9% | 47 | $31,426 | $25,250 |
| 2 | CIP 45.1001In North Carolina → | 1,417 | 17.2% | 38 | $35,631 | $23,538 |
| 3 | CIP 45.1101In North Carolina → | 876 | 10.6% | 30 | $34,099 | $25,000 |
| 4 | CIP 45.0601In North Carolina → | 541 | 6.6% | 14 | $51,725 | $22,907 |
| 5 | CIP 45.0603In North Carolina → | 530 | 6.4% | 9 | $51,725 | $22,907 |
| 6 | Behavioral Sciencesmain feeder CIP 30.1701In North Carolina → | 471 | 5.7% | 3 | $36,206 | $29,240 |
| 7 | CIP 44.0501In North Carolina → | 422 | 5.1% | 4 | $44,740 | $22,000 |
| 8 | Social Sciences, Generalmain feeder CIP 45.0101In North Carolina → | 129 | 1.6% | 4 | $35,590 | $24,095 |
| 9 | CIP 45.1102In North Carolina → | 34 | 0.4% | 1 | $34,099 | $25,000 |
| 10 | CIP 42.2708In North Carolina → | 12 | 0.1% | 1 | $34,454 | $21,878 |
| 11 | CIP 45.1004In North Carolina → | 9 | 0.1% | 1 | $35,631 | $23,538 |
| 12 | CIP 45.0602In North Carolina → | 8 | 0.1% | 2 | $51,725 | $22,907 |
Top 25 schools in North Carolina
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 24 of the 50 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC Public · 6 feeder programs | 1,355 | Behavioral Sciences | — | 91% | — | 15% |
| 2 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC Public · 5 feeder programs | 778 | Psychology, General | $30,359 | 69% | — | 80% |
| 3 | Duke University Durham, NC Private not-for-profit · 6 feeder programs | 698 | Econometrics and Quantitative Economics | $98,649 | 97% | $16,260 | 6% |
| 4 | North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, NC Public · 4 feeder programs | 584 | Psychology, General | $29,738 | 85% | — | 42% |
| 5 | Appalachian State University Boone, NC Public · 3 feeder programs | 563 | Psychology, General | $27,484 | 75% | — | 90% |
| 6 | East Carolina University Greenville, NC Public · 7 feeder programs | 493 | Psychology, General | $30,086 | 63% | — | 89% |
| 7 | University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, NC Public · 5 feeder programs | 446 | Psychology, General | $28,485 | 56% | — | 89% |
| 8 | Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC Private not-for-profit · 5 feeder programs | 406 | Psychology, General | $34,823 | 89% | $20,914 | 22% |
| 9 | University of North Carolina Wilmington Wilmington, NC Public · 4 feeder programs | 405 | Psychology, General | $29,418 | 71% | — | 64% |
| 10 | Fayetteville State University Fayetteville, NC Public · 3 feeder programs | 299 | Psychology, General | $31,217 | 38% | — | 82% |
| 11 | North Carolina A & T State University Greensboro, NC Public · 4 feeder programs | 283 | Psychology, General | $27,653 | 57% | — | 50% |
| 12 | North Carolina Central University Durham, NC Public · 3 feeder programs | 258 | Social Sciences, General | $35,978 | 42% | — | 87% |
| 13 | University of North Carolina at Pembroke Pembroke, NC Public · 3 feeder programs | 199 | Sociology, General | $34,051 | 44% | — | 93% |
| 14 | Western Carolina University Cullowhee, NC Public · 4 feeder programs | 181 | Psychology, General | $27,505 | 60% | — | 82% |
| 15 | Elon University Elon, NC Private not-for-profit · 5 feeder programs | 176 | Psychology, General | $36,668 | 84% | $33,688 | 66% |
| 16 | University of North Carolina Asheville Asheville, NC Public · 4 feeder programs | 143 | Psychology, General | $24,666 | 54% | — | 92% |
| 17 | Davidson College Davidson, NC Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 110 | Political Science and Government, General | $46,232 | 91% | $16,628 | 13% |
| 18 | Winston - Salem State University Winston-Salem, NC Public · 4 feeder programs | 100 | Psychology, General | $25,637 | 47% | — | 78% |
| 19 | Campbell University Buies Creek, NC Private not-for-profit · 5 feeder programs | 90 | Psychology, General | $33,892 | 61% | $23,331 | 87% |
| 20 | High Point University High Point, NC Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 77 | Psychology, General | — | 74% | $37,072 | 75% |
| 21 | Wingate University Wingate, NC Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 70 | Psychology, General | $26,988 | 46% | $21,585 | 91% |
| 22 | Meredith College Raleigh, NC Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 46 | Psychology, General | $28,501 | 70% | $19,552 | 74% |
| 23 | Queens University of Charlotte Charlotte, NC Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 37 | Psychology, General | — | 61% | $24,872 | 62% |
| 24 | Methodist University Fayetteville, NC Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 36 | Psychology, General | — | 44% | $24,551 | 75% |
| 25 | North Carolina Wesleyan University Rocky Mount, NC Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 34 | Psychology, General | $30,570 | 42% | $18,905 | 80% |
All 50 schools in North Carolina
Every school in North Carolina 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill | Public | 1,355 | 6 |
| University of North Carolina at Charlotte | Charlotte | Public | 778 | 5 |
| Duke University | Durham | Private not-for-profit | 698 | 6 |
| North Carolina State University at Raleigh | Raleigh | Public | 584 | 4 |
| Appalachian State University | Boone | Public | 563 | 3 |
| East Carolina University | Greenville | Public | 493 | 7 |
| University of North Carolina at Greensboro | Greensboro | Public | 446 | 5 |
| Wake Forest University | Winston-Salem | Private not-for-profit | 406 | 5 |
| University of North Carolina Wilmington | Wilmington | Public | 405 | 4 |
| Fayetteville State University | Fayetteville | Public | 299 | 3 |
| North Carolina A & T State University | Greensboro | Public | 283 | 4 |
| North Carolina Central University | Durham | Public | 258 | 3 |
| University of North Carolina at Pembroke | Pembroke | Public | 199 | 3 |
| Western Carolina University | Cullowhee | Public | 181 | 4 |
| Elon University | Elon | Private not-for-profit | 176 | 5 |
What social science research assistants earn in North Carolina
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $61,990. North Carolina pays above the national figure.
Concentrated here: North Carolina employs more of this job per worker than the U.S. average.
Metro areas in North Carolina
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 North Carolina
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 North Carolina.
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 3,779 degrees in North Carolina in 2024-25, 45.9% 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 12 programs to this occupation. The largest are Psychology, Political Science and Government, Economics, Sociology, plus 4 more. Together they graduate about 8,228 people a year in North Carolina.
How much do social science research assistants earn in North Carolina?+
The median is $63,710 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 2.8% above 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 North Carolina?+
50 institutions in North Carolina reported graduates from at least one of the 12 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
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