Careers & Outcomes
Career Outlook
With the ongoing demand to bring new medicines and medical devices to market safely, regulatory affairs professionals have strong career prospects, especially in Washington state. In 2025, careers website Zippia ranked Washington the seventh best state for working in regulatory affairs.
Diverse Career Opportunities
Career opportunities in the biomedical regulatory affairs field range from entry-level to upper management and from highly technical to business oriented. Regulatory affairs professionals are involved in all aspects of the product life cycle, including areas such as:
- Ensuring compliance with FDA or international regulations
- Planning and supervising clinical trials
- Specifying product labeling and packaging requirements
Read more about these in-demand roles in the biotechnology sector.
Growing Demand for Regulatory Affairs Professionals
The Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*Net predict mostly faster-than-average job growth for regulatory affairs professionals in the coming decade.
| Job Title | Projected U.S. Growth (2024-34) | Projected Growth in Washington (2022–32) |
|---|---|---|
| Regulatory affairs managers and compliance managers | 5% | 17% |
| Clinical research associates | 23% or higher | 25% |
| Regulatory affairs specialists and associates | 3% | 12% |
| Quality control associates and analysts Quality assurance specialists |
13% | 4% |
Strong Earning Potential
Below are average U.S. and Washington state salaries for these job titles, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET.
| Job Title | U.S. Average Salary (2024) | Washington Average Salary (2024) |
|---|---|---|
| Regulatory affairs managers and compliance managers | $136,550 | $165,080 |
| Clinical research associates | $117,906 | $143,300 |
| Regulatory affairs specialists and associates | $78,420 | $86,200 |
| Quality control associates and analysts Quality assurance specialists |
$60,130 | $70,650 |
Alumni Success
The Master of Science in Biomedical Regulatory Affairs program equips students to pursue many different career paths.
Alumni Job Titles
Our alumni are prepared for many types of roles, including:
- Regulatory affairs manager
- Regulatory affairs associate/specialist
- Clinical quality assurance specialist
- Clinical research associate
- Compliance manager
- Quality control analyst
- Quality assurance specialist
- Risk management analyst
- Regulatory writer
Alumni Employers
Program alumni are employed in regulatory affairs positions at a variety of companies and organizations — from biotech and pharmaceutical to research and government — including:
- Bristol Myers Squibb
- Bruker Spatial Biology (formerly NanoString Technologies)
- Ekos
- Fred Hutch Cancer Center
- FUJIFILM Sonosite
- Gilead Sciences
- Lyell Immunopharma
- Omeros
- Pfizer
- Philips
- Seattle Children's Hospital
- Stryker
Read Alumni Stories
Read interviews with some of our accomplished alumni to see how their master’s in speech-language pathology gave them the tools and skills they needed to advance in their careers.