Biomedical Technology

Types of Degrees Biomedical Technology Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many biomedical technology graduations there were in 2018-2019 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Associate’s Degree	658
Basic Certificate	420
Undergraduate Certificate	186
Bachelor’s Degree	50

What Biomedical Technology Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to biomedical engineering tech and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Biomedical Engineering Tech Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Skills for Biomedical Engineering Tech Majors

A major in biomedical engineering tech prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

• Troubleshooting - Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
• Equipment Maintenance - Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
• Repairing - Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

Abilities for Biomedical Engineering Tech Majors

As a biomedical engineering tech major, you will find yourself needing the following abilities:

• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Finger Dexterity - The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

What Can You Do With a Biomedical Technology Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with biomedical engineering tech:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Electronics Engineering Technologists	5.2%	$63,200
Medical Equipment Repairers	4.2%	$49,210

Who Is Getting an Associate’s Degree in Biomedical Technology?

This major tends to be male dominated. About 72% of recent graduates are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of biomedical engineering tech majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	81
Black or African American	55
Hispanic or Latino	188
White	267
International Students	8
Other Races/Ethnicities	59

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Biomedical Engineering Tech. About 1.2% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Biomedical Technology Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Biomedical Engineering Tech majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $52,710 to $65,720 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Biomedical Technology

Some careers associated with biomedical engineering tech require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to biomedical engineering tech have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	5.3%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	16.3%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	20.4%
Some College Courses	2.8%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	40.3%
Bachelor’s Degree	15.6%

Online Biomedical Technology Programs

In 2018-2019, 116 schools offered a biomedical engineering tech program of some type. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	40	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	20	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	1	0
Associate’s Degree	92	1
Bachelor’s Degree	0	0
Post-Baccalaureate	40	0
Master’s Degree	1	1
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Biomedical Technology Worth It?

The median salary for a biomedical engineering tech grad is $52,710 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 32% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $256,200 after 20 years!

Trades Related to Biomedical Technology

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to biomedical engineering tech.

Major	Number of Grads
Instrumentation Technology/Technician	2,862
Electromechanical Technology/Electromechanical Engineering Technology	2,576
Other Electromechanical & Instrumentation & Maintenance Technologies/Technicians	2,487
Automation Engineer Technology/Technician	959
Robotics Technology/Technician	471

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020

More about our data sources and methodologies.