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Clinical/Medical Science Professions

Types of Degrees Clinical/Medical Science Professions Majors Are Earning

Those studying Clinical/Medical Science Professions may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	35
Associate’s Degree	21
Bachelor’s Degree	644
Master’s Degree	150
Doctor’s Degree	5

What Clinical/Medical Science Professions Majors Need to Know

Studies in Clinical/Medical Science Professions develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Clinical/Medical Science Professions graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Clinical/Medical Science Professions emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Biology — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Chemistry — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Administrative — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 2.9 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills built by a Clinical/Medical Science Professions program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Complex Problem Solving — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.2 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Clinical/Medical Science Professions careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Near Vision — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Clinical/Medical Science Professions graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Documenting/Recording Information	4.2 / 7
Getting Information	4.1 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.0 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.0 / 7
Working with Computers	4.0 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	3.9 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.8 / 7
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials	3.8 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	3.7 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	3.7 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Clinical/Medical Science Professions professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
MEDITECH software	Medical software	—
Laboratory information system LIS	Medical software	—
Spreadsheet software	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Specimen labeling system software	Label making software	—
Presentation software	Presentation software	—
Cerner Millennium	Medical software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Clinical/Medical Science Professions graduates include:

• Histotechnician
• Histologist
• Cytologist
• Histologic Aide
• Histology Lab Assistant (Histology Laboratory Assistant)
• Histology Consultant
• Histologic Technician (HT)
• Histology Assistant
• Histology Laboratory Aide
• Certified Histologic Technician (Certified Histologic Tech)
• Mohs Technician (Mohs Tech)
• Histology Technician (HT)
• Clinical Histology Technician (Clinical Histology Tech)
• Histology Coordinator
• Medical Technologist (MT)

What Can You Do With a Clinical/Medical Science Professions Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Clinical/Medical Science Professions commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Histology Technicians	-0.2%	$80,721	$64,080–$97,363
Cytotechnologists	10.3%	$155,812	$122,715–$188,909
Cytogenetic Technologists	1.9%	$155,361	$132,419–$178,303
Histotechnologists	4.1%	$125,527	$97,510–$153,544
Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians	12.4%	$155,908	$123,571–$188,246
Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists	3.9%	$77,339	$66,096–$88,581

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Clinical/Medical Science Professions graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	38.3%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	19.8%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	13.6%
Master’s degree	8.2%
Postsecondary certificate	6.1%
High school diploma or equivalent	4.0%
Some college courses	3.7%
Doctoral degree	3.4%
Post-doctoral training	1.9%
First professional degree	1.0%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Clinical/Medical Science Professions?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 76.2% of Clinical/Medical Science Professions degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	682	76.2%
Men	213	23.8%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Clinical/Medical Science Professions graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	436	48.7%
Asian	90	10.1%
Hispanic or Latino	141	15.8%
Black or African American	139	15.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native	4	0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	3	0.3%
Two or More Races	37	4.1%
Race Unknown	29	3.2%
International Students	16	1.8%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Clinical/Medical Science Professions Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Clinical/Medical Science Professions graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$42,942
4 years	$39,910
5 years	$44,672

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $44,672 — roughly 4% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Clinical/Medical Science Professions Programs

Fully online options are documented by IPEDS for Clinical/Medical Science Professions. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Bachelor’s	1	2
Master’s	1	1

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Clinical/Medical Science Professions Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Clinical/Medical Science Professions graduates earn a median of $39,910 four years after completion — roughly 5% 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	Annual Degrees Awarded
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions	20,443
Phlebotomy Technician/Phlebotomist	9,347
Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist	3,893
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Technician	3,329
Sterile Processing Technology/Technician	1,964
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Assistant	614
Histologic Technician	260
Blood Bank Technology Specialist	241
Advanced General Dentistry	238
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences, Other	150
Cytotechnology/Cytotechnologist	127
Histologic Technology/Histotechnologist	104

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.