Laboratory Technician

Types of Degrees Laboratory Technician Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many laboratory technician graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Associate Degree	3,261
Basic Certificate	518
Bachelor’s Degree	216
Undergraduate Certificate	139

What Laboratory Technician Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to clinical laboratory technician were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Clinical Laboratory Technician Majors

Clinical Laboratory Technician majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• Medicine and Dentistry - Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Chemistry - Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

Skills for Clinical Laboratory Technician Majors

A major in clinical laboratory technician prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.

Abilities for Clinical Laboratory Technician Majors

A major in clinical laboratory technician will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• 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.

What Can You Do With a Laboratory Technician Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with clinical laboratory technician:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians	14.0%	NA

Who Is Getting an Associate’s Degree in Laboratory Technician?

The major attracts more women than men. About 82% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of clinical laboratory technician majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	231
Black or African American	597
Hispanic or Latino	420
White	1,736
International Students	65
Other Races/Ethnicities	212

Geographic Diversity

Clinical Laboratory Technician appeals to people across the globe. About 2.0% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Laboratory Technician Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Clinical Laboratory Technician majors often go into careers with median salaries of $122,320. This median refers to all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

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 Laboratory Technician

Some careers associated with clinical laboratory technician 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 clinical laboratory technician have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	2.8%
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)	1.2%
Some College Courses	0.6%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	21.9%
Bachelor’s Degree	34.4%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	6.9%
Master’s Degree	16.3%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	0.2%
Doctoral Degree	8.2%
Post-Doctoral Training	6.3%

Online Laboratory Technician Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 309 schools offered some type of laboratory technician program. 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)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	17	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	3	0
Associate’s Degree	275	12
Bachelor’s Degree	6	1
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	1	0
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 Laboratory Technician Worth It?

The median salary for a clinical laboratory technician grad is $122,320 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 207% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $1,648,400 after 20 years!

Trades Related to Laboratory Technician

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to clinical laboratory technician.

Major	Number of Grads
Phlebotomy Technician/Phlebotomist	7,599
Laboratory Sciences & Medical Technology	3,272
Sterile Processing Technology/Technician	1,108
Other Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science and Allied Professions	833
Histologic Technician	243
Blood Bank Technology Specialist	226
Renal/Dialysis Technologist/Technician	220
Histologic Technology/Histotechnologist	101
Ophthalmic Laboratory Technology/Technician	78
Cytotechnology/Cytotechnologist	63
Hematology Technology	36
Cytogenetics/Genetics/Clinical Genetics Technology/Technologist	34

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
• Image Credit: By Staff Sgt. Jerilyn Quintanilla under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.