---

Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science

Types of Degrees Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	1,522
Associate’s Degree	2,687
Bachelor’s Degree	3,934
Master’s Degree	6,011
Doctor’s Degree	27

What Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Biology — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Chemistry — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

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

Skills

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

• Active Listening — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Complex Problem Solving — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.2 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Near Vision — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.

Common Job Activities

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

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

Technology Skills Used on the Job

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

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
MEDITECH software	Medical software	—
Laboratory information system LIS	Medical software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Spreadsheet software	Spreadsheet software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

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

• Histotechnician
• Histologic Aide
• Histologist
• Cytologist
• Mohs Technician (Mohs Tech)
• Certified Histologic Technician (Certified Histologic Tech)
• Clinical Histology Technician (Clinical Histology Tech)
• Histology Technician (HT)
• Histology Lab Assistant (Histology Laboratory Assistant)
• Histology Laboratory Aide
• Histology Assistant
• Histology Consultant
• Histology Coordinator
• Histologic Technician (HT)
• Inhalation Therapy Teacher

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

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

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Histology Technicians	-0.2%	$80,721	$64,080–$97,363
Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary	10.7%	$46,663	$40,304–$53,022
Cytotechnologists	10.3%	$155,812	$122,715–$188,909
Cytogenetic Technologists	1.9%	$155,361	$132,419–$178,303
Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians	12.4%	$155,908	$123,571–$188,246
Histotechnologists	4.1%	$125,527	$97,510–$153,544
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 Laboratory Science graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	30.4%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	19.1%
Master’s degree	10.7%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	10.0%
Postsecondary certificate	8.8%
High school diploma or equivalent	6.8%
Doctoral degree	5.3%
Some college courses	4.6%
Post-doctoral training	3.4%
First professional degree	0.9%

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

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

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 83.9% of Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	17,156	83.9%
Men	3,287	16.1%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	8,383	41.0%
Asian	1,532	7.5%
Hispanic or Latino	4,926	24.1%
Black or African American	3,583	17.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native	217	1.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	70	0.3%
Two or More Races	781	3.8%
Race Unknown	649	3.2%
International Students	302	1.5%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science 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 Laboratory Science Programs

Online study is tracked by IPEDS for Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science. 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
Associate’s	12	20
Bachelor’s	18	27
Master’s	12	9

^{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 Laboratory Science Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science 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
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing	311,372
Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants	99,987
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions	90,379
Health and Medical Administrative Services	90,166
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services	80,693
Public Health	41,086
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions	33,946
Medicine	29,737
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions	29,603
Dental Support Services and Allied Professions	24,761
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services	23,250
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration	18,055

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.