Cytotechnology

Types of Degrees Cytotechnology Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many cytotechnology/cytotechnologist graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Associate Degree	29
Bachelor’s Degree	27
Graduate Certificate	25
Master’s Degree	13
Undergraduate Certificate	5
Basic Certificate	2

What Cytotechnology Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to cytotechnology/cytotechnologist 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 Cytotechnology/Cytotechnologist Majors

Cytotechnology/Cytotechnologist majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

• Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Skills for Cytotechnology/Cytotechnologist Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to cytotechnology/cytotechnologist:

• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• 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.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

Abilities for Cytotechnology/Cytotechnologist Majors

Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a cytotechnology/cytotechnologist student include the following:

• 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.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

What Can You Do With a Cytotechnology Major?

People with a cytotechnology/cytotechnologist degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Cytogenetic Technologists	11.6%	NA
Cytotechnologists	11.6%	NA
Health Specialties Professors	25.9%	$97,370
Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists	11.6%	NA

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Cytotechnology?

The major attracts more women than men. About 85% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of cytotechnology/cytotechnologist majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	3
Black or African American	2
Hispanic or Latino	4
White	14
International Students	2
Other Races/Ethnicities	2

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Cytotechnology/Cytotechnologist. About 7.4% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Cytotechnology Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

The median salary for someone in a career related to cytotechnology/cytotechnologist is $122,320. This median refers to 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 Cytotechnology

Some careers associated with cytotechnology/cytotechnologist 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 cytotechnology/cytotechnologist have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	0.1%
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)	0.5%
Some College Courses	0.5%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	12.8%
Bachelor’s Degree	50.6%
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.	19.3%
Master’s Degree	9.2%
Doctoral Degree	4.2%
Post-Doctoral Training	4.1%

Online Cytotechnology Programs

In 2020-2021, 28 schools offered a cytotechnology/cytotechnologist 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)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	2	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	1	1
Bachelor’s Degree	3	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	4	0
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Cytotechnology Worth It?

The median salary for a cytotechnology/cytotechnologist 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!

Majors Related to Cytotechnology

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to cytotechnology/cytotechnologist.

Major	Number of Grads
Phlebotomy Technician/Phlebotomist	7,599
Laboratory Technician	4,185
Laboratory Sciences & Medical Technology	3,912
Sterile Processing Technology/Technician	1,108
Other Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science and Allied Professions	982
Blood Bank Technology Specialist	280
Histologic Technician	243
Renal/Dialysis Technologist/Technician	220
Histologic Technology/Histotechnologist	106
Ophthalmic Laboratory Technology/Technician	78
Cytogenetics/Genetics/Clinical Genetics Technology/Technologist	46
Hematology Technology	41

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.