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Types of Degrees Majors Are Getting
The following table lists how many laboratory technician graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.
Education Level | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Associate Degree | 2,438 |
Basic Certificate | 591 |
Bachelor’s Degree | 193 |
Undergraduate Certificate | 150 |
Graduate Certificate | 57 |
What Majors Need to Know
O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to clinical laboratory technician 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 Clinical Laboratory Technician Majors
This major prepares you for careers in which these 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
Clinical Laboratory Technician majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:
- 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 Major?
Below is a list of occupations associated with clinical laboratory technician:
Job Title | Job Growth Rate | Median Salary |
---|---|---|
Health Specialties Professors | 25.9% | $97,370 |
Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians | 14.0% | NA |
Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in ?
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 | 7 |
Black or African American | 20 |
Hispanic or Latino | 16 |
White | 120 |
International Students | 1 |
Other Races/Ethnicities | 29 |
Geographic Diversity
Students from other countries are interested in Clinical Laboratory Technician, too. About 0.5% of those with this major are international students.
How Much Do 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 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
Some degrees associated with clinical laboratory technician may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.
Find out what the typical degree level is for clinical laboratory technician careers below.
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 Programs
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) | 16 | 1 |
Certificate (2-4 Years) | 3 | 1 |
Associate’s Degree | 276 | 15 |
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 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!
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Majors Related to
You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to clinical laboratory technician.
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.
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