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Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science

Types of Degrees Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science have the option of earning 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 develop 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

According to O*NET, a major in 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

The skill set 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

Innate 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 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	—
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
• Histology Coordinator
• Clinical Histology Technician (Clinical Histology Tech)
• Histology Technician (HT)
• Certified Histologic Technician (Certified Histologic Tech)
• Histologic Technician (HT)
• Mohs Technician (Mohs Tech)
• Histology Laboratory Aide
• Histology Assistant
• Histology Lab Assistant (Histology Laboratory Assistant)
• Histology Consultant
• Osteopathic Medicine Teacher

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. These numbers tend to grow 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

Distance learning 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?

On the earnings side, 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	CIP Code
Health Care Professions	51
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences	51.05
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services	51.08
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions	51.09
Alternative and Complementary Medical Support Services	51.34
Alternative and Complementary Medicine and Medical Systems	51.33
Chiropractic	51.01
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services	51.02
Dental Support Services and Allied Professions	51.06
Dentistry	51.04
Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services	51.31
Energy and Biologically Based Therapies	51.37

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.