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Clinical/Medical Science Professions

Types of Degrees Clinical/Medical Science Professions Majors Are Earning

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

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	35
Associate’s Degree	21
Bachelor’s Degree	644
Master’s Degree	150
Doctor’s Degree	5

What Clinical/Medical Science Professions Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Clinical/Medical Science Professions emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Biology — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Chemistry — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Administrative — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 2.9 / 7.

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

Skills

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

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Complex Problem Solving — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.2 / 7.

Abilities

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

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

Common Job Activities

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

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

Technology Skills Used on the Job

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

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Laboratory information system LIS	Medical software	—
MEDITECH software	Medical software	—
Spreadsheet software	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Cerner Millennium	Medical software	—
Brady Specimen Labeling System	Label making software	—
Specimen labeling system software	Label making software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

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

• Histotechnician
• Histologist
• Cytologist
• Histologic Aide
• Histologic Technician (HT)
• Histology Coordinator
• Histology Technician (HT)
• Clinical Histology Technician (Clinical Histology Tech)
• Histology Consultant
• Histology Lab Assistant (Histology Laboratory Assistant)
• Certified Histologic Technician (Certified Histologic Tech)
• Mohs Technician (Mohs Tech)
• Histology Assistant
• Histology Laboratory Aide
• Medical Technologist (MT)

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Clinical/Medical Science Professions graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	38.3%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	19.8%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	13.6%
Master’s degree	8.2%
Postsecondary certificate	6.1%
High school diploma or equivalent	4.0%
Some college courses	3.7%
Doctoral degree	3.4%
Post-doctoral training	1.9%
First professional degree	1.0%

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

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

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 76.2% of Clinical/Medical Science Professions degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	682	76.2%
Men	213	23.8%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	436	48.7%
Asian	90	10.1%
Hispanic or Latino	141	15.8%
Black or African American	139	15.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native	4	0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	3	0.3%
Two or More Races	37	4.1%
Race Unknown	29	3.2%
International Students	16	1.8%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Clinical/Medical Science Professions Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Clinical/Medical Science Professions graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise 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 Science Professions Programs

Fully online options is tracked by IPEDS for Clinical/Medical Science Professions. 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
Bachelor’s	1	2
Master’s	1	1

^{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 Science Professions Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Clinical/Medical Science Professions 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
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions	51.10
Blood Bank Technology Specialist	51.1001
Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist	51.1005
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Technician	51.1004
Cytogenetics/Genetics/Clinical Genetics Technology/Technologist	51.1010
Cytotechnology/Cytotechnologist	51.1002
Hematology Technology/Technician	51.1003
Histologic Technician	51.1008
Histologic Technology/Histotechnologist	51.1007
Ophthalmic Laboratory Technology/Technician	51.1006
Phlebotomy Technician/Phlebotomist	51.1009
Renal/Dialysis Technologist/Technician	51.1011

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.