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Histologic Technician

Types of Degrees Histologic Technician Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Histologic Technician have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	44
Associate’s Degree	135
Bachelor’s Degree	5
Master’s Degree	76

What Histologic Technician Majors Need to Know

Programs in Histologic Technician develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Histologic Technician graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Histologic Technician emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Biology — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Chemistry — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Administrative — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.7 / 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 Histologic Technician program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.
• Complex Problem Solving — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.2 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Histologic Technician careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Near Vision — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Histologic Technician graduates report doing:

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

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Histologic Technician professionals:

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

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Histologic Technician graduates include:

• Histologic Aide
• Histotechnician
• Certified Histologic Technician (Certified Histologic Tech)
• Histology Assistant
• Histology Lab Assistant (Histology Laboratory Assistant)
• Histology Coordinator
• Histology Technician (HT)
• Histologist
• Histology Laboratory Aide
• Histology Consultant
• Histologic Technician (HT)
• Clinical Histology Technician (Clinical Histology Tech)
• Mohs Technician (Mohs Tech)
• Histologic Technician
• Pathologist Assistant

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Histologic Technician graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	34.3%
Bachelor’s degree	16.3%
Master’s degree	9.5%
Postsecondary certificate	9.3%
Doctoral degree	7.6%
High school diploma or equivalent	7.5%
Some college courses	6.6%
Post-doctoral training	4.2%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.6%
First professional degree	2.2%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Histologic Technician?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 78.8% of Histologic Technician degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	205	78.8%
Men	55	21.2%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Histologic Technician graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	123	47.3%
Asian	18	6.9%
Hispanic or Latino	53	20.4%
Black or African American	36	13.8%
Two or More Races	10	3.8%
Race Unknown	13	5.0%
International Students	7	2.7%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Histologic Technician Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Histologic Technician 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 Histologic Technician Programs

Fully online options is tracked by IPEDS for Histologic Technician. 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	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 Histologic Technician Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Histologic Technician 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 Science and Allied Professions, Other	51.1099
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Technician	51.1004
Cytogenetics/Genetics/Clinical Genetics Technology/Technologist	51.1010
Cytotechnology/Cytotechnologist	51.1002
Hematology Technology/Technician	51.1003
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.