Clinical Laboratory Sciences

Types of Degrees Clinical Laboratory Sciences Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many laboratory sciences & medical technology graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	3,181
Master’s Degree	396
Graduate Certificate	314
Undergraduate Certificate	98
Associate Degree	33
Doctor’s Degree	24
Basic Certificate	21

What Clinical Laboratory Sciences Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, clinical laboratory sciences majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Clinical Laboratory Sciences Majors

Clinical Laboratory Sciences 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Skills for Clinical Laboratory Sciences Majors

clinical laboratory sciences majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• 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.
• Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

Abilities for Clinical Laboratory Sciences Majors

A major in clinical laboratory sciences will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:

• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

What Can You Do With a Clinical Laboratory Sciences Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with clinical laboratory sciences:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Cytogenetic Technologists	11.6%	NA
Cytotechnologists	11.6%	NA
Health Specialties Professors	25.9%	$97,370
Histotechnologists and Histologic Technicians	11.6%	NA

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Clinical Laboratory Sciences?

The major attracts more women than men. About 78% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of clinical laboratory sciences majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	433
Black or African American	274
Hispanic or Latino	442
White	1,668
International Students	82
Other Races/Ethnicities	282

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Clinical Laboratory Sciences. About 2.6% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Clinical Laboratory Sciences

Some careers associated with clinical laboratory sciences require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

Find out what the typical degree level is for clinical laboratory sciences careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	2.7%
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)	4.1%
Some College Courses	0.9%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	17.8%
Bachelor’s Degree	37.1%
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.	19.6%
Master’s Degree	7.3%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	0.9%
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.	0.9%
Doctoral Degree	4.4%
Post-Doctoral Training	4.3%

Online Clinical Laboratory Sciences 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)	15	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	1	0
Associate’s Degree	13	0
Bachelor’s Degree	25	2
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	41	8
Post-Master’s	2	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	1	1
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	2	1
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Clinical Laboratory Sciences

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to clinical laboratory sciences.

Major	Number of Grads
Phlebotomy Technician/Phlebotomist	8,480
Laboratory Technician	3,225
Sterile Processing Technology/Technician	1,333
Other Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science and Allied Professions	858
Blood Bank Technology Specialist	265
Histologic Technician	253
Histologic Technology/Histotechnologist	132
Cytotechnology/Cytotechnologist	123
Renal/Dialysis Technologist/Technician	122
Ophthalmic Laboratory Technology/Technician	71
Hematology Technology	45
Cytogenetics/Genetics/Clinical Genetics Technology/Technologist	43

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.