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Laboratory Technician

Types of Degrees Laboratory Technician Majors Are Earning

Those studying Laboratory Technician may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	62
Associate’s Degree	2,392
Bachelor’s Degree	159
Master’s Degree	353

What Laboratory Technician Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Laboratory 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 Laboratory 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

Innate abilities most relevant to Laboratory 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, Laboratory 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 Laboratory Technician professionals:

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

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Laboratory Technician graduates include:

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

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Laboratory 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 Laboratory Technician?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 81.2% of Laboratory Technician degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	2,703	81.2%
Men	626	18.8%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	1,802	54.1%
Asian	294	8.8%
Hispanic or Latino	531	16.0%
Black or African American	414	12.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native	35	1.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	8	0.2%
Two or More Races	113	3.4%
Race Unknown	97	2.9%
International Students	35	1.1%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Laboratory Technician Graduates Earn?

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

Distance learning is tracked by IPEDS for Laboratory 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	7	15
Bachelor’s	1	3

^{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 Laboratory Technician Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Laboratory 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
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.