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clinical and translational science

Types of Degrees clinical and translational science Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing clinical and translational science have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	8
Master’s Degree	51
Doctor’s Degree	20

What clinical and translational science Majors Need to Know

Coursework for clinical and translational science build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that clinical and translational science graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing clinical and translational science emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Biology — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 6.3 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Chemistry — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 4.3 / 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 and translational science program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Writing — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Science — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Active Learning — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to clinical and translational science careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, clinical and translational science graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.6 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.5 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.3 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Working with Computers	4.2 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.1 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by clinical and translational science professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
SAS	Analytical or scientific software	—
Waters Q-DIS/QM LIMS	Analytical or scientific software	—
Linux	Operating system software	—
Microsoft Dynamics	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
ESRI ArcGIS software	Geographic information system	—
Integrated development environment IDE software	Development environment software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Triple G ULTRA Laboratory Information System	Analytical or scientific software	—
Medical Scientists HybridAI	Analytical or scientific software	—
IBM SPSS Statistics	Analytical or scientific software	—
Python	Object or component oriented development software	—
Waters Millennium32	Analytical or scientific software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for clinical and translational science graduates include:

• Medical Science Liaison (MSL)
• Clinical Research Scientist
• Chemotherapist
• Medical Laboratory Scientist (Medical Lab Scientist)
• Medical Researcher
• Histologist
• Neurophysiologist
• Study Director
• Oncology Medical Science Liaison (Oncology MSL)
• Anatomist
• Serologist
• Laboratory Scientist (Lab Scientist)
• Toxicologist
• Clinical Pharmacologist
• Research Scientist

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to clinical and translational science graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	35.9%
Post-doctoral training	24.7%
Master’s degree	24.6%
Bachelor’s degree	8.0%
Post-master’s certificate	6.8%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in clinical and translational science?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 53.2% women and 46.8% men among clinical and translational science graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	42	53.2%
Men	37	46.8%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of clinical and translational science graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	30	38.0%
Asian	21	26.6%
Hispanic or Latino	6	7.6%
Black or African American	4	5.1%
Two or More Races	2	2.5%
Race Unknown	7	8.9%
International Students	9	11.4%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do clinical and translational science Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of clinical and translational science 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	$160,729
4 years	$166,630
5 years	$197,894

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $197,894 — roughly 23% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Is a Degree in clinical and translational science Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, clinical and translational science graduates earn a median of $166,630 four years after completion — roughly 338% 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
Medical Clinical Sciences/Graduate Medical Studies	51.14
Medical Clinical Sciences/Graduate Medical Studies, Other	51.1499
Medical Science/Scientist	51.1401
Pain Management	51.1403
Temporomandibular Disorders and Orofacial Pain	51.1404
Tropical Medicine	51.1405

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.