Biology Tech

Types of Degrees Biology Tech Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many biology & biotech lab technician graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Basic Certificate	733
Associate Degree	318
Undergraduate Certificate	147
Bachelor’s Degree	39
Master’s Degree	3

What Biology Tech Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, biology tech 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 Biology Tech Majors

Biology Tech 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.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• 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.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Skills for Biology Tech Majors

biology tech majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Science - Using scientific rules and methods to solve 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.
• Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

Abilities for Biology Tech Majors

Biology Tech majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

What Can You Do With a Biology Tech Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with biology tech:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Biological Technicians	10.1%	$44,500

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology Tech?

This is a less frequently chosen undergraduate major. Only 69 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biology & biotech lab technician in 2021, making it rank #300 in popularity. The major attracts more women than men. About 59% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of biology tech majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	2
Black or African American	1
Hispanic or Latino	1
White	24
International Students	7
Other Races/Ethnicities	4

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Biology Tech. About 17.9% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Biology Tech

Some careers associated with biology tech require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for biology tech careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	1.5%
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)	1.0%
Some College Courses	1.5%
Bachelor’s Degree	51.5%
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.	15.1%
Master’s Degree	31.0%
Doctoral Degree	2.9%
Post-Doctoral Training	1.0%

Online Biology Tech 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)	31	1
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	73	2
Bachelor’s Degree	2	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	1	0
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Biology Tech

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to biology tech.

Major	Number of Grads
Physical Science Technicians	2,688
Other Science Technologies/Technicians	2,436
Nuclear & Radiological Technicians	319
General Science Technologies/Technicians	88

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

More about our data sources and methodologies.