Biology & Biotech Lab Technician

Types of Degrees Biology & Biotech Lab Technician Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many biology and biotech lab technician graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Associate Degree	323
Basic Certificate	252
Undergraduate Certificate	85
Bachelor’s Degree	69
Master’s Degree	3

What Biology & Biotech Lab Technician Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to biology tech were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

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

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to biology tech:

• 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

As you progress with your biology tech degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:

• 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 & Biotech Lab Technician 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 & Biotech Lab Technician?

This is a less frequently chosen undergraduate major. Only 69 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biology and biotech lab technician in 2021, making it rank #300 in popularity. This major is dominated by women with about 61% of recent graduates being 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	7
Black or African American	2
Hispanic or Latino	13
White	32
International Students	5
Other Races/Ethnicities	10

Geographic Diversity

Biology Tech appeals to people across the globe. About 7.2% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• Saudi Arabia
• Malaysia
• South Korea
• China
• India

How Much Do Biology & Biotech Lab Technician Majors Make?

Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary

According to 2019-2020 data from the U.S. Department of Education, students who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biology tech have a median salary of $39,610 during the early years of their career. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $39,610 (25th percentile) and $39,610 (75th percentile).

One thing to note here is that not all of these people may be working in careers related to biology tech.

Salaries According to BLS

The median salary for someone in a career related to biology tech is $48,060. This median refers to all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Biology & Biotech Lab Technician

Some degrees associated with biology tech may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. 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 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 & Biotech Lab Technician Programs

In 2020-2021, 100 schools offered a biology tech program of some type. 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)	30	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	74	1
Bachelor’s Degree	2	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	1	1
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Biology & Biotech Lab Technician Worth It?

The median salary for a biology tech grad is $48,060 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 20% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $163,200 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Biology & Biotech Lab Technician

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

Major	Number of Grads
Physical Science Technicians	2,909
Other Science Technologies/Technicians	2,451
Nuclear & Radiological Technicians	299
General Science Technologies/Technicians	60

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.