Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist maps to BLS occupations averaging about $61,432, with roughly 901,610 workers nationwide in those roles. About 3,060 bachelor's completions in IPEDS 2023; median in-state published tuition is about $5,250.
Key Statistics
Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist: what the data shows
Common questions about clinical laboratory science/medical technology/technologist degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a clinical laboratory science/medical technology/technologist degree?
A Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist program is classified under NCES CIP 51.1005 in the Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions field family (51.10).
A program that prepares individuals to conduct and supervise complex medical tests, clinical trials, and research experiments; manage clinical laboratories; and consult with physicians and clinical researchers on diagnoses, disease causation and spread, and research outcomes. Includes instruction in the theory and practice of hematology, clinical chemistry, microbiology, immunology, immunohematology, physiological relationships to test results, laboratory procedures and quality assurance controls, test and research design and implementation, analytic techniques, laboratory management, data development and reporting, medical informatics, and professional standards and regulations
IPEDS counted 3,060 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.
Types of clinical laboratory science/medical technology/technologist degrees and related programs
Other NCES program codes in the 51.10 family with pages on EDsmart Data:
- Blood Bank Technology Specialist (CIP 51.1001)
- Clinical/Medical Laboratory Technician (CIP 51.1004)
- Cytogenetics/Genetics/Clinical Genetics Technology/Technologist (CIP 51.1010)
- Cytotechnology/Cytotechnologist (CIP 51.1002)
- Hematology Technology/Technician (CIP 51.1003)
- Histologic Technician (CIP 51.1008)
- Histologic Technology/Histotechnologist (CIP 51.1007)
- Ophthalmic Laboratory Technology/Technician (CIP 51.1006)
- Phlebotomy Technician/Phlebotomist (CIP 51.1009)
- Renal/Dialysis Technologist/Technician (CIP 51.1011)
- Sterile Processing Technology/Technician (CIP 51.1012)
How long does it take to get a clinical laboratory science/medical technology/technologist degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 51.1005 in our file:
- 52 Associate (1.5% of IPEDS total)—about two years of full-time study
- 3,060 Bachelor's (87.7% of IPEDS total)—typically four years
- 377 Master's (10.8% of IPEDS total)—one to two years beyond a bachelor's
Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.
What degree do you need?
For Home Health Aides (top mapped occupation), O*NET incumbent surveys in our career profile report these education credentials most often: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%). Bachelor's awards account for a majority of IPEDS completions for CIP 51.1005, but occupation data show multiple pathways.
O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.
What jobs can you get with a clinical laboratory science/medical technology/technologist degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Home Health Aides | — | — |
| Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists | — | — |
| Mental Health Counselors | — | — |
| Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health | 84,930 | $80,060 |
| Medical Assistants | 793,460 | $44,200 |
| Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors | 23,220 | $109,660 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a clinical laboratory science/medical technology/technologist degree worth it?
College Scorecard national medians for the Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions bachelor's program family: median debt $10,250, median earnings $75,975 four years after enrollment. Debt-to-earnings proxy: 0.16.
About 2.3% of graduates in this field family were not working and not enrolled one year after completion in Scorecard's national program medians.
Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $5,250 and median net price is $12,190.
We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.
Institutions
Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$5,250 Median In-State Public
$30,680 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist majors are, on average, $5,250 for in-state public colleges, and $30,680 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist programs.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
100,000 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grand Canyon University | AZ | 73,371 |
| 2 | University of Central Florida | FL | 59,146 |
| 3 | Ivy Tech Community College | IN | 58,267 |
| 4 | Ivy Tech Community College | IN | 58,267 |
| 5 | Miami Dade College | FL | 46,182 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | El Camino Community College District | CA | $1,144 |
| 2 | San Diego City College | CA | $1,146 |
| 3 | San Diego Mesa College | CA | $1,146 |
| 4 | San Diego Miramar College | CA | $1,146 |
| 5 | San Diego Miramar College | CA | $1,146 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Mexico State University-Grants | NM | $68 |
| 2 | Infinity College | LA | $230 |
| 3 | Wiregrass Georgia Technical College | GA | $614 |
| 4 | Wiregrass Georgia Technical College | GA | $614 |
| 5 | Southern Regional Technical College | GA | $813 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist programs.
Graduation Rates
Graduation rate data is not available for this degree program.
Graduation/completion rates for Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist programs across institutions.
Where students complete this major (IPEDS)
Bachelor's-level completions (IPEDS Completions, award level 5) summed by institution state. State is taken from IPEDS Directory (HD2023) for each reporting institution.
Geographic concentration
The largest number of reported bachelor's completions for Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist is in AR (356 completions). That state represents about 11.6% of U.S. bachelor's completions reported for this CIP in the IPEDS file we use.
Among states, the highest concentration relative to all bachelor's degrees awarded in-state is AR (1.10% of that state's bachelor's completions).
Top states by count of bachelor's completions for this CIP (IPEDS).
| State | Bachelor's completions (this CIP) | % of U.S. total (this CIP) | % of state's all bachelor's |
|---|---|---|---|
| AR | 356 | 11.6% | 1.10% |
| NY | 275 | 9.0% | 0.10% |
| OH | 245 | 8.0% | 0.18% |
| TX | 236 | 7.7% | 0.08% |
| MI | 213 | 7.0% | 0.19% |
| WI | 209 | 6.8% | 0.28% |
| CA | 113 | 3.7% | 0.03% |
| FL | 113 | 3.7% | 0.05% |
| LA | 99 | 3.2% | 0.21% |
| NC | 81 | 2.6% | 0.07% |
| VA | 80 | 2.6% | 0.07% |
| TN | 76 | 2.5% | 0.10% |
| ND | 71 | 2.3% | 0.57% |
| IL | 67 | 2.2% | 0.05% |
| UT | 62 | 2.0% | 0.06% |
| MN | 61 | 2.0% | 0.07% |
| MA | 60 | 2.0% | 0.05% |
| KS | 49 | 1.6% | 0.13% |
Related specializations
Other NCES program codes in the 51.10 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.
- Blood Bank Technology Specialist CIP 51.1001
- Clinical/Medical Laboratory Technician CIP 51.1004
- Cytogenetics/Genetics/Clinical Genetics Technology/Technologist CIP 51.1010
- Cytotechnology/Cytotechnologist CIP 51.1002
- Hematology Technology/Technician CIP 51.1003
- Histologic Technician CIP 51.1008
- Histologic Technology/Histotechnologist CIP 51.1007
- Ophthalmic Laboratory Technology/Technician CIP 51.1006
- Phlebotomy Technician/Phlebotomist CIP 51.1009
- Renal/Dialysis Technologist/Technician CIP 51.1011
- Sterile Processing Technology/Technician CIP 51.1012
Degree Levels (IPEDS)
Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 51.1005 in the survey year used in our extract (3,489 total across levels below).
- 52 Associate (1.5% of IPEDS total)
- 3,060 Bachelor's (87.7% of IPEDS total)
- 377 Master's (10.8% of IPEDS total)
Source: IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), summed by award level for this CIP.
Careers & Jobs
Occupations linked to this major in our degree→career mapping, with wages and employment from processed BLS career profiles in this repo.
Across these BLS occupations, employment-weighted mean pay is about $61,432. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Home Health Aides | — | — |
| Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists | — | — |
| Mental Health Counselors | — | — |
| Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health | $110,339 | 84,930 |
| Medical Assistants | $54,270 | 793,460 |
| Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors | $127,278 | 23,220 |
Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.
Program outcomes (College Scorecard)
National medians across bachelor's programs in the Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions CIP family (6 programs reporting debt). Not specific to every Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist graduate.
- $10,250 median federal loan debt among completers
- $75,975 median earnings four years after enrollment (national program median)
- 0.16 debt-to-earnings ratio (Scorecard proxy)
- 2.3% of graduates not working and not enrolled one year out (program cohort)
Source: College Scorecard program-level outcomes aggregated by 4-digit CIP family.
Employment
Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.
Yearly Income for Common Jobs
$61,432 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist majors is $61,432.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist majors.
Occupations by Share
901,610 2023 Workforce
The number of Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist.
Age distribution for Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
3,060 Total Degrees Awarded
729 Male (23.82%)
2,331 Female (76.18%)
Gender distribution of Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
1,594 White (52.09%)
445 Asian (14.54%)
427 Hispanic or Latino (13.95%)
261 Black or African American (8.53%)
116 Two or More Races (3.79%)
Racial and ethnic distribution of Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist majors.
Skills Bar Chart
This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.
Skill importance ratings for Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist majors.
About
A program that prepares individuals to conduct and supervise complex medical tests, clinical trials, and research experiments; manage clinical laboratories; and consult with physicians and clinical researchers on diagnoses, disease causation and spread, and research outcomes. Includes instruction in the theory and practice of hematology, clinical chemistry, microbiology, immunology, immunohematology, physiological relationships to test results, laboratory procedures and quality assurance controls, test and research design and implementation, analytic techniques, laboratory management, data development and reporting, medical informatics, and professional standards and regulations
In 2023, 100,000 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist.
CIP Code
51.1005 - Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist
What the data shows
At the program-family level, College Scorecard reports median debt of $10,250 for bachelor's completers and median earnings near $75,975, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.16. Those figures describe national program cohorts in this CIP family—not every individual Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist graduate.
Women earned 76.3% of 3,893 Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist completions in the IPEDS file used here.
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $61,432. The largest mapped role by headcount is Home Health Aides (N/A U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $5,250 in-state at public colleges and $30,680 at private institutions for programs in this field.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.
All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.