Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions: earnings, debt, and careers
CIP 51.10. Official graduate outcomes from the U.S. Department of Education across 1,373 programs, and the careers this field is linked to.
Graduate earnings by credential level
| Credential | Programs | Graduates (recent year) | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Typical program median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate certificate | 566 | 12,707 | $34,692 | $38,675 | $9,500 92 programs |
| Associate's degree | 340 | 2,687 | $52,694 | $57,472 | $19,956 30 programs |
| Bachelor's degree | 335 | 3,934 | $69,014 | $75,975 | $24,414 74 programs |
| Post-baccalaureate certificate | 17 | 0 | $81,047 | $66,018 | $14,250 3 programs |
| Master's degree | 60 | 550 | $74,769 | $90,984 | Data unavailable |
| Doctoral degree | 4 | 13 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Professional degree (JD, MD, and similar) | 2 | 14 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Graduate certificate | 49 | 385 | $75,168 | $46,413 | Data unavailable |
National earnings are published by the Department of Education for each field and credential level Verified data. Typical program median debt is ConnectPrep's calculation: the median across programs of each program's median federal debt Calculated estimate. It covers federal loans only.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, Most Recent Field of Study Data. Varies by measure; see measure definitions. Published October 15, 2026. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Undergraduate certificate programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hillsborough College FL · Public · 27 graduates measured | $76,329 | $57,203 | $18,875 |
| Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center TX · Public · 24 graduates measured | $71,301 | Data unavailable | $29,695 |
| Mercy College of Health Sciences IA · Private, nonprofit · 18 graduates measured | $69,297 | $69,417 | Data unavailable |
| University of North Dakota ND · Public · 88 graduates measured | $67,562 | $75,339 | $27,000 |
| Indiana University-Indianapolis IN · Public · 40 graduates measured | $65,165 | $66,173 | $19,975 |
| Carolinas College of Health Sciences NC · Public · 34 graduates measured | $63,917 | $70,222 | $27,432 |
| Contra Costa Medical Career College CA · Private, for-profit · 129 graduates measured | $54,619 | $62,065 | $5,500 |
| Glendale Career College CA · Private, for-profit · 51 graduates measured | $47,095 | $47,771 | $8,903 |
| MCI Institute of NJ NJ · Private, for-profit · 27 graduates measured | $46,901 | $46,309 | $7,779 |
| Berkeley College-Woodland Park NJ · Private, for-profit · 23 graduates measured | $46,589 | $46,472 | Data unavailable |
| Anoka Technical College MN · Public · 22 graduates measured | $45,436 | $57,298 | $15,625 |
| H W Brewster Technical College FL · Public · 38 graduates measured | $43,504 | $46,188 | Data unavailable |
| Saint Paul College MN · Public · 33 graduates measured | $43,447 | $61,879 | $21,627 |
| Premiere Career College CA · Private, for-profit · 44 graduates measured | $42,387 | $40,955 | $5,041 |
| Fortis College-Orange Park FL · Private, for-profit · 28 graduates measured | $42,238 | $37,792 | Data unavailable |
Ranked by published median earnings one year after completion. Programs with suppressed earnings do not appear, so this is not a ranking of program quality.
Associate's degree programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mt San Antonio College CA · Public · 26 graduates measured | $78,167 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Community College of Philadelphia PA · Public · 25 graduates measured | $74,593 | $75,304 | Data unavailable |
| Mercer County Community College NJ · Public · 20 graduates measured | $74,342 | Data unavailable | $19,000 |
| Indiana University-Indianapolis IN · Public · 18 graduates measured | $72,792 | Data unavailable | $24,363 |
| Miami Dade College FL · Public · 57 graduates measured | $68,947 | $79,084 | $18,649 |
| CUNY Bronx Community College NY · Public · 27 graduates measured | $67,635 | Data unavailable | $10,057 |
| Phoenix College AZ · Public · 41 graduates measured | $67,118 | $72,608 | $16,908 |
| Florida State College at Jacksonville FL · Public · 23 graduates measured | $65,641 | Data unavailable | $27,375 |
| Saint Paul College MN · Public · 17 graduates measured | $63,738 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Community College of Baltimore County MD · Public · 17 graduates measured | $63,412 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Lakeland Community College OH · Public · 29 graduates measured | $62,703 | $59,147 | Data unavailable |
| Cincinnati State Technical and Community College OH · Public · 16 graduates measured | $62,673 | $69,971 | Data unavailable |
| Weber State University UT · Public · 44 graduates measured | $62,637 | $62,339 | $19,911 |
| SUNY Broome Community College NY · Public · 36 graduates measured | $61,736 | $63,764 | $28,000 |
| Brookline College-Phoenix AZ · Private, for-profit · 31 graduates measured | $61,559 | $63,280 | $20,000 |
Ranked by published median earnings one year after completion. Programs with suppressed earnings do not appear, so this is not a ranking of program quality.
Bachelor's degree programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| CUNY York College NY · Public · 46 graduates measured | $118,710 | $122,313 | $13,859 |
| Mercy University NY · Private, nonprofit · 19 graduates measured | $116,152 | $110,519 | $28,000 |
| Stony Brook University NY · Public · 48 graduates measured | $115,173 | $110,827 | $19,250 |
| Loma Linda University CA · Private, nonprofit · 55 graduates measured | $112,525 | $125,835 | $25,000 |
| Marist University NY · Private, nonprofit · 26 graduates measured | $108,720 | $101,370 | Data unavailable |
| Farmingdale State College NY · Public · 29 graduates measured | $107,484 | $104,169 | $13,625 |
| College of Staten Island CUNY NY · Public · 23 graduates measured | $100,889 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| CUNY Hunter College NY · Public · 58 graduates measured | $96,335 | $104,791 | Data unavailable |
| Boston University MA · Private, nonprofit · 17 graduates measured | $87,287 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Kean University NJ · Public · 21 graduates measured | $83,165 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Oregon Institute of Technology OR · Public · 60 graduates measured | $82,471 | $89,839 | $20,250 |
| University of Washington-Seattle Campus WA · Public · 33 graduates measured | $82,134 | $86,417 | $14,271 |
| Thomas University GA · Private, nonprofit · 30 graduates measured | $81,811 | Data unavailable | $29,618 |
| George Mason University VA · Public · 19 graduates measured | $81,772 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Saint Cloud State University MN · Public · 50 graduates measured | $80,905 | $78,067 | $22,619 |
Ranked by published median earnings one year after completion. Programs with suppressed earnings do not appear, so this is not a ranking of program quality.
Post-baccalaureate certificate programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco State University CA · Public · 77 graduates measured | $136,839 | Data unavailable | $14,250 |
| Heritage University WA · Private, nonprofit · 17 graduates measured | $84,119 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| George Washington University DC · Private, nonprofit · 77 graduates measured | $75,888 | $85,128 | $27,147 |
Ranked by published median earnings one year after completion. Programs with suppressed earnings do not appear, so this is not a ranking of program quality.
Master's degree programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rutgers University-New Brunswick NJ · Public · 22 graduates measured | $112,029 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Long Island University NY · Private, nonprofit · 16 graduates measured | $111,473 | $103,734 | Data unavailable |
| George Washington University DC · Private, nonprofit · 37 graduates measured | $91,734 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston TX · Public · 27 graduates measured | $91,453 | $87,315 | Data unavailable |
| University of North Dakota ND · Public · 18 graduates measured | $82,717 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences NY · Private, nonprofit · 17 graduates measured | $82,357 | $80,596 | Data unavailable |
| Ohio State University-Main Campus OH · Public · 69 graduates measured | $79,266 | $94,876 | Data unavailable |
| Rush University IL · Private, nonprofit · 22 graduates measured | $75,828 | $82,177 | Data unavailable |
| The University of Tennessee Health Science Center TN · Public · 22 graduates measured | $74,634 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio TX · Public · 34 graduates measured | $70,794 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| University of Alabama at Birmingham AL · Public · 20 graduates measured | $67,119 | $69,427 | Data unavailable |
| Augusta University GA · Public · 17 graduates measured | $63,574 | $83,306 | Data unavailable |
| Drexel University PA · Private, nonprofit · 55 graduates measured | $42,149 | $65,325 | Data unavailable |
Ranked by published median earnings one year after completion. Programs with suppressed earnings do not appear, so this is not a ranking of program quality.
Graduate certificate programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rush University IL · Private, nonprofit · 19 graduates measured | $88,841 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| University of Nebraska Medical Center NE · Public · 20 graduates measured | $88,797 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| University of Rochester NY · Private, nonprofit · 19 graduates measured | $85,191 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Metro PR · Private, nonprofit · 26 graduates measured | $44,168 | $43,753 | Data unavailable |
| Inter American University of Puerto Rico-San German PR · Private, nonprofit · 38 graduates measured | $35,688 | $35,267 | Data unavailable |
Ranked by published median earnings one year after completion. Programs with suppressed earnings do not appear, so this is not a ranking of program quality.
Careers linked to Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions
| Occupation | Median wage, all workers | Change 2025 to 2035 | Typical entry education |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health specialties teachers, postsecondary | $107,310 | +17.9% | Doctoral or professional degree |
| Surgical technologists | $64,650 | +5.0% | Postsecondary nondegree award |
| Health technologists and technicians, all other | $50,290 | +5.9% | Postsecondary nondegree award |
| Medical equipment preparers | $47,700 | +10.8% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Phlebotomists | $45,230 | +6.8% | Postsecondary nondegree award |
| Ophthalmic laboratory technicians | $39,460 | +2.2% | High school diploma or equivalent |
Occupations mapped to this field in the NCES and BLS CIP to SOC crosswalk. Occupation wages describe all workers, not recent graduates.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk. CIP 2020 and SOC 2018 taxonomies. Published April 30, 2020. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, National. May 2025 reference period. Published April 30, 2026. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, Table 1.2: Occupational projections, 2025-35, and worker characteristics, 2025. Base year 2025, projected year 2035. Published August 27, 2026. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Detailed CIP codes in this field (13)
- 51.1001 Blood Bank Technology Specialist
- 51.1002 Cytotechnology/Cytotechnologist
- 51.1003 Hematology Technology/Technician
- 51.1004 Clinical/Medical Laboratory Technician
- 51.1005 Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist
- 51.1006 Ophthalmic Laboratory Technology/Technician
- 51.1007 Histologic Technology/Histotechnologist
- 51.1008 Histologic Technician
- 51.1009 Phlebotomy Technician/Phlebotomist
- 51.1010 Cytogenetics/Genetics/Clinical Genetics Technology/Technologist
- 51.1011 Renal/Dialysis Technologist/Technician
- 51.1012 Sterile Processing Technology/Technician
- 51.1099 Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science and Allied Professions, Other