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
Master’s Degree	3

What Biology & Biotech Lab Technician 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

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in biology tech should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• 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

When studying biology tech, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

• 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 & Biotech Lab Technician Major?

People with a biology tech degree often go into the following careers:

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

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Biology & Biotech Lab Technician?

This major is dominated by women with about 67% 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	0
Black or African American	3
Hispanic or Latino	0
White	0
International Students	0
Other Races/Ethnicities	0

How Much Do Biology & Biotech Lab Technician Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Biology Tech majors often go into careers with median salaries of $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. 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 & Biotech Lab Technician Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 100 schools offered some type of biology and biotech lab technician program. 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
Other Science Technologies/Technicians	56
Physical Science Technicians	13
Nuclear & Radiological Technicians	4
General Science Technologies/Technicians	3

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.