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Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research Degree

99 schools compared · Average earnings $65,728/yr

Students study laboratory analysis of blood, tissue, and body fluids to diagnose diseases, including microbiology, hematology, clinical chemistry, and molecular diagnostics. Graduates typically pursue careers as medical laboratory scientists, clinical researchers, blood bank technologists, and laboratory managers in hospitals, reference labs, and research institutions. Medical laboratory professionals are essential to healthcare, performing the tests behind approximately 70% of medical decisions.

What Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research Graduates Do

Your career will likely begin at the heart of patient care, but behind the scenes. You could be the phlebotomist who calmly draws a patient's blood or the medical equipment preparer meticulously sterilizing and assembling surgical kits. Or you might work as a lab technician, analyzing tissue and fluid samples to provide physicians with the critical data needed for a diagnosis. These hands-on roles are the foundation of modern medicine.

With experience, you can advance to supervising a lab, specializing in complex diagnostics, or moving into high-growth roles. The demand for medical equipment preparers is growing quickly, as is the need for experienced professionals to teach the next generation as health specialties instructors in colleges—a path with high earning potential.

The hands-on nature of this field is a significant advantage in the age of AI. Automation has very limited impact on the core physical tasks of drawing blood or preparing equipment. In more analytical technician roles, AI will automate some routine analysis, but it won't replace you. Instead, your job will shift toward managing the technology, validating its findings, and making the final human judgment call.

Schools Offering

Avg Grad Earnings

$65,728/yr

Avg DegreeOutlook Score

60/100

AI Automation Risk

Moderate

29% task exposure

Common Career Paths

Where Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research graduates typically work, ranked by salary. Salary ranges show 25th–75th percentile spread. This field has roughly 79,700 combined openings per year.

Career Path	Salary Range	Openings/yr	Growth	AI Risk
Health specialties teachers, postsecondary	$105,620 $74K$176K	27,400	+17.3%	48%
Surgical technologists	$62,830 $52K$77K	7,000	+4.5%	7%
Health technologists and technicians, all other	$48,790 $41K$62K	13,600	+5.2%	52%
Medical equipment preparers	$46,490 $39K–$56K	10,900	+10.0%	11%
Phlebotomists	$43,660 $38K–$48K	18,400	+5.6%	18%
Ophthalmic laboratory technicians	$38,420 $36K–$45K	2,400	+2.3%	9%

Health specialties teachers, postsecondary

$105,620

$74K $176K

27,400 openings/yr +17.3% growth 48% AI risk

Surgical technologists

$62,830

$52K $77K

7,000 openings/yr +4.5% growth 7% AI risk

Health technologists and technicians, all other

$48,790

$41K $62K

13,600 openings/yr +5.2% growth 52% AI risk

Medical equipment preparers

$46,490

$39K–$56K

10,900 openings/yr +10.0% growth 11% AI risk

Phlebotomists

$43,660

$38K–$48K

18,400 openings/yr +5.6% growth 18% AI risk

Ophthalmic laboratory technicians

$38,420

$36K–$45K

2,400 openings/yr +2.3% growth 9% AI risk

Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2024. Salary range shows 25th–median–75th percentile (national).

Best Schools for Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research

Top 20 of 99 schools ranked by DegreeOutlook Score. Click any row for full AI scenario analysis and earnings projections.

#	School	DW Score	Earnings	ROI
1	Farmingdale State College Farmingdale, NY	76 74–75	$95,766/yr	26.5x
2	Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY	76 74–75	$92,286/yr	24.3x
3	College of Staten Island CUNY Staten Island, NY	75 74–74	$86,226/yr	30.2x
4	CUNY Hunter College New York, NY	75 74–75	$86,173/yr	31.5x
5	Weber State University Ogden, UT	71 70–71	$67,576/yr	31.0x
6	Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science Rochester, MN	70 70–70	$70,333/yr	54.6x
7	University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY	70 69–69	$70,264/yr	18.6x
8	South Dakota State University Brookings, SD	70 69–70	$69,255/yr	21.0x
9	Austin Peay State University Clarksville, TN	69 68–69	$70,028/yr	20.7x
10	Tarleton State University Stephenville, TX	69 68–69	$69,675/yr	22.0x
11	Rutgers University-Camden Camden, NJ	68 67–67	$80,060/yr	12.4x
12	Rutgers University-New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ	68 67–67	$80,060/yr	12.2x
13	Rutgers University-Newark Newark, NJ	68 67–68	$80,060/yr	12.7x
14	Oregon Institute of Technology Klamath Falls, OR	68 67–68	$73,903/yr	15.3x
15	Winona State University Winona, MN	68 67–68	$65,883/yr	17.9x
16	University of West Florida Pensacola, FL	68 67–68	$65,673/yr	25.8x
17	Georgia Southern University Statesboro, GA	68 67–68	$62,447/yr	28.9x
18	Indiana University-Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN	67 66–66	$70,833/yr	16.3x
19	University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle, WA	67 67–67	$70,225/yr	15.1x
20	University of Wisconsin-La Crosse La Crosse, WI	67 66–67	$68,564/yr	17.7x
21	Saint Cloud State University Saint Cloud, MN	66 65–66	$74,147/yr	15.7x
22	Idaho State University Pocatello, ID	66 65–66	$62,085/yr	19.6x
23	California State University-Dominguez Hills Carson, CA	66 67–66	$44,374/yr	43.7x
24	CUNY York College Jamaica, NY	65 64–65	$105,425/yr	34.8x
25	University of Cincinnati-Main Campus Cincinnati, OH	65 64–65	$72,390/yr	12.9x
26	University of North Dakota Grand Forks, ND	65 64–65	$68,029/yr	14.7x
27	University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI	65 64–65	$62,966/yr	16.2x
28	East Carolina University Greenville, NC	65 64–65	$60,441/yr	20.4x
29	Wichita State University Wichita, KS	65 64–65	$60,287/yr	17.3x
30	University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth North Dartmouth, MA	64 63–64	$74,097/yr	11.5x
31	Northern Illinois University Dekalb, IL	64 63–63	$70,654/yr	12.6x
32	Wayne State University Detroit, MI	64 63–63	$70,611/yr	11.8x
33	University of Rhode Island Kingston, RI	64 63–63	$66,445/yr	11.3x
34	West Virginia University Morgantown, WV	64 63–64	$63,522/yr	16.0x
35	University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Stevens Point, WI	64 63–64	$59,690/yr	17.5x
36	Thomas University Thomasville, GA	64 63–64	$59,675/yr	14.9x
37	University of Alaska Anchorage Anchorage, AK	63 62–62	$81,203/yr	25.8x
38	University of Delaware Newark, DE	63 62–63	$73,722/yr	10.7x
39	Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, OH	63 63–63	$64,267/yr	12.9x
40	North Dakota State University-Main Campus Fargo, ND	63 62–63	$58,799/yr	14.8x
41	Eastern Kentucky University Richmond, KY	63 61–62	$55,917/yr	15.5x
42	DeVry University-Arizona Phoenix, AZ	62 61–61	$70,874/yr	9.7x
43	DeVry University-Illinois Lisle, IL	62 61–61	$70,874/yr	9.7x
44	DeVry University-Texas Irving, TX	62 61–61	$70,874/yr	9.7x
45	University of Massachusetts-Lowell Lowell, MA	62 62–62	$69,216/yr	10.4x
46	Ferris State University Big Rapids, MI	62 62–62	$65,935/yr	11.8x
47	Old Dominion University Norfolk, VA	62 61–62	$60,601/yr	13.0x
48	National University San Diego, CA	62 61–61	$55,562/yr	12.8x
49	Texas Southern University Houston, TX	62 61–62	$54,327/yr	16.7x
50	Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA	61 60–60	$67,072/yr	9.8x
51	Grand Canyon University Phoenix, AZ	61 60–60	$66,736/yr	9.5x
52	Eastern Michigan University Ypsilanti, MI	61 60–60	$65,737/yr	10.3x
53	Bowling Green State University-Main Campus Bowling Green, OH	61 60–61	$62,869/yr	11.4x
54	Augusta University Augusta, GA	60 60–60	$71,074/yr	20.9x
55	University of Vermont Burlington, VT	60 59–59	$64,930/yr	8.8x
56	University of Central Florida Orlando, FL	60 59–59	$62,453/yr	23.5x
57	University of Kentucky Lexington, KY	60 59–59	$59,282/yr	11.4x
58	University of Mississippi University, MS	60 59–59	$54,947/yr	14.7x
59	The University of Texas at El Paso El Paso, TX	60 59–60	$54,659/yr	14.5x
60	University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT	59 58–58	$67,965/yr	17.2x
61	Northeastern State University Tahlequah, OK	59 58–59	$62,912/yr	19.9x
62	Winston-Salem State University Winston-Salem, NC	59 58–59	$60,442/yr	21.4x
63	Florida Gulf Coast University Fort Myers, FL	59 57–58	$58,048/yr	22.7x
64	Arkansas State University Jonesboro, AR	59 58–59	$56,697/yr	16.3x
65	Northern Michigan University Marquette, MI	59 58–59	$54,336/yr	11.6x
66	Mercy University Dobbs Ferry, NY	58 56–58	$101,516/yr	10.5x
67	Illinois State University Normal, IL	58 58–58	$65,629/yr	9.2x
68	University of Louisiana at Monroe Monroe, LA	58 57–58	$64,772/yr	16.6x
69	The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Edinburg, TX	58 57–58	$56,421/yr	13.3x
70	Oakland University Rochester Hills, MI	58 57–58	$55,992/yr	10.5x
71	Salisbury University Salisbury, MD	57 57–57	$67,679/yr	14.9x
72	Texas State University San Marcos, TX	57 56–56	$67,589/yr	13.8x
73	Auburn University at Montgomery Montgomery, AL	57 56–56	$61,612/yr	15.3x
74	Marshall University Huntington, WV	57 56–57	$60,610/yr	15.9x
75	Saginaw Valley State University University Center, MI	56 55–55	$66,597/yr	12.6x
76	University of New Mexico-Main Campus Albuquerque, NM	56 55–56	$57,178/yr	16.6x
77	Brigham Young University Provo, UT	56 55–56	$54,333/yr	16.8x
78	University of Toledo Toledo, OH	55 55–55	$66,225/yr	12.4x
79	Radford University Radford, VA	55 54–54	$63,606/yr	11.9x
80	Wright State University-Main Campus Dayton, OH	55 54–55	$61,401/yr	12.7x
81	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC	55 54–55	$56,721/yr	14.8x
82	Michigan State University East Lansing, MI	55 55–55	$47,202/yr	10.0x
83	University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN	54 53–54	$73,403/yr	10.1x
84	The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX	54 53–54	$61,461/yr	12.2x
85	Grand Valley State University Allendale, MI	52 52–52	$63,038/yr	9.8x
86	University of Nebraska Medical Center Omaha, NE	49 48–49	$66,712/yr	—
87	Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-Shreveport Shreveport, LA	49 48–48	$64,525/yr	—
88	Upstate Medical University Syracuse, NY	49 48–48	$63,447/yr	—
89	University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Flex Milwaukee, WI	48 48–48	$62,966/yr	—
90	The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Houston, TX	48 48–48	$62,861/yr	—
91	Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Lubbock, TX	48 47–48	$62,373/yr	—
92	Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-New Orleans New Orleans, LA	48 47–48	$61,067/yr	—
93	The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston Galveston, TX	48 47–48	$59,591/yr	—
94	University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Little Rock, AR	48 47–47	$59,134/yr	—
95	Boston University Boston, MA	47 46–47	$77,660/yr	2.0x
96	George Washington University Washington, DC	45 44–45	$66,905/yr	1.6x
97	Michigan Technological University Houghton, MI	44 48–45	$38,756/yr	7.7x
98	Saint Louis University Saint Louis, MO	37 40–38	$40,156/yr	2.2x
99	Cleveland State University Cleveland, OH	34 40–35	$35,443/yr	6.0x

Highest Earning Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research Programs

Schools where Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research graduates earn the most in their first year after graduation.

School	1-Year Earnings	DW Score
CUNY York College	$105,425/yr	65
Mercy University	$101,516/yr	58
Farmingdale State College	$95,766/yr	76
Stony Brook University	$92,286/yr	76
College of Staten Island CUNY	$86,226/yr	75
CUNY Hunter College	$86,173/yr	75
University of Alaska Anchorage	$81,203/yr	63
Rutgers University-Camden	$80,060/yr	68
Rutgers University-New Brunswick	$80,060/yr	68
Rutgers University-Newark	$80,060/yr	68

Best ROI for Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research

Schools with the highest earnings-to-tuition ratio for Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research.

School	ROI Multiple	Earnings	DW Score
Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science	54.6x	$70,333/yr	70
California State University-Dominguez Hills	43.7x	$44,374/yr	66
CUNY York College	34.8x	$105,425/yr	65
CUNY Hunter College	31.5x	$86,173/yr	75
Weber State University	31.0x	$67,576/yr	71
College of Staten Island CUNY	30.2x	$86,226/yr	75
Georgia Southern University	28.9x	$62,447/yr	68
Farmingdale State College	26.5x	$95,766/yr	76
University of Alaska Anchorage	25.8x	$81,203/yr	63
University of West Florida	25.8x	$65,673/yr	68

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Related Majors

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Consider the Trade Route

Not sure a 4-year degree is the right path? Trade programs in Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research offer shorter timelines, lower debt, and strong AI resilience for hands-on careers.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research graduates earn?

Across 99 schools, Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research graduates earn an average of $65,728 per year in their first year after graduation. Earnings range from $35,443 to $105,425 depending on the school.

What is the AI automation risk for Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research?

Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research is rated "Moderate" for AI automation risk, with an average of 29% of job tasks exposed to large language models and AI tools. This means relatively few career tasks in this field could be augmented or replaced by AI over the next decade.

Which school has the best Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research program?

Based on our DegreeOutlook Score (combining earnings, AI resilience, job market size, and ROI), Farmingdale State College ranks #1 for Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research with a score of 76/100 and graduate earnings of $95,766/yr.

What's the outlook for a Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research degree?

On average, Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research graduates earn 16.0x their in-state tuition over 10 years. This is a strong return on investment.

Scores use College Scorecard earnings, BLS employment projections, and AI task-exposure research. See full methodology →