College Scorecard · field of study · all U.S. colleges

Is a Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions degree worth the debt?

The figures below lead with the Bachelor's, aggregated across 95 colleges (95 of 95 programs report earnings). Other credential levels are in the table further down.

Median pay · 1 yr after

$56,576

Graduates only, early career.$55,964 two years out.

Median federal debt

$19,916

Federal loans only — not private or Parent PLUS.

Debt vs a year's pay

0.36×

36% of a first year's earnings.

Typical debt is well under a single year's early-career pay.

The college you pick moves this a lot

The middle 50% of Bachelor's programs in Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions report early-career pay between $52,971 and $60,914 — a spread of $7,943 that depends on the program and who attends it, not the major alone.

25th pct $52,971 median $56,576 75th pct $60,914

By degree level

Each level is a separate decision — more schooling usually means more pay and more debt.

LevelPay · 1yrDebtDebt/pay

Certificate 84 colleges $25,188 $8,683 0.33×

Associate's 61 colleges $40,841 $20,000 0.49×

Bachelor's 95 colleges $56,576 $19,916 0.36×

Master's 10 colleges $61,248 $58,980 1.08×

Where a Bachelor's in this field reports the highest early-career pay

The 15 programs with the highest reported pay one year after completion. This reflects who enrolls and where they live as much as the program itself — it is not a causal quality ranking.

Loma Linda University CA $99,977 —

Stony Brook University NY $78,983 $17,500 debt

Farmingdale State College NY $74,532 $19,977 debt

CUNY York College NY $73,775 —

Boston University MA $67,918 —

Marist University NY $67,648 —

College of Staten Island CUNY NY $67,632 —

University at Buffalo NY $66,995 $16,250 debt

University of Washington-Seattle Campus WA $66,369 $13,000 debt

University of Minnesota-Twin Cities MN $65,666 $19,854 debt

Saint Cloud State University MN $65,397 $19,347 debt

Oregon Institute of Technology OR $64,721 $20,875 debt

Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science MN $64,679 —

Thomas Jefferson University PA $64,503 —

Rutgers University-Camden NJ $64,307 $15,334 debt

What these numbers are — and are not

Every figure here is a median across college programs in Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions, from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. It is not a prediction of what you would earn (your college, effort, and local job market vary enormously — see the spread above), not lifetime earnings (it is measured 1–2 years after completion, early career), not proof the major caused the outcome (who enters a field differs by field — selection, not causation), and not a "best majors" ranking: earnings are one dimension of worth, not the whole of it. Teaching and social work pay far less than the fields at the top of this list and matter enormously. Earnings cover federally-aided completers at programs large enough to report.

Also available: structured data (JSON-LD) · plain text · JSON. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard — Field of Study (2026-06-10 release). · explore this field on the official Scorecard