Best Life programs in Michigan, ranked by enrollment
All life, physical, and social science technicians not listed.
28 schools in Michigan run programs that feed this job, graduating 867 people a year. The job pays a median of $59,100 in Michigan across about 1,040 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Michigan that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
9 programs in Michigan that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Michigan (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Michigan page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 43.0104In Michigan → | 533 | 61.5% | 15 | $37,408 | $24,069 |
| 2 | CIP 45.0401In Michigan → | 104 | 12.0% | 3 | $37,366 | $25,000 |
| 3 | CIP 41.9999In Michigan → | 72 | 8.3% | 1 | $49,936 | $22,636 |
| 4 | CIP 43.0406In Michigan → | 67 | 7.7% | 5 | $40,889 | $25,000 |
| 5 | CIP 43.0100In Michigan → | 46 | 5.3% | 5 | $37,408 | $24,069 |
| 6 | CIP 40.0401In Michigan → | 26 | 3.0% | 2 | $41,430 | $25,500 |
| 7 | CIP 40.1001In Michigan → | 13 | 1.5% | 3 | $72,216 | $24,750 |
| 8 | CIP 41.0000In Michigan → | 4 | 0.5% | 1 | $71,144 | $10,229 |
| 9 | CIP 40.1002In Michigan → | 2 | 0.2% | 1 | $72,216 | $24,750 |
Top 25 schools in Michigan
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 12 of the 28 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wayne State University Detroit, MI Public · 2 feeder programs | 128 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | $39,132 | 58% | — | 81% |
| 2 | Madonna University Livonia, MI Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 109 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | $36,296 | 60% | $16,904 | 63% |
| 3 | Oakland Community College Auburn Hills, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 72 | Science Technologies/Technicians, Other | $53,078 | 21% | — | — |
| 4 | Northern Michigan University Marquette, MI Public · 2 feeder programs | 67 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | $38,518 | 52% | — | 84% |
| 5 | Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 60 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | $39,614 | 58% | — | 85% |
| 6 | Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant, MI Public · 4 feeder programs | 54 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | — | 59% | — | 90% |
| 7 | Eastern Michigan University Ypsilanti, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 52 | Criminology | $36,891 | 46% | — | 80% |
| 8 | University of Michigan - Dearborn Dearborn, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 50 | Criminology | — | 58% | — | 56% |
| 9 | Saginaw Valley State University University Center, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 49 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | $40,049 | 48% | — | 72% |
| 10 | Washtenaw Community College Ann Arbor, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 30 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | $67,732 | 33% | — | — |
| 11 | The University of Olivet Olivet, MI Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 26 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | $48,328 | 35% | $21,946 | 83% |
| 12 | Siena Heights University Adrian, MI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 25 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | $67,009 | 39% | $17,015 | 69% |
| 13 | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 25 | Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology, General | — | 93% | — | 16% |
| 14 | St Clair County Community College Port Huron, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 19 | Criminal Justice and Corrections, General | $32,691 | 34% | — | — |
| 15 | Wayne County Community College District Detroit, MI Public · 2 feeder programs | 19 | Criminal Justice and Corrections, General | — | 22% | — | — |
| 16 | University of Detroit Mercy Detroit, MI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 15 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | — | 67% | $16,109 | 75% |
| 17 | Bay de Noc Community College Escanaba, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 14 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | — | 30% | — | — |
| 18 | Southwestern Michigan College Dowagiac, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 13 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | — | 38% | — | — |
| 19 | Concordia University Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 9 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | $41,527 | 48% | $25,071 | 69% |
| 20 | Macomb Community College Warren, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 8 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | — | 18% | — | — |
| 21 | Michigan State University East Lansing, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Materials Science | — | 81% | — | 85% |
| 22 | Lake Superior State University Sault Ste Marie, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Science Technologies/Technicians, General | — | 51% | — | — |
| 23 | Mott Community College Flint, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Forensic Science and Technology | — | 32% | — | — |
| 24 | Grace Christian University Wyoming, MI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Criminal Justice and Corrections, General | — | 51% | $14,254 | 99% |
| 25 | Calvin University Grand Rapids, MI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Criminology | — | 74% | $22,391 | 71% |
All 28 schools in Michigan
Every school in Michigan with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne State University | Detroit | Public | 128 | 2 |
| Madonna University | Livonia | Private not-for-profit | 109 | 2 |
| Oakland Community College | Auburn Hills | Public | 72 | 1 |
| Northern Michigan University | Marquette | Public | 67 | 2 |
| Western Michigan University | Kalamazoo | Public | 60 | 1 |
| Central Michigan University | Mount Pleasant | Public | 54 | 4 |
| Eastern Michigan University | Ypsilanti | Public | 52 | 1 |
| University of Michigan - Dearborn | Dearborn | Public | 50 | 1 |
| Saginaw Valley State University | University Center | Public | 49 | 1 |
| Washtenaw Community College | Ann Arbor | Public | 30 | 1 |
| The University of Olivet | Olivet | Private not-for-profit | 26 | 2 |
| Siena Heights University | Adrian | Private not-for-profit | 25 | 1 |
| University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | Ann Arbor | Public | 25 | 1 |
| St Clair County Community College | Port Huron | Public | 19 | 1 |
| Wayne County Community College District | Detroit | Public | 19 | 2 |
What life, physical, and social science technicians, all other earn in Michigan
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $62,280. Michigan pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Michigan
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Life, Physical, and Social Science Technicians, All Other page.
How to become a Life
Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0- Typical entry education
- Associate's degree
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Michigan
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 12 majors mapped to Life, Physical, and Social Science Technicians, All Other12 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 40.0401Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology, General
- 40.1001Materials Science
- 40.1002Materials Chemistry
- 41.0000Science Technologies/Technicians, General
- 41.0303Chemical Process Technology
- 41.0399Physical Science Technologies/Technicians, Other
- 41.9999Science Technologies/Technicians, Other
- 43.0100Criminal Justice and Corrections, General
- 43.0104Criminal Justice/Safety Studies
- 43.0402Criminalistics and Criminal Science
- 43.0406Forensic Science and Technology
- 45.0401Criminology
Common questions
Answers for people weighing life, physical, and social science technicians, all other programs in Michigan.
What degree do you need to become a Life?+
Associate's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Criminal Justice/Safety Studies, which awarded 533 degrees in Michigan in 2024-25, 61.5% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Life?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 9 programs to this occupation. The largest are Criminal Justice and Corrections, Criminology, Science Technologies/Technicians, Security Science and Technology, plus 3 more. Together they graduate about 867 people a year in Michigan.
How much do life, physical, and social science technicians, all other earn in Michigan?+
The median is $59,100 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 5.1% below the U.S. median of $62,280. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for life, physical, and social science technicians, all other growing?+
BLS projects a +3.5% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 10,600 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Michigan?+
28 institutions in Michigan reported graduates from at least one of the 9 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do life, physical, and social science technicians, all other work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Research Associate, Geospatial Extractor, Meteorologist Liaison, Lab Technician (Lab Tech), Digital Cartographic Technician, Quality Control Technician (QC Tech) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 19-4099.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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