Best degree programs for Life, Physical, and Social Science Technicians, All Other, ranked by enrollment
12 college programs and 1,261 schools train Life, Physical, and Social Science Technicians, All Other. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $62,280 median wage, 73,910 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
12 college programs at 1,261 schools train life, physical, and social science technicians, all other, graduating 63,058 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Criminal Justice/Safety Studies. The job pays a median of $62,280 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About life, physical, and social science technicians, all other
All life, physical, and social science technicians not listed separately.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
12 degree programs that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 43.0104 | 40,687 | 64.5% | 824 | $37,408 | $24,069 |
| 2 | CIP 45.0401 | 10,118 | 16.0% | 230 | $37,366 | $25,000 |
| 3 | CIP 43.0406 | 5,008 | 7.9% | 239 | $40,889 | $25,000 |
| 4 | CIP 41.9999 | 2,473 | 3.9% | 56 | $49,936 | $22,636 |
| 5 | CIP 43.0100 | 2,344 | 3.7% | 75 | $37,408 | $24,069 |
| 6 | CIP 40.0401 | 953 | 1.5% | 70 | $41,430 | $25,500 |
| 7 | CIP 43.0402 | 622 | 1.0% | 31 | $40,889 | $25,000 |
| 8 | CIP 40.1001 | 595 | 0.9% | 45 | $72,216 | $24,750 |
| 9 | CIP 41.0000 | 155 | 0.2% | 19 | $71,144 | $10,229 |
| 10 | CIP 41.0303 | 85 | 0.1% | 10 | $51,860 | $11,959 |
| 11 | CIP 40.1002 | 16 | 0.0% | 6 | $72,216 | $24,750 |
| 12 | CIP 41.0399 | 2 | 0.0% | 1 | $51,860 | $11,959 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
What life, physical, and social science technicians, all other earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | $48,960 | 9,170 | 1.37× | 82 | 6,337 |
| California | $78,350 | 10,090 | 1.17× | 64 | 5,735 |
| Florida | $63,180 | 1,830 | 0.39× | 37 | 4,496 |
| Georgia | $69,320 | 2,230 | 0.96× | 49 | 4,150 |
| Virginia | $67,240 | 2,710 | 1.39× | 21 | 3,220 |
| North Carolina | $49,200 | 2,310 | 0.98× | 88 | 3,216 |
| Arizona | $58,240 | 420 | 0.27× | 23 | 2,490 |
| Indiana | $48,650 | 750 | 0.50× | 33 | 2,487 |
| Pennsylvania | $57,680 | 2,630 | 0.91× | 74 | 2,414 |
| New York | $63,810 | 7,390 | 1.61× | 60 | 2,297 |
| Ohio | $49,210 | 1,020 | 0.39× | 53 | 1,620 |
| Illinois | $59,410 | 750 | 0.26× | 43 | 1,594 |
| West Virginia | $59,750 | 230 | 0.68× | 22 | 1,488 |
| Maryland | $68,390 | 3,510 | 2.67× | 20 | 1,465 |
| Massachusetts | $63,820 | 1,140 | 0.66× | 38 | 1,394 |
| Colorado | $63,760 | 1,860 | 1.37× | 23 | 1,373 |
| New Jersey | $55,980 | 2,140 | 1.05× | 27 | 1,204 |
| Wisconsin | $47,210 | 1,070 | 0.76× | 28 | 1,151 |
| Louisiana | $53,360 | 1,610 | 1.75× | 22 | 1,047 |
| Connecticut | $66,710 | 320 | 0.40× | 14 | 962 |
| Nevada | $54,070 | 350 | 0.47× | 6 | 910 |
| Michigan | $59,100 | 1,040 | 0.50× | 28 | 867 |
| Alabama | $59,500 | 350 | 0.35× | 13 | 806 |
| Nebraska | $48,640 | 300 | 0.61× | 13 | 729 |
| South Carolina | $58,960 | 1,290 | 1.17× | 27 | 728 |
| Utah | $59,290 | — | — | 9 | 725 |
| Missouri | $50,410 | 2,100 | 1.51× | 23 | 681 |
| Minnesota | $49,410 | 1,350 | 0.97× | 32 | 646 |
| Oklahoma | $86,260 | 460 | 0.57× | 13 | 527 |
| Washington | $73,530 | 980 | 0.58× | 12 | 517 |
| Iowa | $50,480 | 420 | 0.57× | 29 | 506 |
| Arkansas | $59,310 | 350 | 0.56× | 24 | 492 |
| New Mexico | $56,420 | 180 | 0.45× | 16 | 401 |
| Tennessee | $62,050 | 2,150 | 1.38× | 28 | 378 |
| Kentucky | $68,230 | 320 | 0.33× | 16 | 369 |
| District of Columbia | $79,230 | 150 | 0.45× | 5 | 357 |
| Kansas | $65,270 | 880 | 1.28× | 19 | 349 |
| Mississippi | $59,490 | 330 | 0.60× | 12 | 308 |
| Idaho | $50,600 | 550 | 1.36× | 7 | 272 |
| Delawaremoderate | — | 90 | 0.39× | 4 | 234 |
| Oregon | $60,810 | 1,690 | 1.80× | 14 | 227 |
| Rhode Islandmoderate | $69,630 | 210 | 0.87× | 4 | 209 |
| North Dakota | $69,350 | 180 | 0.87× | 7 | 203 |
| Maine | $66,730 | 390 | 1.27× | 11 | 154 |
| South Dakota | $51,630 | 60 | 0.28× | 10 | 139 |
| New Hampshire | $64,250 | 360 | 1.10× | 5 | 134 |
| Wyoming | $64,510 | 220 | 1.67× | 7 | 105 |
| Hawaiimoderate | $50,880 | 1,050 | 3.53× | 3 | 73 |
| Montana | $52,260 | 130 | 0.55× | 9 | 70 |
| Vermont | $63,460 | 160 | 1.14× | 6 | 67 |
| Alaskalimited | $70,700 | 170 | 1.10× | 2 | 20 |
Skills and tools
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Conduct routine and non-routine analyses of in-process materials, raw materials, environmental samples, finished goods, or stability samples.
- Interpret test results, compare them to established specifications and control limits, and make recommendations on appropriateness of data for release.
- Calibrate, validate, or maintain laboratory equipment.
- Ensure that lab cleanliness and safety standards are maintained.
- Perform visual inspections of finished products.
- Complete documentation needed to support testing procedures, including data capture forms, equipment logbooks, or inventory forms.
- Compile laboratory test data and perform appropriate analyses.
- Identify and troubleshoot equipment problems.
Skills
- Reading Comprehension3.6
- Monitoring3.6
- Critical Thinking3.5
- Active Listening3.4
- Speaking3.3
- Writing3.3
- Mathematics3.3
- Active Learning3.1
Knowledge areas
- Mathematics3.9
- Computers and Electronics3.8
- Production and Processing3.6
- English Language3.4
- Customer and Personal Service3.1
- Geography3.0
Abilities
- Near Vision3.8
- Oral Comprehension3.8
- Written Comprehension3.8
- Written Expression3.7
- Oral Expression3.7
- Problem Sensitivity3.7
Core activities
- Working with Computers4.3
- Getting Information4.2
- Analyzing Data or Information4.1
- Documenting/Recording Information4.1
- Processing Information4.0
- Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards4.0
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
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.
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
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
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 40,687 degrees in 2024-25, 64.5% 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 12 programs to this occupation. The largest are Criminal Justice and Corrections, Criminology, Security Science and Technology, Science Technologies/Technicians, plus 4 more. Together they graduate about 63,058 people a year.
How much do life, physical, and social science technicians, all other earn?+
The median is $62,280 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $39,000 at the 10th percentile to $102,690 at the 90th. 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?+
1,261 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 12 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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