Best Biological Technician programs in Texas, ranked by enrollment
Assist biological and medical scientists. Set up, operate, and maintain laboratory instruments and equipment, monitor experiments, collect data and samples, make observations, and calculate and record results.
107 schools in Texas run programs that feed this job, graduating 12,522 people a year. The job pays a median of $50,130 in Texas across about 2,730 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Texas that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
17 programs in Texas that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Texas (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 Texas page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Biology/Biological Sciences, Generalmain feeder CIP 26.0101In Texas → | 8,049 | 64.3% | 96 | $32,152 | $25,000 |
| 2 | Biomedical Sciences, Generalmain feeder CIP 26.0102In Texas → | 1,439 | 11.5% | 21 | $32,152 | $25,000 |
| 3 | Neurosciencemain feeder CIP 26.1501In Texas → | 1,060 | 8.5% | 17 | $31,687 | $22,936 |
| 4 | CIP 26.0202In Texas → | 960 | 7.7% | 34 | $38,243 | $23,014 |
| 5 | Biology/Biotechnology Technology/Technicianmain feeder CIP 41.0101In Texas → | 170 | 1.4% | 6 | $38,858 | $12,609 |
| 6 | Cell/Cellular and Molecular Biologymain feeder CIP 26.0406In Texas → | 154 | 1.2% | 11 | $35,393 | $19,961 |
| 7 | CIP 26.0502In Texas → | 148 | 1.2% | 8 | $38,383 | $22,065 |
| 8 | Marine Biology and Biological Oceanographymain feeder CIP 26.1302In Texas → | 138 | 1.1% | 3 | $29,460 | $23,480 |
| 9 | CIP 26.0709In Texas → | 75 | 0.6% | 2 | $28,266 | $24,393 |
| 10 | CIP 26.0508In Texas → | 59 | 0.5% | 4 | $38,383 | $22,065 |
| 11 | CIP 26.0801In Texas → | 52 | 0.4% | 2 | $31,800 | $21,424 |
| 12 | CIP 26.0204In Texas → | 50 | 0.4% | 4 | $38,243 | $23,014 |
| 13 | Bioinformaticsmain feeder CIP 26.1103In Texas → | 49 | 0.4% | 6 | $72,338 | $18,500 |
| 14 | Biostatisticsmain feeder CIP 26.1102In Texas → | 41 | 0.3% | 5 | $72,338 | $18,500 |
| 15 | Computational Biologymain feeder CIP 26.1104In Texas → | 31 | 0.2% | 3 | $72,338 | $18,500 |
| 16 | CIP 26.0701In Texas → | 27 | 0.2% | 2 | $28,266 | $24,393 |
| 17 | Aquatic Biology/Limnologymain feeder CIP 26.1304In Texas → | 20 | 0.2% | 1 | $29,460 | $23,480 |
Top 25 schools in Texas
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 47 of the 107 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas A&M University - College Station College Station, TX Public · 11 feeder programs | 1,476 | Biomedical Sciences, General | $29,028 | 84% | — | 57% |
| 2 | The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX Public · 5 feeder programs | 1,355 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $31,832 | 89% | — | 27% |
| 3 | The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX Public · 7 feeder programs | 710 | Neuroscience | $25,395 | 76% | — | 65% |
| 4 | Houston City College Houston, TX Public · 2 feeder programs | 701 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $24,621 | 17% | — | — |
| 5 | The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Edinburg, TX Public · 3 feeder programs | 506 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $24,841 | 51% | — | 94% |
| 6 | University of Houston Houston, TX Public · 3 feeder programs | 505 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $27,660 | 65% | — | 74% |
| 7 | The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX Public · 5 feeder programs | 498 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $31,467 | 53% | — | 87% |
| 8 | Baylor University Waco, TX Private not-for-profit · 5 feeder programs | 486 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $24,408 | 80% | $35,682 | 51% |
| 9 | Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX Public · 4 feeder programs | 407 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $30,608 | 69% | — | 73% |
| 10 | University of North Texas Denton, TX Public · 2 feeder programs | 387 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $32,782 | 61% | — | 72% |
| 11 | The University of Texas at El Paso El Paso, TX Public · 5 feeder programs | 374 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $22,167 | 50% | — | 100% |
| 12 | Texas State University San Marcos, TX Public · 5 feeder programs | 371 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $34,516 | 55% | — | 89% |
| 13 | The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX Public · 4 feeder programs | 302 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $30,432 | 54% | — | 80% |
| 14 | University of North Texas Health Science Center Fort Worth, TX Public · 2 feeder programs | 284 | Biomedical Sciences, General | — | — | — | — |
| 15 | Rice University Houston, TX Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 179 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 95% | $13,264 | 8% |
| 16 | Austin Community College District Austin, TX Public · 2 feeder programs | 167 | Biology/Biotechnology Technology/Technician | — | 20% | — | — |
| 17 | Texas A & M University - Corpus Christi Corpus Christi, TX Public · 3 feeder programs | 158 | Biomedical Sciences, General | $26,114 | 40% | — | 89% |
| 18 | Sam Houston State University Huntsville, TX Public · 2 feeder programs | 145 | Biomedical Sciences, General | $32,915 | 55% | — | 90% |
| 19 | South Texas College McAllen, TX Public · 1 feeder programs | 135 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $28,791 | 27% | — | — |
| 20 | Texas Woman's University Denton, TX Public · 3 feeder programs | 132 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $31,367 | 49% | — | 96% |
| 21 | Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 126 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $19,218 | 86% | $25,823 | 44% |
| 22 | Tarleton State University Stephenville, TX Public · 2 feeder programs | 112 | Biomedical Sciences, General | $32,020 | 48% | — | 90% |
| 23 | University of Houston - Downtown Houston, TX Public · 1 feeder programs | 111 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $31,025 | 33% | — | 90% |
| 24 | El Paso Community College El Paso, TX Public · 1 feeder programs | 107 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $17,314 | 24% | — | — |
| 25 | Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 102 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $39,087 | 84% | $33,246 | 63% |
All 107 schools in Texas
Every school in Texas 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas A&M University - College Station | College Station | Public | 1,476 | 11 |
| The University of Texas at Austin | Austin | Public | 1,355 | 5 |
| The University of Texas at Dallas | Richardson | Public | 710 | 7 |
| Houston City College | Houston | Public | 701 | 2 |
| The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley | Edinburg | Public | 506 | 3 |
| University of Houston | Houston | Public | 505 | 3 |
| The University of Texas at San Antonio | San Antonio | Public | 498 | 5 |
| Baylor University | Waco | Private not-for-profit | 486 | 5 |
| Texas Tech University | Lubbock | Public | 407 | 4 |
| University of North Texas | Denton | Public | 387 | 2 |
| The University of Texas at El Paso | El Paso | Public | 374 | 5 |
| Texas State University | San Marcos | Public | 371 | 5 |
| The University of Texas at Arlington | Arlington | Public | 302 | 4 |
| University of North Texas Health Science Center | Fort Worth | Public | 284 | 2 |
| Rice University | Houston | Private not-for-profit | 179 | 3 |
What biological technicians earn in Texas
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $57,510. Texas pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Texas
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 Biological Technicians page.
How to become a Biological Technician
Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Texas
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 19 majors mapped to Biological Technicians19 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 26.0101Biology/Biological Sciences, General
- 26.0102Biomedical Sciences, General
- 26.0202Biochemistry
- 26.0204Molecular Biology
- 26.0406Cell/Cellular and Molecular Biology
- 26.0502Microbiology, General
- 26.0503Medical Microbiology and Bacteriology
- 26.0508Microbiology and Immunology
- 26.0701Zoology/Animal Biology
- 26.0708Animal Behavior and Ethology
- 26.0709Wildlife Biology
- 26.0801Genetics, General
- 26.1102Biostatistics
- 26.1103Bioinformatics
- 26.1104Computational Biology
- 26.1302Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography
- 26.1304Aquatic Biology/Limnology
- 26.1501Neuroscience
- 41.0101Biology/Biotechnology Technology/Technician
Common questions
Answers for people weighing biological technicians programs in Texas.
What degree do you need to become a Biological Technician?+
Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Biology/Biological Sciences, General, which awarded 8,049 degrees in Texas in 2024-25, 64.3% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Biological Technician?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 17 programs to this occupation. The largest are Biology, Neurobiology and Neurosciences, Biochemistry, Microbiological Sciences and Immunology, plus 6 more. Together they graduate about 12,522 people a year in Texas.
How much do biological technicians earn in Texas?+
The median is $50,130 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 12.8% below the U.S. median of $57,510. 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 biological technicians growing?+
BLS projects a +3.5% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 9,100 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Texas?+
107 institutions in Texas reported graduates from at least one of the 17 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 biological technicians work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Research Associate, Research Technician, Biological Technician, Laboratory Technician among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 19-4021.
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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