Best Life programs in West Virginia, ranked by enrollment
All life, physical, and social science technicians not listed.
22 schools in West Virginia run programs that feed this job, graduating 1,488 people a year. The job pays a median of $59,750 in West Virginia across about 230 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in West Virginia that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
7 programs in West Virginia that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in West Virginia (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 West Virginia page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 43.0104In West Virginia → | 1,015 | 68.2% | 17 | $37,408 | $24,069 |
| 2 | CIP 43.0406In West Virginia → | 197 | 13.2% | 6 | $40,889 | $25,000 |
| 3 | CIP 45.0401In West Virginia → | 141 | 9.5% | 3 | $37,366 | $25,000 |
| 4 | CIP 41.9999In West Virginia → | 89 | 6.0% | 5 | $49,936 | $22,636 |
| 5 | CIP 43.0402In West Virginia → | 27 | 1.8% | 1 | $40,889 | $25,000 |
| 6 | CIP 41.0303In West Virginia → | 15 | 1.0% | 3 | $51,860 | $11,959 |
| 7 | CIP 43.0100In West Virginia → | 4 | 0.3% | 1 | $37,408 | $24,069 |
Top 22 schools in West Virginia
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 9 of the 22 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | American Public University System Charles Town, WV Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 806 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | $57,409 | 57% | $10,199 | — |
| 2 | West Virginia University Morgantown, WV Public · 2 feeder programs | 242 | Criminology | — | 65% | — | 89% |
| 3 | Mountwest Community and Technical College Huntington, WV Public · 2 feeder programs | 63 | Science Technologies/Technicians, Other | — | 19% | — | — |
| 4 | Marshall University Huntington, WV Public · 2 feeder programs | 55 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | $32,747 | 51% | — | 96% |
| 5 | Fairmont State University Fairmont, WV Public · 2 feeder programs | 49 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | $36,179 | 44% | — | 99% |
| 6 | West Virginia State University Institute, WV Public · 1 feeder programs | 42 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | $39,056 | 39% | — | 96% |
| 7 | Salem University Salem, WV Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 33 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | $25,665 | 20% | $14,845 | — |
| 8 | West Virginia University at Parkersburg Parkersburg, WV Public · 3 feeder programs | 33 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | — | 9% | — | — |
| 9 | Blue Ridge Community and Technical College Martinsburg, WV Public · 3 feeder programs | 30 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | — | 32% | — | — |
| 10 | BridgeValley Community & Technical College South Charleston, WV Public · 2 feeder programs | 29 | Science Technologies/Technicians, Other | — | 34% | — | — |
| 11 | Glenville State University Glenville, WV Public · 2 feeder programs | 28 | Criminalistics and Criminal Science | $38,237 | 34% | — | — |
| 12 | Potomac State College of West Virginia University Keyser, WV Public · 1 feeder programs | 16 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | — | 31% | — | — |
| 13 | West Virginia Wesleyan College Buckhannon, WV Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 13 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | $31,400 | 57% | $17,325 | 93% |
| 14 | West Virginia University Institute of Technology Beckley, WV Public · 1 feeder programs | 10 | Forensic Science and Technology | $44,255 | 33% | — | 37% |
| 15 | Bluefield State University Bluefield, WV Public · 1 feeder programs | 9 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | $30,506 | 37% | — | 97% |
| 16 | West Liberty University West Liberty, WV Public · 2 feeder programs | 8 | Criminology | — | 60% | — | 97% |
| 17 | Wheeling University Wheeling, WV Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | — | 23% | $18,042 | 63% |
| 18 | Davis & Elkins College Elkins, WV Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 5 | Criminology | — | 39% | $19,284 | 94% |
| 19 | Bethany College Bethany, WV Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Criminal Justice and Corrections, General | — | 47% | $15,783 | 59% |
| 20 | Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College Logan, WV Public · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | — | 29% | — | — |
| 21 | New River Community and Technical College Beaver, WV Public · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | — | 36% | — | — |
| 22 | West Virginia Northern Community College Wheeling, WV Public · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Science Technologies/Technicians, Other | — | 33% | — | — |
All 22 schools in West Virginia
Every school in West Virginia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Public University System | Charles Town | Private for-profit | 806 | 2 |
| West Virginia University | Morgantown | Public | 242 | 2 |
| Mountwest Community and Technical College | Huntington | Public | 63 | 2 |
| Marshall University | Huntington | Public | 55 | 2 |
| Fairmont State University | Fairmont | Public | 49 | 2 |
| West Virginia State University | Institute | Public | 42 | 1 |
| Salem University | Salem | Private for-profit | 33 | 2 |
| West Virginia University at Parkersburg | Parkersburg | Public | 33 | 3 |
| Blue Ridge Community and Technical College | Martinsburg | Public | 30 | 3 |
| BridgeValley Community & Technical College | South Charleston | Public | 29 | 2 |
| Glenville State University | Glenville | Public | 28 | 2 |
| Potomac State College of West Virginia University | Keyser | Public | 16 | 1 |
| West Virginia Wesleyan College | Buckhannon | Private not-for-profit | 13 | 1 |
| West Virginia University Institute of Technology | Beckley | Public | 10 | 1 |
| Bluefield State University | Bluefield | Public | 9 | 1 |
What life, physical, and social science technicians, all other earn in West Virginia
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $62,280. West Virginia pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in West Virginia
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 West Virginia
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 West Virginia.
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 1,015 degrees in West Virginia in 2024-25, 68.2% 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 7 programs to this occupation. The largest are Criminal Justice and Corrections, Security Science and Technology, Criminology, Science Technologies/Technicians, plus 1 more. Together they graduate about 1,488 people a year in West Virginia.
How much do life, physical, and social science technicians, all other earn in West Virginia?+
The median is $59,750 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 4.1% 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 West Virginia?+
22 institutions in West Virginia reported graduates from at least one of the 7 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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