Animal biologist vs microbiology technician

The differences between animal biologists and microbiology technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an animal biologist and a microbiology technician. Additionally, an animal biologist has an average salary of $62,366, which is higher than the $40,084 average annual salary of a microbiology technician.

The top three skills for an animal biologist include genotyping, sops and lab equipment. The most important skills for a microbiology technician are lab equipment, test results, and laboratory procedures.

Animal biologist vs microbiology technician overview

	Animal Biologist	Microbiology Technician
Yearly salary	$62,366	$40,084
Hourly rate	$29.98	$19.27
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	13,114	25,704
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 78%	Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

Animal biologist vs microbiology technician salary

Animal biologists and microbiology technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Animal Biologist	Microbiology Technician
Average salary	$62,366	$40,084
Salary range	Between $41,000 And $93,000	Between $29,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	-	Central Islip, NY
Highest paying state	-	Massachusetts
Best paying company	-	Thomas Jefferson University
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between animal biologist and microbiology technician education

There are a few differences between an animal biologist and a microbiology technician in terms of educational background:

	Animal Biologist	Microbiology Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 78%	Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Most common major	Biology	Biology
Most common college	Stanford University	Cornell University

Animal biologist vs microbiology technician demographics

Here are the differences between animal biologists' and microbiology technicians' demographics:

	Animal Biologist	Microbiology Technician
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 46.2% Female, 53.8%	Male, 40.8% Female, 59.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 13.5% White, 58.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2%	Black or African American, 12.3% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 14.1% Asian, 14.1% White, 51.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.4%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between animal biologist and microbiology technician duties and responsibilities

Animal biologist example responsibilities.

Manage detailed GLP laboratory manual daily.
Project require review of existing environmental data, identification of permitting requirements, wetland identification/delineation and sensitive and endanger species issues.
Perform research in immunology and virology as a part of the vaccine development division; develop and validate bioassays.

Microbiology technician example responsibilities.

Job duties begin in a general microbiology/ infectious disease laboratory focuse on cultivating and managing infectious strains of microbes.
Apply GMP and GLP documentation for all sample testing.
Prepare culture media, perform culture media QC test, and maintain appropriate inventory, perform growth promotion testing and sterility.
Quantify total aerobic plate count and total yeast and mold count.
Keep records of all tests in database and keep entries of QA checks.
Use of microscopes, autoclaves, carboys, manual and electric pipettes, etc.

Animal biologist vs microbiology technician skills

Common animal biologist skills

Genotyping, 44%
Sops, 35%
Lab Equipment, 16%
Animal Studies, 6%

Common microbiology technician skills

Lab Equipment, 10%
Test Results, 6%
Laboratory Procedures, 5%
Environmental Monitoring, 5%
Media Preparation, 5%
FDA, 4%

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Animal Biologist vs Microbiology Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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