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Chief medical technologist education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a chief medical technologist. Chief medical technologists usually study medical technician, clinical/medical laboratory science, or nursing. 70% of chief medical technologists hold a bachelor's degree, and 11% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 131 real chief medical technologist resumes to see exactly what chief medical technologist education sections show.
The most common colleges for chief medical technologists are the Excelsior College and the Excelsior College.
There are also many online chief medical technologist courses to help get the education required to be a chief medical technologist.
What education do you need to become a chief medical technologist?
What degree do you need to be a chief medical technologist?
- Bachelor's, 70%
- Associate, 11%
- Master's, 10%
- Diploma, 3%
- Other Degrees, 6%
What should I major in to become a chief medical technologist?
- Medical Technician, 43%
- Nursing, 7%
- Biology, 6%
- Other Majors, 32%
Most common colleges for chief medical technologists
| Chief medical technologist common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Excelsior College | 10.71% |
| University of Illinois at Chicago | 7.14% |
| Saint Louis University | 7.14% |
| Western Michigan University | 7.14% |
| Capella University | 7.14% |
Best majors for chief medical technologists
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Medical Technician | 43.4% |
| 2 | Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science | 12.4% |
| 3 | Nursing | 7.1% |
| 4 | Biology | 6.2% |
| 5 | Health Care Administration | 6.2% |
Best colleges for chief medical technologists
The best colleges for chief medical technologists are Northwestern University, Vanderbilt University, and Duke University.
A chief medical technologist with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for chief medical technologists. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become chief medical technologists.
1. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
2. SUNY Stony Brook
Stony Brook, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,625
Enrollment
17,407
3. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
4. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
5. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
6. Howard University
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$26,756
Enrollment
6,166
7. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
8. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
9. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
10. Yale University
New Haven, CT • Private
In-state tuition
$53,430
Enrollment
5,963
20 best online courses for chief medical technologists
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1. Health After Cancer: Cancer Survivorship for Primary Care
This course presents basic principles of cancer survivorship to primary-care physicians. Developed by a team of experts in caring for cancer survivors, and narrated by a primary-care physician, this course provides practical tips and tools that can be easily integrated into medical practice. You will learn about the complex physical and psychosocial needs and concerns of the growing number of cancer survivors, along with the key role that primary care physicians have in guiding these patients...
2. Clinical Kidney, Pancreas and Islet Transplantation
Kidney transplantation is a major advance of modern medicine which provides high-quality of life for patients with end-stage renal disease. What used to be an experimental, risky, and very limited treatment option more than 50 years ago is now routinely performed in many countries worldwide. The number of renal transplants is expected to rise sharply in the next decade since the proportion of patients with end stage renal disease is increasing. Are you interested in clinical kidney, pancreas...
3. Become a Microbiology Laboratory Technician
Microbiology...
4. Practical Regulatory Affairs 2020 - US FDA Medical Devices
A practical course discussing the US FDA Medical Device regulations for real-world situations...
5. Prehospital care of acute stroke and patient selection for endovascular treatment using the RACE scale
Acute stroke is a time-dependent medical emergency. In acute ischemic stroke, the first objective is to restore brain flow using sistemic thrombolytic treatment and, in patients with large vessel occlusion, by endovascular treatment. In hemorrhagic stroke there are also specific treatments that can improve the clinical outcome. The sooner the initiation of all these therapies the higher the clinical benefit. Thus, the organization of Stroke Code systems coordinated between emergency medical...
6. Introduction to Translational Science
Translational science seeks to speed up the process of moving research discoveries from the laboratory into healthcare practices. Numerous scientific and organizational roadblocks can act as obstacles along the path of translation and ultimately hinder the speed of progress in medical research. The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) was established by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to transform and accelerate the translational research process, with the...
7. ICD 10 & 11 Medical Coding and Billing
Preparation for Medical Coding Certification Exam...
8. A Specialty Approach to Learning Medical Billing and Coding
Volume One: Medical Hematology...
9. Addiction Treatment: Clinical Skills for Healthcare Providers
This course is designed with a singular goal: to improve the care you provide to your patients with substance use disorders. By delving into a model case performed by actors, seven Yale instructors from various fields provide techniques to screen your patients for substance use disorder risk, diagnose patients to gauge the severity of their use, directly manage treatment plans, refer out to treatment services, and navigate the various conditions that may limit your patient’s access to treatment...
10. Medical Emergencies: Airway, Breathing, and Circulation
In this course, you will develop the knowledge and skills to assess and stabilize certain types of patients for transport. By the end of this course, you will be able to: 1) assess a basic medical patient 2) describe general pharmacologic principles and the skills associated with medication administration, 3) explain airway physiology, the assessment of the airway and available interventions for airway management, 4) identify, assess and formulate a plan to stabilize a patient with a...
11. Medical Coding: ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code Training
Learn medical coding and prepare yourself for today's healthcare workplace...
12. Understanding Medications and Therapeutics
Helping you build the best foundation to truly understand medications and develop clinical reasoning skills...
13. Operations and Patient Safety for Healthcare IT Staff
Now that you've been introduced to the world of Health IT and the important role played by electronic health records (EHRs), we'll focus on other technologies that play a role in maintaining ongoing operations in healthcare. Telemedicine, patient portals, barcode scanners, printers, and medical devices are just some of the technologies that impact providers and patients. As an IT support specialist, you’ll be asked to troubleshoot issues with a wide variety of tools. You'll see a scenario with...
14. Medical Terminology II
This is the second course of the Medical Terminology specialization. It builds on the basic concepts of medical terminology with the introduction of new roots, terms, and abbreviations specific to the endocrine system (hormones). The body's transportation and defense systems (cardiovascular, blood, and lymphatic) will also be covered as well as the respiratory system (lungs)...
15. Medical Terminology
Introduction to the meaning of various roots, terms and combining forms that are components of medical words...
16. Medical Device Regulation 2017/745 EU regulatory affairs.
Understand regulations for medical devices in simple terms to gain market approval of a medical device in the EU...
17. Trauma Emergencies and Care
Welcome to Trauma Emergencies and Care. In this course, you will learn about some of the mechanics and physics of trauma on the human body, and how this can cause injury. You will continue to expand your new vocabulary with medical terminology, and learn how to describe the different injuries you may see. You will also learn about the trauma system itself- and when it is important to transport patients to a trauma center. Then we will dive into specific injuries based on what part of the body...
18. Introduction to Medical Imaging
Your guide to the history, science, math, and economics of medical imaging systems (e.g., X-ray, CT, MRI, Ultrasound)...
19. Basic of Clinical Data Management
Clinical Data Management...
20. Medical Terminology 101
For those in healthcare, billing, and more. Boost earning ability and marketable skills by learning to speak medicine...
Top 10 most affordable universities for chief medical technologists
The most affordable schools for chief medical technologists are University of Florida, suny farmingdale, and university of south florida.
If the best universities for chief medical technologists are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for chief medical technologists.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
3. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
4. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
5. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
6. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
7. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
8. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Cost of attendance
25,527
9. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
10. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for chief medical technologists
The hardest universities for chief medical technologists to get into are Northwestern University, Vanderbilt University, and Duke University.
Some great schools for chief medical technologists are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for chief medical technologists based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
3. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
4. Yale University
New Haven, CT • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,517
5. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
6. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
7. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
8. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
9. Georgetown University
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,456
10. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for chief medical technologists
The easiest schools for chief medical technologists to get into are D'Youville College, gwynedd mercy university, and barry university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a chief medical technologist without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for chief medical technologists.
1. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
2. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
3. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
4. AdventHealth University
Orlando, FL • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,016
5. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
6. Thomas More University
Crestview Hills, KY • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
1,099
7. Holy Family University
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,017
8. Presentation College
Aberdeen, SD • Private
Admissions rate
97%
SAT average
1,050
9. Texas Woman's University
Denton, TX • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,059
10. Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,139
Average chief medical technologist salary by education level
| Chief medical technologist education level | Chief medical technologist salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $139,628 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $76,790 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $130,205 |
| Doctorate Degree | $135,949 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $101,335 |
Chief medical technologist education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025