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Molecular laboratory technologist education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a molecular laboratory technologist. Molecular laboratory technologists usually study biology, biochemistry, biophysics, molecular biology, or biotechnology. 77% of molecular laboratory technologists hold a bachelor's degree, and 15% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 191 real molecular laboratory technologist resumes to see exactly what molecular laboratory technologist education sections show.
The most common colleges for molecular laboratory technologists are the Georgia State University and the Georgia State University.
There are also many online molecular laboratory technologist courses to help get the education required to be a molecular laboratory technologist.
What education do you need to become a molecular laboratory technologist?
What degree do you need to be a molecular laboratory technologist?
- Bachelor's, 77%
- Master's, 15%
- Associate, 6%
- High School Diploma, 1%
- Other Degrees, 1%
What should I major in to become a molecular laboratory technologist?
- Biology, 41%
- Biotechnology, 7%
- Microbiology, 6%
- Other Majors, 32%
Most common colleges for molecular laboratory technologists
| Molecular laboratory technologist common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Georgia State University | 8.51% |
| University of Massachusetts Boston | 8.51% |
| University of Connecticut | 6.38% |
| Boston University | 6.38% |
| Pennsylvania State University | 6.38% |
Best majors for molecular laboratory technologists
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Biology | 41.4% |
| 2 | Biochemistry, Biophysics, Molecular Biology | 14.3% |
| 3 | Biotechnology | 7.1% |
| 4 | Microbiology | 5.7% |
| 5 | Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science | 5.0% |
Best colleges for molecular laboratory technologists
The best colleges for molecular laboratory technologists are University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Northwestern University.
A molecular laboratory 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 molecular laboratory 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 molecular laboratory technologists.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
3. Georgetown University
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$54,104
Enrollment
7,089
4. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
5. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
6. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
7. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
8. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
9. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Enrollment
16,205
10. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
20 best online courses for molecular laboratory technologists
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1. Introduction to Molecular Spectroscopy
The course introduces the three key spectroscopic methods used by chemists and biochemists to analyse the molecular and electronic structure of atoms and molecules. These are UV/Visible , Infra-red (IR) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopies. The content is presented using short focussed and interactive screencast presentations accompanied by formative quizzes to probe understanding of the key concepts presented. Numerous exercises are provided to facilitate mastery of each topic...
2. Statistical Molecular Thermodynamics
This introductory physical chemistry course examines the connections between molecular properties and the behavior of macroscopic chemical systems...
3. Become a Microbiology Laboratory Technician
Microbiology...
4. Learn Molecular Docking From The Scratch
Kick start for molecular docking using Auto Dock...
5. CertNexus Certified Ethical Emerging Technologist
The Certified Ethical Emerging Technologist (CEET) industry validated certification helps professionals differentiate themselves from other job candidates by demonstrating their ability to ethically navigate data driven emerging technologies such as AI, Machine Learning and Data Science.\n\nOrganizations and governments are seeking out ethics professionals to minimize risk and guide their decision-making about the design of inclusive, responsible, and trusted technology. An algorithm not...
6. Infectious Disease Modelling
Mathematical modelling is increasingly being used to support public health decision-making in the control of infectious diseases. This specialisation aims to introduce some fundamental concepts of mathematical modelling with all modelling conducted in the programming language R - a widely used application today.\n\nThe specialisation will suit you if you have a basic working knowledge of R, but would also like to learn the necessary basic coding skills to write simple mathematical models in...
7. Learn Molecular Dynamics from Scratch
Introduction to experimental approach of molecular dynamics using GROMACS...
8. General Biology I: Foundations of Biology
An essential course in Biology for students of all ages...
9. Chemical Biology
Chemical biology is a burgeoning field that has rapidly risen to prominence. This surge of interest has been fuelled by chemical biology’s applicability to understanding critical processes in live cells or model organisms in real time. This success has arisen because chemical biology straddles a nexus between chemistry, biology, and physics. Thus, chemical biology can harness rapid chemistry to observe or perturb biological processes, that are in turn reported using physical assays, all in an...
10. Reverse and complement nucleic acid sequences (DNA, RNA) using Python
In this 1-hour long project-based course, you will learn the basic building blocks in the Python language and how to Develop a Python program that constructs reverse, complement, and reverse-complement nucleic acid sequences (DNA, RNA). Also, you will make your code read a file that has a long DNA sequence and deal with one of the complete genomes for the novel coronavirus...
11. Bioinformatics; Learn Docking & Mol Dynamics Simulation
Best Bioinformatics Course To Learn Advance Bioinformatics Techniques Like Docking & Molecular Dynamics Simulations...
12. Aspen HYSYS - Petroleum Assays and Oil Characterization
Learn how to setup petroleum assays, hypothetical compounds and use the oil manager tools in Aspen HYSYS...
13. Reverse and complement nucleic acid sequences (DNA, RNA) using R
In this 1-hour long project-based course, you will learn the basic building blocks in the R language and how to Develop an R program that constructs reverse, complement, and reverse-complement nucleic acid sequences (DNA, RNA). Also, you will make your code read a file that has a long DNA sequence and deal with one of the complete genomes for the novel coronavirus...
14. The Little Stuff: Energy, Cells, and Genetics
In this course, we will explore the smaller side of biology: molecular biology. We’ll cover basic topics including cell biology and how cells can go “rogue” and turn into cancer, how energy from the sun is transferred to fuel our bodies, basics of genetics and inheritance, and genetic technologies. At the end of this course, we will discuss ethical and moral implications of several exciting and new genetic technologies...
15. Manual Software Testing: Complete Course with Practical Labs
Tools: JIRA, Bugzilla, Trello, Postman, 21 types of Testing, 7 principles of testing, QC and QA, ISTQB, Interview QA...
16. Sensory Science: Conducting Tests
This course will introduce the sensory evaluation laboratory and will teach you best practices for testing and documentation. We'll explore how various factors, especially the testing environment, can influence sensory experiments. Our main focus will be on two specific sensory tests: duo-trio discrimination and 3-product consumer testing. Through case studies, we’ll examine how these tests can address product challenges. For both test types, we’ll dive into how to develop an appropriate...
17. Extracellular Vesicles in Health and Disease
This course aims to provide current understanding about extracellular vesicles (EVs) and their role in health and diseases. The EVs are known to be involved in cell to cell communication. Apart from maintaining normal cell physiology, EVs deliver messages that can drive or influence the progression of a disease. This course discusses recent advances made in the field to give an introduction on their function in health as well as in disease.This course includes four modules. Module 1 is an...
18. Plant Bioinformatic Methods
The past 15 years have been exciting ones in plant biology. Hundreds of plant genomes have been sequenced, RNA-seq has enabled transcriptome-wide expression profiling, and a proliferation of "-seq"-based methods has permitted protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions to be determined cheaply and in a high-throughput manner. These data sets in turn allow us to generate hypotheses at the click of a mouse or tap of a finger.The Plant Bioinformatics Specialization on Coursera introduces core...
19. Experimental Methods in Systems Biology
Learn about the technologies underlying experimentation used in systems biology, with particular focus on RNA sequencing, mass spec-based proteomics, flow/mass cytometry and live-cell imaging. A key driver of the systems biology field is the technology allowing us to delve deeper and wider into how cells respond to experimental perturbations. This in turns allows us to build more detailed quantitative models of cellular function, which can give important insight into applications ranging from...
20. Plant Bioinformatics
The past 15 years have been exciting ones in plant biology. Hundreds of plant genomes have been sequenced, RNA-seq has enabled transcriptome-wide expression profiling, and a proliferation of "-seq"-based methods has permitted protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions to be determined cheaply and in a high-throughput manner. These data sets in turn allow us to generate hypotheses at the click of a mouse. For instance, knowing where and when a gene is expressed can help us narrow down the...
Top 10 most affordable universities for molecular laboratory technologists
The most affordable schools for molecular laboratory technologists are Hunter College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and california state university - los angeles.
If the best universities for molecular laboratory 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 molecular laboratory technologists.
1. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
2. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
3. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
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 - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
7. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
8. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
9. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
10. California State University - Fresno
Fresno, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,587
Cost of attendance
16,915
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for molecular laboratory technologists
The hardest universities for molecular laboratory technologists to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Northwestern University.
Some great schools for molecular laboratory 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 molecular laboratory 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. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
2. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
4. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
5. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
6. Georgetown University
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,456
7. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
8. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
9. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
10. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for molecular laboratory technologists
The easiest schools for molecular laboratory technologists to get into are Barry University, d'youville college, and mount saint mary's university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a molecular laboratory 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 molecular laboratory technologists.
1. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
2. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
3. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
4. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
5. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
6. Curry College
Milton, MA • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,026
7. AdventHealth University
Orlando, FL • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,016
8. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
9. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
10. Thomas More University
Crestview Hills, KY • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
1,099
Average molecular laboratory technologist salary by education level
| Molecular laboratory technologist education level | Molecular laboratory technologist salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $58,755 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $44,440 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $56,869 |
| Doctorate Degree | $58,027 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $50,586 |
Molecular laboratory technologist education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025