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Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery Major

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Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery

2 Master's Degrees Annually
$242,370 Median Salary

Types of Degrees Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many oral/maxillofacial surgery graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level Number of Grads
Graduate Certificate 42
Master’s Degree 2

What Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, oral/maxillofacial surgery majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in oral/maxillofacial surgery should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

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  • Medicine and Dentistry - Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
  • English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  • Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
  • Chemistry - Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

Skills for Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery Majors

A major in oral/maxillofacial surgery prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

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  • Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
  • Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
  • Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
  • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
  • Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Abilities for Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery Majors

Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a oral/maxillofacial surgery student include the following:

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  • Arm-Hand Steadiness - The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
  • Finger Dexterity - The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
  • Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
  • Control Precision - The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.

What Can You Do With a Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with oral/maxillofacial surgery:

Job Title Job Growth Rate Median Salary
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons 19.1% $208,000

How Much Do Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery majors often go into careers with median salaries of $242,370. This median refers to all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Median Salary for an Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery Major  242,370
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250K
Median Salary for a High School Graduate  ( 30000 to 57900 )
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250K
Median Salary for a Bachelor's Degree Holder  ( 45600 to 99000 )
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250K
Median Salary for an Advanced Degree Holder  ( 55600 to 125400 )
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250K

Some degrees associated with oral/maxillofacial surgery may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for oral/maxillofacial surgery careers below.

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Education Level Percentage of Workers
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession. 8.1%
Doctoral Degree 20.3%
Post-Doctoral Training 73.8%

Online Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 17 schools offered some type of oral/maxillofacial surgery program. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level Colleges Offering Programs Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year) 0 0
Certificate (1-2 years) 0 0
Certificate (2-4 Years) 0 0
Associate’s Degree 0 0
Bachelor’s Degree 2 0
Post-Baccalaureate 0 0
Master’s Degree 2 0
Post-Master’s 16 0
Doctor’s Degree (Research) 0 0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) 0 0
Doctor’s Degree (Other) 0 0

Is a Degree in Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery Worth It?

The median salary for a oral/maxillofacial surgery grad is $242,370 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 507% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $4,049,400 after 20 years!

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You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to oral/maxillofacial surgery.

Major Number of Grads
General Dental Clinical Sciences 404
Orthodontics/Orthodontology 297
Advanced General Dentistry 210
Oral Biology & Oral & Maxillofacial Pathology 151
Pediatric Dentistry/Pedodontics 144
Endodontics/Endodontology 141
Prosthodontics/Prosthodontology 117
Periodontics/Periodontology 113
Other Advanced/Graduate Dentistry & Oral Sciences 105
Dental Public Health & Education 49
Dental Materials 0

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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