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Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery

A program that focuses on the advanced study of the diagnosis and intrusive and adjunctive treatment of diseases, injuries, and defects of the oral and maxillofacial regions, including functional and aesthetic aspects. Includes instruction in pharmacology, analgesia, anesthesia, anxiety control, surgical procedures and techniques, surgical instrumentation, exodontia, oral diseases and malfunctions, soft and hard tissue pathology, dentoalveolar surgery, infection management, and prosthetic implantation. Examples: [Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery (Cert.)], [Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery (MS)], [Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery (PhD)]

Types of Degrees Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery Majors Are Earning

Those studying Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Master’s Degree	41

What Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery Majors Need to Know

Studies in Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 5.7 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills emphasized by a Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Judgment and Decision Making — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Complex Problem Solving — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.6 / 7
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Assisting and Caring for Others	4.2 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.2 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.2 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.1 / 7
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public	4.1 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Ada	Development environment software	—
Gendex Dental Systems VixWin PRO	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Apteryx Imaging Suite	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Planmeca Oy Dimaxis	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Sirona SIDEXIS XG	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Kodak Dental Systems Kodak Cosmetic Imaging Module	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
DecisionBase TiME for OMS	Medical software	—
Operating system software	Operating system software	—
Dolphin Imaging & Management Solutions Dolphin Management	Medical software	—
DSN Software Oral Surgery-Exec	Medical software	—
DentalEye	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery graduates include:

• Oral Surgeon
• Dental Surgeon
• Maxillofacial Surgeon
• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon (OMS)
• Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS)
• Surgeon
• Serology Teacher
• Medical Assisting Instructor
• Respiratory Therapy Instructor
• Optometry Professor
• Therapy Teacher
• Gastroenterology Teacher
• Professor
• Inhalation Therapy Teacher
• Medical Assistant Instructor

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

Graduates with a degree in Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary	10.7%	$46,663	$40,304–$53,022

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Post-doctoral training	50.3%
Doctoral degree	21.9%
Master’s degree	14.8%
Bachelor’s degree	5.2%
First professional degree	4.7%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	1.9%
Postsecondary certificate	1.2%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 75.6% of Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	10	24.4%
Men	31	75.6%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	17	41.5%
Asian	4	9.8%
Hispanic or Latino	5	12.2%
Black or African American	1	2.4%
Race Unknown	8	19.5%
International Students	6	14.6%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$209,489
4 years	$191,956
5 years	$225,886

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $225,886 — roughly 8% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Is a Degree in Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery graduates earn a median of $191,956 four years after completion — roughly 405% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions, Other	2,445
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences	1,981
Dental Clinical Sciences, General	426
Orthodontics/Orthodontology	323
Advanced General Dentistry	238
Oral Biology and Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology	187
Endodontics/Endodontology	157
Pediatric Dentistry/Pedodontics	154
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences, Other	150
Prosthodontics/Prosthodontology	95
Dental Public Health and Education	84
Dental Materials	—

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.