Orthodontics/Orthodontology

Types of Degrees Orthodontics/Orthodontology Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many orthodontics/orthodontology graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Graduate Certificate	168
Master’s Degree	127
Doctor’s Degree	2

What Orthodontics/Orthodontology Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to orthodontics/orthodontology were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Orthodontics/Orthodontology Majors

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

• 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.
• Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• 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.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Sales and Marketing - Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

Skills for Orthodontics/Orthodontology Majors

When studying orthodontics/orthodontology, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

• 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.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
• Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Abilities for Orthodontics/Orthodontology Majors

A major in orthodontics/orthodontology will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:

• 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.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• 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.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

What Can You Do With a Orthodontics/Orthodontology Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with orthodontics/orthodontology:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Orthodontists	18.2%	$208,000

How Much Do Orthodontics/Orthodontology Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

The median salary for someone in a career related to orthodontics/orthodontology is $225,760. 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.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Orthodontics/Orthodontology

Some degrees associated with orthodontics/orthodontology 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.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to orthodontics/orthodontology have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	0.1%
Doctoral Degree	7.7%
Post-Doctoral Training	93.4%

Online Orthodontics/Orthodontology Programs

In 2020-2021, 39 schools offered a orthodontics/orthodontology program of some type. 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	3	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	23	0
Post-Master’s	30	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	2	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Orthodontics/Orthodontology Worth It?

The median salary for a orthodontics/orthodontology grad is $225,760 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 466% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $3,717,200 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Orthodontics/Orthodontology

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to orthodontics/orthodontology.

Major	Number of Grads
General Dental Clinical Sciences	404
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
Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery	44
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.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020

More about our data sources and methodologies.