---

Allied Health Professions

Instructional content for this group of programs is defined in codes 51.0901 - 51.0999.

Types of Degrees Allied Health Professions Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Allied Health Professions can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	11,547
Associate’s Degree	31,955
Bachelor’s Degree	7,684
Master’s Degree	31,578
Doctor’s Degree	859

What Allied Health Professions Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Allied Health Professions emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Allied Health Professions graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Allied Health Professions emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Allied Health Professions program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Allied Health Professions careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Near Vision — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Allied Health Professions graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.3 / 7
Assisting and Caring for Others	4.3 / 7
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.0 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Allied Health Professions professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
MEDITECH software	Medical software	—
Medical procedure coding software	Medical software	—
Medical condition coding software	Medical software	—
Database software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Healthcare common procedure coding system HCPCS	Medical software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Allied Health Professions graduates include:

• Medical Technologist
• Polysomnographic Technologist
• Perfusionist
• Vascular Technician
• Medical Technician
• Patient Account Representative
• Patient Service Specialist
• Patient Navigator
• Patient Relations Representative (PRR)
• Patient Resource Worker
• Patient Ombudsperson
• Patient Relations Coordinator
• Admitting Clerk
• Access Representative
• Patient Services Specialist

What Can You Do With a Allied Health Professions Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Allied Health Professions 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
Respiratory Therapists	4.8%	$128,345	$106,006–$150,685
Radiation Therapists	-1.4%	$43,552	$35,199–$51,906
Nuclear Monitoring Technicians	10.3%	$115,968	$98,232–$133,705
Nuclear Technicians	11.8%	$92,140	$73,446–$110,833

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

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Allied Health Professions graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	24.3%
Postsecondary certificate	15.9%
Master’s degree	14.3%
Bachelor’s degree	14.1%
High school diploma or equivalent	13.2%
Some college courses	5.7%
Doctoral degree	4.9%
Post-doctoral training	3.7%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.9%
First professional degree	0.9%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Allied Health Professions?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 65.1% of Allied Health Professions degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	58,832	65.1%
Men	31,547	34.9%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Allied Health Professions graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	51,534	57.0%
Asian	4,774	5.3%
Hispanic or Latino	18,975	21.0%
Black or African American	7,260	8.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native	594	0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	239	0.3%
Two or More Races	3,211	3.6%
Race Unknown	3,187	3.5%
International Students	605	0.7%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Allied Health Professions Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Allied Health Professions 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	$67,845
4 years	$61,295
5 years	$69,015

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $69,015 — roughly 2% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Allied Health Professions Programs

Online study is reported by IPEDS for Allied Health Professions. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	34	101
Bachelor’s	57	65
Master’s	26	34
Doctoral (Research)	2	1

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Allied Health Professions Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Allied Health Professions graduates earn a median of $61,295 four years after completion — roughly 61% 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
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing	311,372
Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants	99,987
Health and Medical Administrative Services	90,166
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services	80,693
Public Health	41,086
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions	33,946
Medicine	29,737
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions	29,603
Dental Support Services and Allied Professions	24,761
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services	23,250
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions	20,443
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration	18,055

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.