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Emergency Medical Technology Major

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Emergency Medical Technology

362 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
7 Master's Degrees Annually
#49 in Popularity
$37,760 Median Salary

Types of Degrees Emergency Medical Technology Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many emergency medical technology/technician (EMT paramedic) graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level Number of Grads
Basic Certificate 17,138
Undergraduate Certificate 5,524
Associate Degree 3,607
Bachelor’s Degree 362
Master’s Degree 7
Graduate Certificate 3

What Emergency Medical Technology Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, emergency medical technology/technician (EMT paramedic) 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 Emergency Medical Technology/Technician (EMT Paramedic) Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

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  • English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • 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.
  • Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
  • 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.
  • Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

Skills for Emergency Medical Technology/Technician (EMT Paramedic) Majors

When studying emergency medical technology/technician (EMT paramedic), 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:

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  • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
  • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • 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.
  • Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
  • Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

Abilities for Emergency Medical Technology/Technician (EMT Paramedic) Majors

Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a emergency medical technology/technician (EMT paramedic) student include the following:

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  • Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

What Can You Do With a Emergency Medical Technology Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with emergency medical technology/technician (EMT paramedic):

Job Title Job Growth Rate Median Salary
Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics 15.1% $34,320
Health Specialties Professors 25.9% $97,370

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Emergency Medical Technology?

362 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
28% Percent Women
16% Percent Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
This major attracts more men than women. About 72% of the graduates in this field are male.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of emergency medical technology/technician (EMT paramedic) majors is as follows:

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Race/Ethnicity Number of Grads
Asian 9
Black or African American 9
Hispanic or Latino 29
White 262
International Students 11
Other Races/Ethnicities 42

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Emergency Medical Technology/Technician (EMT Paramedic), too. About 3.0% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Emergency Medical Technology Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Emergency Medical Technology/Technician (EMT Paramedic) majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $37,760 to $122,320 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes 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 Emergency Medical Technology Major  ( 37760 to 122320 )
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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 careers associated with emergency medical technology/technician (EMT paramedic) require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

Find out what the typical degree level is for emergency medical technology/technician (EMT paramedic) careers below.

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Education Level Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED) 7.5%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production) 30.0%
Some College Courses 20.4%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) 9.5%
Bachelor’s Degree 7.4%
Master’s Degree 11.7%
Doctoral Degree 8.1%
Post-Doctoral Training 6.2%

Online Emergency Medical Technology Programs

In 2020-2021, 723 schools offered a emergency medical technology/technician (EMT paramedic) 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) 442 3
Certificate (2-4 Years) 5 0
Associate’s Degree 513 7
Bachelor’s Degree 4 1
Post-Baccalaureate 0 0
Master’s Degree 3 2
Post-Master’s 0 0
Doctor’s Degree (Research) 0 0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) 0 0
Doctor’s Degree (Other) 0 0

Is a Degree in Emergency Medical Technology Worth It?

The median salary for a emergency medical technology/technician (EMT paramedic) grad is $37,760 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

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You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to emergency medical technology/technician (EMT paramedic).

Major Number of Grads
Physician Assistant 11,351
Radiologic Technology 9,790
Surgical Technology 7,583
Respiratory Care Therapy 6,845
Diagnostic Medical Sonography/Sonographer and Ultrasound Technician 5,396
Medical Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiation Therapy 4,850
Athletic Training 3,767
Other Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions 1,911
Cardiovascular Technology/Technologist 1,405
Nuclear Medical Technology/Technologist 619
Electrocardiograph Technology/Technician 568
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Technology 525
Electroneurodiagnostic/Electroencephalographic Technology/Technologist 379
Polysomnography 302
Perfusion Technology/Perfusionist 138
Mammography Technician/Technology 69
Radiation Protection/Health Physics Technician 51
Cardiopulmonary Technology 40
Hearing Instrument Specialist 32
Gene/Genetic Therapy 31
Orthopedic Technology 15

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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