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Types of Degrees Majors Are Getting
The following table lists how many allied health & medical assisting services graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.
| Education Level | Number of Grads |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate Certificate | 43,423 |
| Basic Certificate | 19,983 |
| Associate Degree | 18,673 |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 923 |
| Master’s Degree | 575 |
| Graduate Certificate | 10 |
What Majors Need to Know
In an O*NET survey, medical assisting 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 Medical Assisting Majors
According to O*NET survey takers, a major in medical assisting should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:
- 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.
- 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.
- Clerical - Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
Skills for Medical Assisting Majors
When studying medical assisting, 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:
- 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.
- 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.
- Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Abilities for Medical Assisting Majors
As you progress with your medical assisting degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:
- Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- 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.
- Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
- Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
What Can You Do With a Major?
Below is a list of occupations associated with medical assisting:
| Job Title | Job Growth Rate | Median Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians | 22.0% | $25,750 |
| Anesthesiologist Assistants | 37.4% | $108,610 |
| Health Specialties Professors | 25.9% | $97,370 |
| Healthcare Support Workers | 11.7% | $37,830 |
| Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians | 14.0% | NA |
| Medical Assistants | 29.0% | $33,610 |
| Occupational Therapy Assistants | 29.0% | $60,220 |
| Pharmacy Technicians | 11.8% | $32,700 |
| Physical Therapist Assistants | 31.1% | $58,040 |
| Radiologic Technicians | 19.6% | $42,920 |
| Speech-Language Pathology Assistants | 11.7% | $37,830 |
| Surgical Technologists | 11.7% | $47,300 |
| Veterinary Technologists and Technicians | 20.0% | $34,420 |
Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in ?
Racial-Ethnic Diversity
At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of medical assisting majors is as follows:
| Race/Ethnicity | Number of Grads |
|---|---|
| Asian | 88 |
| Black or African American | 83 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 104 |
| White | 593 |
| International Students | 12 |
| Other Races/Ethnicities | 43 |
Geographic Diversity
Students from other countries are interested in Medical Assisting, too. About 1.3% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:
- Saudi Arabia
- Canada
- Jamaica
- China
- South Korea
How Much Do Majors Make?
Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary
Salaries According to BLS
Average salaries range from $34,540 to $57,750 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to medical assisting. 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.
Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to
Some careers associated with medical assisting require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. 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 medical assisting have obtained the following education levels.
| Education Level | Percentage of Workers |
|---|---|
| Less than a High School Diploma | 0.6% |
| High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED) | 14.3% |
| 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) | 15.5% |
| Some College Courses | 6.0% |
| Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 41.8% |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 10.3% |
| Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master. | 2.3% |
| Master’s Degree | 6.8% |
| Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level. | 0.1% |
| 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. | 0.8% |
| Doctoral Degree | 1.3% |
| Post-Doctoral Training | 1.0% |
Online Programs
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) | 1,306 | 37 |
| Certificate (2-4 Years) | 16 | 0 |
| Associate’s Degree | 1,316 | 49 |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 3 | 0 |
| Post-Baccalaureate | 0 | 0 |
| Master’s Degree | 31 | 1 |
| Post-Master’s | 3 | 0 |
| Doctor’s Degree (Research) | 0 | 0 |
| Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) | 0 | 0 |
| Doctor’s Degree (Other) | 0 | 0 |
Is a Degree in Worth It?
The median salary for a medical assisting grad is $47,450 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.
This is 19% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $151,000 after 20 years!
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Majors Related to
You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to medical assisting.
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.
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