Dental Support Services
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Types of Degrees Dental Support Services Majors Are Getting
The following table lists how many dental support services graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.
| Education Level | Number of Grads |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate Certificate | 11,147 |
| Associate Degree | 7,282 |
| Basic Certificate | 5,044 |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 2,804 |
| Master’s Degree | 121 |
| Graduate Certificate | 1 |
What Dental Support Services Majors Need to Know
O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to dental support and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.
Knowledge Areas for Dental Support Majors
According to O*NET survey takers, a major in dental support 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
Skills for Dental Support Majors
A major in dental support prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:
- 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.
- Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
- Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Abilities for Dental Support Majors
A major in dental support will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:
- Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
- Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
- Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
What Can You Do With a Dental Support Services Major?
People with a dental support degree often go into the following careers:
| Job Title | Job Growth Rate | Median Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Dental Assistants | 19.5% | $38,660 |
| Dental Hygienists | 19.7% | $74,820 |
| Dental Laboratory Technicians | 14.4% | $40,440 |
| Health Specialties Professors | 25.9% | $97,370 |
Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Dental Support Services?
Racial-Ethnic Diversity
At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of dental support majors is as follows:
| Race/Ethnicity | Number of Grads |
|---|---|
| Asian | 263 |
| Black or African American | 126 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 412 |
| White | 1,764 |
| International Students | 38 |
| Other Races/Ethnicities | 201 |
Geographic Diversity
Students from other countries are interested in Dental Support, too. About 1.4% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:
- Saudi Arabia
- South Korea
- Venezuela
- China
- Libya
How Much Do Dental Support Services Majors Make?
Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary
The median starting salary of students who graduated in 2017-2019 with a bachelor’s degree in dental support was $57,085 per year. These stats come from the U.S. Department of Education. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $48,419 (25th percentile) and $62,965 (75th percentile).
It’s important to note that just because the people reporting these salaries have a degree in dental support, it does not mean that they are working in a job related to their degree.
Salaries According to BLS
Dental Support majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $39,770 to $75,500 (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.
Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Dental Support Services
Some careers associated with dental support 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.
How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to dental support have obtained the following education levels.
| Education Level | Percentage of Workers |
|---|---|
| Less than a High School Diploma | 2.5% |
| High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED) | 12.5% |
| 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) | 23.9% |
| Some College Courses | 2.5% |
| Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 33.2% |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 10.9% |
| 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. | 0.2% |
| Master’s Degree | 6.0% |
| 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. | 1.7% |
| Doctoral Degree | 4.2% |
| Post-Doctoral Training | 3.2% |
Online Dental Support Services Programs
In the 2020-2021 academic year, 826 schools offered some type of dental support services program. 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) | 516 | 2 |
| Certificate (2-4 Years) | 18 | 0 |
| Associate’s Degree | 446 | 6 |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 2 | 1 |
| Post-Baccalaureate | 0 | 0 |
| Master’s Degree | 20 | 4 |
| 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 Dental Support Services Worth It?
The median salary for a dental support grad is $43,180 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.
This is 8% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $65,600 after 20 years!
Top Ranking Lists for Dental Support Services
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Majors Related to Dental Support Services
You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to dental support.
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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