---

Medical Office Administration

A program that prepares individuals to manage the specialized business functions of a medical or clinical office. Includes instruction in business office operations, business and financial record-keeping, personnel supervision, medical and health care policy administration, conference planning, scheduling and coordination, public relations, and applicable law and regulations.

Types of Degrees Medical Office Administration Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Medical Office Administration may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	509
Associate’s Degree	1,014
Bachelor’s Degree	20
Master’s Degree	1,350

What Medical Office Administration Majors Need to Know

Studies in Medical Office Administration develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Medical Office Administration graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Medical Office Administration emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Administration and Management — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Administrative — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills emphasized by a Medical Office Administration program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 4 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Coordination — Importance 4 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Monitoring — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Medical Office Administration careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Speech Recognition — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Medical Office Administration graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Working with Computers	4.5 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Processing Information	4.2 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.0 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.0 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.0 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.0 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Medical Office Administration professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
YouTube	Video creation and editing software	—
IBM Domino	Communications server software	—
Human resource management software HRMS	Human resources software	—
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Microsoft Internet Explorer	Internet browser software	—
Medical procedure coding software	Medical software	—
Blackbaud The Raiser’s Edge	Customer relationship management CRM software	—
Qlik Tech QlikView	Business intelligence and data analysis software	—
Handheld computer device software	Operating system software	—
Google Drive	Cloud-based data access and sharing software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Exchange	Electronic mail software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Medical Office Administration graduates include:

• Ward Service Supervisor
• Switchboard Operator Supervisor
• Telephone Solicitor Supervisor
• Central Office Telephone Operators Supervisor
• Safety Deposit Supervisor
• Accounting Administrator
• Survey Workers Supervisor
• Accounts Receivable Supervisor
• Central Supply Supervisor
• Baggage Agent Supervisor
• Ticket Sales Supervisor
• Pay Station Department Manager
• Inventory Control Manager
• Field Service Manager
• Cost and Sales Record Supervisor

What Can You Do With a Medical Office Administration Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Medical Office Administration commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers	-0.4%	$27,636	$23,670–$31,602

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

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Medical Office Administration graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	45.2%
High school diploma or equivalent	23.2%
Some college courses	20.0%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	9.6%
Master’s degree	1.3%
Postsecondary certificate	0.6%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Medical Office Administration?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 95.7% of Medical Office Administration degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	2,775	95.7%
Men	125	4.3%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Medical Office Administration graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	1,291	44.5%
Asian	104	3.6%
Hispanic or Latino	388	13.4%
Black or African American	894	30.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	55	1.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	14	0.5%
Two or More Races	68	2.3%
Race Unknown	64	2.2%
International Students	22	0.8%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Medical Office Administration Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Medical Office Administration 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	$36,041
4 years	$36,054
5 years	$40,847

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $40,847 — roughly 13% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Medical Office Administration Programs

Online study is tracked by IPEDS for Medical Office Administration. 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	30	22
Bachelor’s	1	0

^{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 Medical Office Administration Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Medical Office Administration graduates earn a median of $36,054 four years after completion — about 5% below the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000). On earnings alone, this program does not show an income premium over the baseline; non-financial outcomes (career interests, certification requirements, advancement potential) are typically the stronger argument for fields in this range.

^{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
Health and Medical Administrative Services	90,166
Health/Health Care Administration/Management	28,347
Medical Insurance Specialist/Medical Biller	11,963
Health Information/Medical Records Technology/Technician	11,828
Medical Insurance Coding Specialist/Coder	10,171
Medical Administrative/Executive Assistant and Medical Secretary	7,771
Hospital and Health Care Facilities Administration/Management	3,494
Health and Medical Administrative Services, Other	3,168
Health Information/Medical Records Administration/Administrator	2,781
Medical/Health Management and Clinical Assistant/Specialist	1,195
Medical Reception/Receptionist	844
Clinical Research Coordinator	347

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.