Types of Degrees Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many opticianry/ophthalmic dispensing optician graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Associate Degree	269
Undergraduate Certificate	97
Basic Certificate	79

What Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to opticianry/ophthalmic dispensing optician 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 Opticianry/Ophthalmic Dispensing Optician Majors

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

• 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.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Sales and Marketing - Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• 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 Opticianry/Ophthalmic Dispensing Optician Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to opticianry/ophthalmic dispensing optician:

• 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.
• Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Abilities for Opticianry/Ophthalmic Dispensing Optician Majors

A major in opticianry/ophthalmic dispensing optician will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:

• 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.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

What Can You Do With a Major?

People with a opticianry/ophthalmic dispensing optician degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Opticians, Dispensing	15.1%	$37,010

How Much Do Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Opticianry/Ophthalmic Dispensing Optician majors often go into careers with median salaries of $39,930. This median refers to 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 opticianry/ophthalmic dispensing optician 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.

Find out what the typical degree level is for opticianry/ophthalmic dispensing optician careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	3.7%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	22.5%
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)	26.2%
Some College Courses	3.7%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	41.2%

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)	6	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	3	0
Associate’s Degree	27	1
Bachelor’s Degree	0	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	0	0
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 Worth It?

The median salary for a opticianry/ophthalmic dispensing optician grad is $39,930 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 0% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $600 after 20 years!

Majors Related to

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to opticianry/ophthalmic dispensing optician.

Major	Number of Grads
Ophthalmic Technician/Technologist	196
Optometric Technician/Assistant	154
Other Ophthalmic and Optometric Support Services and Allied Professions	22
Orthoptics/Orthoptist	0

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.