Orthotist/Prosthetist

Types of Degrees Orthotist/Prosthetist Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many orthotist/prosthetist graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	250
Associate Degree	41
Undergraduate Certificate	26
Bachelor’s Degree	8

What Orthotist/Prosthetist Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to orthotist/prosthetist were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Orthotist/Prosthetist Majors

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

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• 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.
• 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.
• Production and Processing - Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

Skills for Orthotist/Prosthetist Majors

A major in orthotist/prosthetist prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

• 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.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

Abilities for Orthotist/Prosthetist Majors

As you progress with your orthotist/prosthetist degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:

• 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.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

What Can You Do With a Orthotist/Prosthetist Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with orthotist/prosthetist:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Health Specialties Professors	25.9%	$97,370
Medical Appliance Technicians	13.3%	$39,190
Orthotists and Prosthetists	21.8%	$69,120

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Orthotist/Prosthetist?

This major is dominated by women with about 63% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of orthotist/prosthetist majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	0
Black or African American	0
Hispanic or Latino	0
White	5
International Students	3
Other Races/Ethnicities	0

Geographic Diversity

Orthotist/Prosthetist appeals to people across the globe. About 37.5% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Orthotist/Prosthetist

Some careers associated with orthotist/prosthetist 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 orthotist/prosthetist have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	2.1%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	7.8%
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)	4.4%
Some College Courses	3.2%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	10.7%
Bachelor’s Degree	21.9%
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.	17.2%
Master’s Degree	20.8%
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.	1.2%
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.	1.2%
Doctoral Degree	6.1%
Post-Doctoral Training	4.7%

Online Orthotist/Prosthetist 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)	4	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	1	0
Associate’s Degree	5	0
Bachelor’s Degree	1	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	12	2
Post-Master’s	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Orthotist/Prosthetist

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to orthotist/prosthetist.

Major	Number of Grads
Physical Therapy/Therapist	13,762
Occupational Therapy	10,262
Rehabilitation Science	1,239
Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling	947
Therapeutic Recreation/Recreational Therapy	822
Music Therapy	710
Art Therapy	698
Other Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions	670
Assistive/Augmentative Technology and Rehabilitation Engineering	156
Animal-Assisted Therapy	109
Kinesiotherapy/Kinesiotherapist	106
Play Therapy	52
Dance Therapy	35
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions, General	33
Horticulture Therapy	8
Drama Therapy	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
• Image Credit: By Barbara E. Carver under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.