Orthotist/Prosthetist

Types of Degrees Orthotist/Prosthetist Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many orthotist/prosthetist graduations there were in 2018-2019 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	205
Associate’s Degree	76
Undergraduate Certificate	30
Basic Certificate	19
Bachelor’s Degree	3

What Orthotist/Prosthetist Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to orthotist/prosthetist 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 Orthotist/Prosthetist Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in orthotist/prosthetist should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• 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

When studying orthotist/prosthetist, 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.
• 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?

People with a orthotist/prosthetist degree often go into the following careers:

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 67% 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	3
International Students	0
Other Races/Ethnicities	0

How Much Do Orthotist/Prosthetist Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Orthotist/Prosthetist majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $42,180 to $122,320 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

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 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

In the 2018-2019 academic year, 19 schools offered some type of orthotist/prosthetist 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)	3	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	4	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	1	0
Associate’s Degree	7	0
Bachelor’s Degree	1	0
Post-Baccalaureate	3	0
Master’s Degree	11	1
Post-Master’s	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Orthotist/Prosthetist Worth It?

The median salary for a orthotist/prosthetist grad is $73,860 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 85% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $679,200 after 20 years!

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	12,865
Occupational Therapy/Therapist	9,142
Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling/Counselor	1,232
Rehabilitation Science	1,164
Therapeutic Recreation/Recreational Therapy	1,079
Other Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions	1,062
Art Therapy/Therapist	711
Music Therapy	655
Kinesiotherapy/Kinesiotherapist	144
Assistive/Augmentative Technology and Rehabilitation Engineering	104
Dance Therapy/Therapist	37
Animal-Assisted Therapy	31

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.