Emergency Medical Technology

Types of Degrees Emergency Medical Technology Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many emergency medical technology/technician (EMT paramedic) graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Basic Certificate	17,138
Undergraduate Certificate	5,524
Associate Degree	3,607
Bachelor’s Degree	362

What Emergency Medical Technology Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to emergency medical technology/technician (EMT paramedic) 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 Emergency Medical Technology/Technician (EMT Paramedic) 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

Skills for Emergency Medical Technology/Technician (EMT Paramedic) Majors

A major in emergency medical technology/technician (EMT paramedic) prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• 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.
• Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

Abilities for Emergency Medical Technology/Technician (EMT Paramedic) Majors

A major in emergency medical technology/technician (EMT paramedic) 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.
• 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.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

What Can You Do With a Emergency Medical Technology Major?

People with a emergency medical technology/technician (EMT paramedic) degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics	15.1%	$34,320

Who Is Getting an Associate’s Degree in Emergency Medical Technology?

This major attracts more men than women. About 64% of the graduates in this field are male.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of emergency medical technology/technician (EMT paramedic) majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	53
Black or African American	136
Hispanic or Latino	489
White	2,643
International Students	12
Other Races/Ethnicities	274

Geographic Diversity

Emergency Medical Technology/Technician (EMT Paramedic) appeals to people across the globe. About 0.3% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Emergency Medical Technology Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Emergency Medical Technology/Technician (EMT Paramedic) majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $37,760 to $122,320 (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 Emergency Medical Technology

Some degrees associated with emergency medical technology/technician (EMT paramedic) may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to emergency medical technology/technician (EMT paramedic) have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	7.5%
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)	30.0%
Some College Courses	20.4%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	9.5%
Bachelor’s Degree	7.4%
Master’s Degree	11.7%
Doctoral Degree	8.1%
Post-Doctoral Training	6.2%

Online Emergency Medical Technology Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 723 schools offered some type of emergency medical technology/technician (EMT paramedic) 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)	442	3
Certificate (2-4 Years)	5	0
Associate’s Degree	513	7
Bachelor’s Degree	4	1
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	3	2
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 Emergency Medical Technology Worth It?

The median salary for a emergency medical technology/technician (EMT paramedic) grad is $37,760 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

Trades Related to Emergency Medical Technology

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to emergency medical technology/technician (EMT paramedic).

Major	Number of Grads
Radiologic Technology	9,684
Surgical Technology	7,583
Respiratory Care Therapy	6,722
Diagnostic Medical Sonography/Sonographer and Ultrasound Technician	5,378
Medical Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiation Therapy	4,740
Athletic Training	2,305
Other Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions	1,836
Cardiovascular Technology/Technologist	1,377
Nuclear Medical Technology/Technologist	602
Electrocardiograph Technology/Technician	568
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Technology	516
Physician Assistant	501
Electroneurodiagnostic/Electroencephalographic Technology/Technologist	379
Polysomnography	302
Mammography Technician/Technology	69
Radiation Protection/Health Physics Technician	51
Cardiopulmonary Technology	40
Hearing Instrument Specialist	32
Gene/Genetic Therapy	27
Orthopedic Technology	15
Perfusion Technology/Perfusionist	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.