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Emergency Medical Technology

Types of Degrees Emergency Medical Technology Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Emergency Medical Technology have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	6,393
Associate’s Degree	3,611
Bachelor’s Degree	383
Master’s Degree	12,725

What Emergency Medical Technology Majors Need to Know

Programs in Emergency Medical Technology emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Emergency Medical Technology graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Emergency Medical Technology emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Education and Training — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 5.9 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.7 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills developed in a Emergency Medical Technology program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Instructing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Emergency Medical Technology careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.8 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Emergency Medical Technology graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Training and Teaching Others	4.6 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.6 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Working with Computers	4.4 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.3 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.2 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.1 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.0 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Emergency Medical Technology professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Medical Wizards ER & ICU ToolBox	Information retrieval or search software	—
Iterum eMedic	Information retrieval or search software	—
MedDataSolutions Regist*r	Medical software	—
Palmtree EMS Field Reference Guide	Information retrieval or search software	—
Medical Wizards ER Suite	Information retrieval or search software	—
Mosby’s Drug Consult	Information retrieval or search software	—
TechOnSoftware HazMatCE Pro	Information retrieval or search software	—
PEPID EMS	Information retrieval or search software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Emergency Medical Technology graduates include:

• First Responder
• Medical Technician
• Healthcare Specialist
• Rescue Worker
• EMT Paramedic (Emergency Medical Technician Paramedic)
• Paramedic
• Non-Emergency Medical Transportation Driver
• Emergency Medical Technician - Basic (EMT-B)
• Medical Driver
• EMT-I/99
• Advanced Emergency Medical Technician (AEMT)
• Emergency Department Technician (ED Technician)
• Emergency Room Technician
• Rescue Technician (Rescue Tech)
• EMT-I/85

What Can You Do With a Emergency Medical Technology Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Emergency Medical Technology commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Emergency Medical Technicians	14.6%	$105,175	$82,313–$128,038
Paramedics	14.3%	$62,670	$53,853–$71,488

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

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	35.9%
Doctoral degree	24.9%
Post-doctoral training	19.1%
Bachelor’s degree	12.5%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	4.6%
Postsecondary certificate	2.9%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Emergency Medical Technology?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 63.8% of Emergency Medical Technology degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	10,611	36.2%
Men	18,726	63.8%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	18,633	63.5%
Asian	542	1.8%
Hispanic or Latino	6,237	21.3%
Black or African American	1,597	5.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native	248	0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	51	0.2%
Two or More Races	1,130	3.9%
Race Unknown	783	2.7%
International Students	116	0.4%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Emergency Medical Technology Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Emergency Medical Technology graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$67,845
4 years	$61,295
5 years	$69,015

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $69,015 — roughly 2% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Emergency Medical Technology Programs

Online study is tracked by IPEDS for Emergency Medical Technology. 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	11	27
Bachelor’s	6	6
Master’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 Emergency Medical Technology Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Emergency Medical Technology graduates earn a median of $61,295 four years after completion — roughly 61% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{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
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions	90,379
Physician Associate/Assistant	13,046
Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiographer	11,777
Surgical Technology/Technologist	7,626
Diagnostic Medical Sonography/Sonographer and Ultrasound Technician	7,272
Respiratory Care Therapy/Therapist	6,686
Medical Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiation Therapist	4,111
Athletic Training/Trainer	3,132
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions, Other	2,445
Cardiovascular Technology/Technologist	1,540
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Technology/Technician	1,055
Electrocardiograph Technology/Technician	677

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.