Medical Assisting

Types of Degrees Medical Assisting Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many allied health & medical assisting services graduations there were in 2021-2022 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Undergraduate Certificate	43,423
Basic Certificate	19,983
Associate Degree	18,673
Bachelor’s Degree	923

What Medical Assisting Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to medical assisting 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 Medical Assisting Majors

Medical Assisting majors often go into careers in which the following 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.
• 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.
• 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 Medical Assisting Majors

A major in medical assisting 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.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Abilities for Medical Assisting Majors

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

• 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.
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

What Can You Do With a Medical Assisting Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with medical assisting:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians	22.0%	$25,750
Healthcare Support Workers	11.7%	$37,830
Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians	14.0%	NA
Medical Assistants	29.0%	$33,610
Occupational Therapy Assistants	29.0%	$60,220
Pharmacy Technicians	11.8%	$32,700
Physical Therapist Assistants	31.1%	$58,040
Radiologic Technicians	19.6%	$42,920
Speech-Language Pathology Assistants	11.7%	$37,830
Surgical Technologists	11.7%	$47,300
Veterinary Technologists and Technicians	20.0%	$34,420

Who Is Getting an Associate’s Degree in Medical Assisting?

This is one of the most frequently chosen trade school majors. It is the 2nd most popular in the country with 20,630 students graduating with an associate’s in medical assisting in 2021. This major is dominated by women with about 81% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of medical assisting majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	1,050
Black or African American	2,317
Hispanic or Latino	4,164
White	9,315
International Students	166
Other Races/Ethnicities	1,661

Geographic Diversity

Medical Assisting appeals to people across the globe. About 0.9% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• Saudi Arabia
• Canada
• Jamaica
• China
• South Korea

How Much Do Medical Assisting Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $34,540 to $57,750 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to medical assisting. 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 Medical Assisting

Some careers associated with medical assisting 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 medical assisting have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	0.6%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	14.3%
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)	15.5%
Some College Courses	6.0%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	41.8%
Bachelor’s Degree	10.3%
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.	2.3%
Master’s Degree	6.8%
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.	0.1%
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.	0.8%
Doctoral Degree	1.3%
Post-Doctoral Training	1.0%

Online Medical Assisting 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)	1,306	37
Certificate (2-4 Years)	16	0
Associate’s Degree	1,316	49
Bachelor’s Degree	3	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	31	1
Post-Master’s	3	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Medical Assisting Worth It?

The median salary for a medical assisting grad is $47,450 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 19% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $151,000 after 20 years!

Trades Related to Medical Assisting

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to medical assisting.

Major	Number of Grads
Health & Medical Administrative Services	88,600
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants	85,339
Allied Health Professions	83,905
Health Sciences & Services	36,762
Mental & Social Health Services	30,331
Dental Support Services	26,024
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science	18,884
Somatic Bodywork & Therapeutic Services	10,622
Health Aids/Attendants/Orderlies	1,818
Ophthalmic & Optometric Support Services	817
Energy & Biologically Based Therapies	89

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.