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Lactation Consultant

Types of Degrees Lactation Consultant Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Lactation Consultant have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	28
Master’s Degree	9

What Lactation Consultant Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Lactation Consultant emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Lactation Consultant graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Lactation Consultant emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Administrative — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills built by a Lactation Consultant program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Monitoring — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Lactation Consultant careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Near Vision — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Lactation Consultant graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.5 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.3 / 7
Assisting and Caring for Others	4.2 / 7
Getting Information	4.2 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.1 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.0 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	3.9 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.9 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Lactation Consultant professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
KayPENTAX Multi-Speech	Medical software	—
Signal analysis software	Analytical or scientific software	—
Text to speech software	Text to speech conversion software	—
Language analysis software	Analytical or scientific software	—
Microsoft Windows	Operating system software	—
Biofeedback software	Medical software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Speech analysis software	Analytical or scientific software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Lactation Consultant graduates include:

• Speech Therapy Assistant
• Speech Correction Assistant
• Anatomic Pathology Assistant
• Communication Assistant
• Speech-Language Pathologists Assistant (SLPA)
• School SLPA (School Speech-Language Pathologist Assistant)
• Speech Pathology Intern
• Hearing and Speech Assistant
• Language Assistant
• Speech Assistant
• Certified Pathology Assistant
• Speech-Language Technician
• School SLPA (School Speech Language Pathologist Assistant)
• Speech Language Assistant
• Speech-Language Assistant

What Can You Do With a Lactation Consultant Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Lactation Consultant commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Speech-Language Pathology Assistants	14.8%	$48,496	$38,165–$58,828
Endoscopy Technicians	7.8%	$40,643	$33,481–$47,805
Healthcare Support Workers, All Other	3.8%	$53,362	$45,950–$60,774

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

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	36.2%
High school diploma or equivalent	25.1%
Postsecondary certificate	14.3%
Bachelor’s degree	12.5%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	7.5%
Master’s degree	2.6%
Some college courses	1.8%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Lactation Consultant?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 100% of Lactation Consultant degrees.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Lactation Consultant graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	22	59.5%
Asian	1	2.7%
Hispanic or Latino	2	5.4%
Black or African American	9	24.3%
Two or More Races	3	8.1%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Lactation Consultant Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Lactation Consultant graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$27,434
4 years	$29,082
5 years	$32,352

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $32,352 — roughly 18% above the 1-year mark.

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

Is a Degree in Lactation Consultant Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Lactation Consultant graduates earn a median of $29,082 four years after completion — about 23% below the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000). On earnings alone, this program does not show an income premium over the baseline; non-financial outcomes (career interests, certification requirements, advancement potential) are typically the stronger argument for fields in this range.

^{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 and Medical Assisting Services	80,693
Medical/Clinical Assistant	52,819
Medical Insurance Specialist/Medical Biller	11,963
Pharmacy Technician/Assistant	7,541
Physical Therapy Assistant	5,633
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services, Other	4,065
Emergency Care Attendant (EMT Ambulance)	3,923
Occupational Therapist Assistant	3,178
Health and Medical Administrative Services, Other	3,168
Radiologist Assistant	1,513
Medical/Health Management and Clinical Assistant/Specialist	1,195
Medication Aide	724

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.