Ophthalmic Dispensing Optician

Types of Degrees Ophthalmic Dispensing Optician Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many opticianry/ophthalmic dispensing optician graduations there were in 2021-2022 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Associate Degree	269
Undergraduate Certificate	97
Basic Certificate	79

What Ophthalmic Dispensing Optician Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, opticianry/ophthalmic dispensing optician majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Opticianry/Ophthalmic Dispensing Optician Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these 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.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Sales and Marketing - Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Skills for Opticianry/Ophthalmic Dispensing Optician Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to opticianry/ophthalmic dispensing optician:

• 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.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.

Abilities for Opticianry/Ophthalmic Dispensing Optician Majors

A major in opticianry/ophthalmic dispensing optician will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:

• 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.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

What Can You Do With a Ophthalmic Dispensing Optician Major?

People with a opticianry/ophthalmic dispensing optician degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Opticians, Dispensing	15.1%	$37,010

Who Is Getting an Associate’s Degree in Ophthalmic Dispensing Optician?

The major attracts more women than men. About 74% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of opticianry/ophthalmic dispensing optician majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	18
Black or African American	39
Hispanic or Latino	86
White	96
International Students	4
Other Races/Ethnicities	26

Geographic Diversity

Opticianry/Ophthalmic Dispensing Optician appeals to people across the globe. About 1.5% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Ophthalmic Dispensing Optician Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Opticianry/Ophthalmic Dispensing Optician majors often go into careers with median salaries of $39,930. This median refers to 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 Ophthalmic Dispensing Optician

Some careers associated with opticianry/ophthalmic dispensing optician require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for opticianry/ophthalmic dispensing optician careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	3.7%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	22.5%
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)	26.2%
Some College Courses	3.7%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	41.2%

Online Ophthalmic Dispensing Optician 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)	6	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	3	0
Associate’s Degree	27	1
Bachelor’s Degree	0	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	0	0
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 Ophthalmic Dispensing Optician Worth It?

The median salary for a opticianry/ophthalmic dispensing optician grad is $39,930 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 0% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $600 after 20 years!

Trades Related to Ophthalmic Dispensing Optician

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to opticianry/ophthalmic dispensing optician.

Major	Number of Grads
Ophthalmic Technician/Technologist	196
Optometric Technician/Assistant	154
Other Ophthalmic and Optometric Support Services and Allied Professions	22
Orthoptics/Orthoptist	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.