Health Professions

Types of Degrees Health Professions Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many health professions graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	144,198
Doctor’s Degree	86,396
Graduate Certificate	15,114

What Health Professions Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, health professions 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 Health Professions Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in health professions should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

Skills for Health Professions Majors

When studying health professions, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

• 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.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Abilities for Health Professions Majors

As you progress with your health professions 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.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

What Can You Do With a Health Professions Major?

People with a health professions degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Acupuncturists	13.3%	$73,960
Acute Care Nurses	14.8%	$71,730
Administrative Services Managers	10.1%	$96,180
Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurses	14.8%	$71,730
Anesthesiologist Assistants	37.4%	$108,610
Art Therapists	6.8%	$47,860
Athletic Trainers	22.7%	$47,510
Audiologists	20.3%	$75,920
Biochemical Engineers	6.4%	$96,980
Business Intelligence Analysts	9.3%	$90,270
Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians	10.0%	$56,850
Chiropractors	12.4%	$71,410
Clergy	8.2%	$48,990
Clinical Nurse Specialists	14.8%	$71,730
Clinical Research Coordinators	9.9%	$123,860
Community Health Workers	17.9%	$39,540
Compliance Managers	8.0%	$107,480
Computer and Information Research Scientists	19.0%	$118,370
Computer User Support Specialists	11.3%	$50,980
Counseling Psychologists	14.2%	$76,990
Counselors	14.2%	$42,130
Critical Care Nurses	14.8%	$71,730
Cytogenetic Technologists	11.6%	NA
Cytotechnologists	11.6%	NA
Data Warehousing Specialists	9.3%	$90,270
Database Architects	9.3%	$90,270
Dental Hygienists	19.7%	$74,820
Dentists	14.1%	$146,970
Dentists, General	19.4%	$151,850
Diagnostic Medical Sonographers	23.2%	$72,510
Dietetic Technicians	9.3%	$27,140
Dietitians and Nutritionists	14.6%	$60,370
Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics	15.1%	$34,320
Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health	11.1%	$71,130
Epidemiologists	8.2%	$69,660
Exercise Physiologists	13.2%	$49,270
Family and General Practitioners	14.3%	$201,100
Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators	6.8%	$49,380
Genetic Counselors	29.0%	$80,370
Health Diagnosing and Treating Practitioners	13.3%	$73,960
Health Educators	14.6%	$54,220
Health Specialties Professors	25.9%	$97,370
Health Technologists and Technicians	19.6%	$42,920
Healthcare Social Workers	20.1%	$56,200
Hearing Aid Specialists	20.6%	$52,770
Histotechnologists and Histologic Technicians	11.6%	NA
Industrial Ecologists	11.1%	$71,130
Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses	12.3%	$46,240
Life Scientists	9.0%	$78,190
Low Vision Therapists, Orientation and Mobility Specialists, and Vision Rehabilitation Therapists	23.8%	$84,270
Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists	13.4%	$71,670
Marketing Managers	10.1%	$134,290
Marriage and Family Therapists	23.4%	$50,090
Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians	14.0%	NA
Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists	11.6%	NA
Medical and Health Services Managers	20.5%	$99,730
Medical Records and Health Information Technicians	13.5%	$40,350
Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists	13.4%	$84,810
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers	19.4%	$44,840
Mental Health Counselors	23.1%	NA
Midwives	12.5%	$54,620
Music Therapists	6.8%	$47,860
Natural Sciences Managers	9.9%	$123,860
Naturopathic Physicians	13.3%	$73,960
Neurodiagnostic Technologists	19.6%	$42,920
Nuclear Medicine Technologists	10.0%	$76,820
Nurse Anesthetists	16.3%	$167,950
Nurse Midwives	20.0%	$103,770
Nurse Practitioners	36.1%	$107,030
Nursing Instructors and Professors	24.0%	$73,490
Occupational Health and Safety Specialists	8.1%	$73,020
Occupational Health and Safety Technicians	9.9%	$50,780
Occupational Therapists	23.8%	$84,270
Ophthalmic Medical Technicians	19.6%	$36,530
Ophthalmic Medical Technologists	19.6%	$42,920
Opticians, Dispensing	15.1%	$37,010
Optometrists	17.9%	$111,790
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons	19.1%	$208,000
Orthodontists	18.2%	$208,000
Orthoptists	13.3%	$73,960
Orthotists and Prosthetists	21.8%	$69,120
Pharmacists	5.6%	$126,120
Pharmacy Technicians	11.8%	$32,700
Physical Therapists	28.0%	$87,930
Physician Assistants	37.4%	$108,610
Physicians and Surgeons	11.4%	$200,890
Physicists	14.5%	$120,950
Podiatrists	10.9%	$129,550
Prosthodontists	22.2%	$176,540
Psychiatric Technicians	5.9%	$32,870
Psychology Professors	15.1%	$76,710
Radiation Therapists	12.6%	$82,330
Radiologic Technicians	19.6%	$42,920
Radiologic Technologists	12.3%	$59,520
Recreational Therapists	6.8%	$47,860
Registered Nurses	14.8%	$71,730
Regulatory Affairs Managers	8.0%	$107,480
Rehabilitation Counselors	12.7%	$35,630
Respiratory Therapists	23.3%	$60,280
Sales Managers	7.5%	$124,220
Social Work Professors	9.4%	$68,300
Software Developers, Applications	30.7%	$103,620
Speech-Language Pathologists	17.8%	$77,510
Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors	23.2%	NA
Surgical Technologists	11.7%	$47,300
Therapists	19.9%	$50,980
Veterinarians	18.8%	$93,830
Veterinary Technologists and Technicians	20.0%	$34,420

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Health Professions?

The major attracts more women than men. About 82% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of health professions majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	11,398
Black or African American	17,577
Hispanic or Latino	15,729
White	80,797
International Students	4,334
Other Races/Ethnicities	14,363

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Health Professions, too. About 3.0% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Health Professions Majors Make?

Master’s Degree Starting Salary

The median early-career salary of health professions students with a master’s degree is $60,732 a year according to 2019-2020 data from the U.S. Department of Education. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $47,636 (25th percentile) and $92,505 (75th percentile).

Note that some of these people may have jobs that are not directly related to a health professions degree.

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $44,010 to $93,350 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to health professions. 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 Health Professions

Some careers associated with health professions 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 health professions careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	0.8%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	10.8%
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)	8.9%
Some College Courses	5.5%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	16.6%
Bachelor’s Degree	21.5%
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.	3.4%
Master’s Degree	17.5%
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.	1.4%
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.	2.4%
Doctoral Degree	7.6%
Post-Doctoral Training	3.3%

Online Health Professions Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 3,980 schools offered some type of health professions 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)	6,089	384
Certificate (2-4 Years)	310	2
Associate’s Degree	8,204	635
Bachelor’s Degree	1,552	411
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	5,376	1,092
Post-Master’s	1,399	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	1,072	122
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	1,429	189
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	78	27

Is a Degree in Health Professions Worth It?

The median salary for a health professions grad is $62,500 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 57% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $452,000 after 20 years!

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.