Best degree programs for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, ranked by enrollment
7 college programs and 523 schools train Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $45,930 median wage, 961,610 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
7 college programs at 523 schools train medical secretaries and administrative assistants, graduating 24,381 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Medical Insurance Specialist/Medical Biller. The job pays a median of $45,930 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About medical secretaries and administrative assistants
Perform secretarial duties using specific knowledge of medical terminology and hospital, clinic, or laboratory procedures. Duties may include scheduling appointments, billing patients, and compiling and recording medical charts, reports, and correspondence.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
7 degree programs that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 51.0714 | 11,432 | 46.9% | 160 | $30,774 | $17,375 |
| 2 | CIP 51.0716 | 6,024 | 24.7% | 223 | $30,774 | $17,375 |
| 3 | CIP 51.0710 | 4,612 | 18.9% | 186 | $30,774 | $17,375 |
| 4 | CIP 51.0711 | 1,344 | 5.5% | 20 | $30,774 | $17,375 |
| 5 | CIP 51.0712 | 962 | 3.9% | 37 | $30,774 | $17,375 |
| 6 | CIP 01.8204 | 6 | 0.0% | 1 | — | — |
| 7 | CIP 01.8201 | 1 | 0.0% | 1 | — | — |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
What medical secretaries and administrative assistants earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | $41,730 | 96,000 | 1.56× | 51 | 7,879 |
| California | $54,490 | 115,050 | 1.02× | 94 | 2,350 |
| Kentucky | $38,750 | 26,430 | 2.14× | 17 | 1,325 |
| Indianamoderate | $44,060 | 21,180 | 1.07× | 4 | 1,231 |
| Colorado | $46,920 | 11,560 | 0.65× | 10 | 1,010 |
| New York | $47,710 | 57,720 | 0.96× | 20 | 887 |
| Ohio | $44,280 | 29,110 | 0.85× | 24 | 790 |
| Wyomingmoderate | $44,430 | 1,110 | 0.64× | 4 | 766 |
| Georgia | $43,160 | 39,380 | 1.30× | 22 | 746 |
| Illinois | $46,670 | 27,560 | 0.73× | 19 | 662 |
| Arkansas | $37,000 | 2,190 | 0.27× | 6 | 581 |
| Texas | $42,910 | 78,740 | 0.90× | 20 | 428 |
| Wisconsin | $48,380 | 7,760 | 0.43× | 11 | 418 |
| Arizona | $45,820 | 18,090 | 0.90× | 8 | 398 |
| Pennsylvania | $44,930 | 27,600 | 0.74× | 16 | 392 |
| Virginia | $46,180 | 27,600 | 1.09× | 8 | 386 |
| Nevada | $46,990 | 7,030 | 0.73× | 5 | 287 |
| Washington | $58,100 | 10,960 | 0.50× | 18 | 248 |
| West Virginia | $38,430 | 1,550 | 0.36× | 7 | 236 |
| Minnesota | $50,030 | 16,860 | 0.92× | 13 | 229 |
| Michigan | $41,100 | 27,960 | 1.03× | 19 | 226 |
| New Jersey | $48,660 | 20,980 | 0.79× | 7 | 202 |
| Missourimoderate | $43,980 | 12,260 | 0.68× | 4 | 189 |
| Oklahoma | $38,330 | 8,430 | 0.80× | 15 | 171 |
| Louisiana | $36,930 | 2,970 | 0.25× | 11 | 144 |
| Tennesseemoderate | $39,940 | 41,810 | 2.06× | 4 | 117 |
| Iowamoderate | $40,980 | 10,560 | 1.10× | 4 | 65 |
| Oregon | $50,130 | 16,840 | 1.38× | 6 | 57 |
| Massachusetts | $50,290 | 22,210 | 0.99× | 10 | 56 |
| Maryland | $47,850 | 17,290 | 1.01× | 6 | 42 |
| Utahmoderate | $44,330 | 5,260 | 0.49× | 3 | 38 |
| Mississippilimited | $36,290 | — | — | 2 | 36 |
| New Mexicomoderate | $44,230 | 4,590 | 0.85× | 4 | 29 |
| Alabamalimited | $36,930 | 16,580 | 1.27× | 2 | 26 |
| South Carolina | $40,170 | 15,630 | 1.10× | 6 | 23 |
| South Dakotamoderate | $45,810 | 80 | 0.03× | 3 | 22 |
| Idahomoderate | $44,920 | 5,120 | 0.97× | 3 | 15 |
| Kansasmoderate | $43,020 | 6,470 | 0.73× | 4 | 14 |
| North Dakotamoderate | $45,390 | 1,120 | 0.42× | 3 | 13 |
| Rhode Islandlimited | $46,860 | 2,350 | 0.76× | 1 | 12 |
| Nebraskalimited | $46,100 | 4,110 | 0.65× | 1 | 11 |
| Mainemoderate | $46,990 | 4,610 | 1.16× | 3 | 8 |
| Montanalimited | $43,740 | 4,410 | 1.39× | 2 | 7 |
| North Carolinamoderate | $44,190 | 56,840 | 1.86× | 3 | 5 |
| Alaskalimited | $47,870 | 2,520 | 1.25× | 1 | 4 |
| Delawarelimited | $44,500 | 4,510 | 1.51× | 1 | 3 |
| New Hampshirelimited | $48,410 | 3,680 | 0.87× | 1 | 1 |
Skills and tools
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Answer telephones and direct calls to appropriate staff.
- Schedule and confirm patient diagnostic appointments, surgeries, or medical consultations.
- Complete insurance or other claim forms.
- Greet visitors, ascertain purpose of visit, and direct them to appropriate staff.
- Transmit correspondence or medical records by mail, e-mail, or fax.
- Maintain medical records, technical library, or correspondence files.
- Receive and route messages or documents, such as laboratory results, to appropriate staff.
- Interview patients to complete documents, case histories, or forms, such as intake or insurance forms.
Skills
- Speaking4.0
- Active Listening3.9
- Reading Comprehension3.5
- Critical Thinking3.1
- Writing3.1
- Monitoring3.0
- Active Learning2.3
- Mathematics2.1
Knowledge areas
- Customer and Personal Service4.4
- English Language4.3
- Administrative3.9
- Medicine and Dentistry3.6
- Personnel and Human Resources3.4
- Computers and Electronics3.4
Abilities
- Oral Comprehension4.0
- Written Comprehension4.0
- Oral Expression4.0
- Speech Clarity3.8
- Speech Recognition3.8
- Near Vision3.4
Core activities
- Working with Computers4.5
- Processing Information4.4
- Performing for or Working Directly with the Public4.3
- Getting Information4.3
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.2
- Performing Administrative Activities4.1
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
How to become a Medical Secretary
Job zone 2 of 5 · SVP Below 6.0- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 7 majors mapped to Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants7 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 01.8201Veterinary Administrative Services, General
- 01.8204Veterinary Administrative/Executive Assistant and Veterinary Secretary
- 51.0710Medical Office Assistant/Specialist
- 51.0711Medical/Health Management and Clinical Assistant/Specialist
- 51.0712Medical Reception/Receptionist
- 51.0714Medical Insurance Specialist/Medical Biller
- 51.0716Medical Administrative/Executive Assistant and Medical Secretary
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
What degree do you need to become a Medical Secretary?+
High school diploma or equivalent is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Medical Insurance Specialist/Medical Biller, which awarded 11,432 degrees in 2024-25, 46.9% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Medical Secretary?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 7 programs to this occupation. The largest are Health and Medical Administrative Services, Veterinary Administrative Services. Together they graduate about 24,381 people a year.
How much do medical secretaries and administrative assistants earn?+
The median is $45,930 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $35,930 at the 10th percentile to $60,530 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for medical secretaries and administrative assistants growing?+
BLS projects a +4.2% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 85,900 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
523 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 7 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do medical secretaries and administrative assistants work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Unit Clerk, Medical Secretary, Medical Receptionist, Unit Support Representative among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 43-6013.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024-25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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