---

Business & Office Technology

Types of Degrees Business & Office Technology Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Business & Office Technology may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	179
Associate’s Degree	188
Bachelor’s Degree	33
Master’s Degree	1,475

What Business & Office Technology Majors Need to Know

Studies in Business & Office Technology build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Business & Office Technology graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Business & Office Technology emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Administrative — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.6 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Personnel and Human Resources — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.0 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set developed in a Business & Office Technology program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.
• Monitoring — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Business & Office Technology careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Near Vision — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.2 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Business & Office Technology graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Working with Computers	4.7 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.5 / 7
Processing Information	4.5 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.4 / 7
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.4 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.3 / 7
Performing Administrative Activities	4.2 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.1 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Business & Office Technology professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Database software	Data base user interface and query software	—
FileMaker Pro	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Oracle PeopleSoft Enterprise Human Resources	Human resources software	—
ADP Workforce Now	Human resources software	—
Learning management system LMS	Computer based training software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Business & Office Technology graduates include:

• Contract Clerk
• Onboarding Coordinator
• Staffing Assistant
• Civil Service Worker
• Employment Clerk
• Employment Assistant
• Human Resources Assistant (HR Assistant)
• Personnel Associate
• Benefits Technician
• Human Resources Clerk (HR Clerk)
• Benefits Coordinator
• Benefits Clerk
• Time Study Clerk
• Human Resources Associate (HR Associate)
• Human Resources Team Member

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Business & Office Technology graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	31.9%
Bachelor’s degree	24.1%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	22.7%
Some college courses	16.6%
Postsecondary certificate	4.1%
Master’s degree	0.6%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Business & Office Technology?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 65% of Business & Office Technology degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	1,277	65.0%
Men	687	35.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Business & Office Technology graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	820	41.8%
Asian	79	4.0%
Hispanic or Latino	480	24.4%
Black or African American	413	21.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native	25	1.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	8	0.4%
Two or More Races	56	2.9%
Race Unknown	59	3.0%
International Students	24	1.2%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Business & Office Technology Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Business & Office Technology graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$24,716
4 years	$28,352
5 years	$31,368

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $31,368 — roughly 27% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Business & Office Technology Programs

Distance learning is reported by IPEDS for Business & Office Technology. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	3	5
Bachelor’s	1	1

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Business & Office Technology Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Business & Office Technology graduates earn a median of $28,352 four years after completion — about 25% 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	CIP Code
Business Operations Support and Assistant Services	52.04
Administrative Assistant and Secretarial Science, General	52.0401
Business Operations Support and Secretarial Services, Other	52.0499
Customer Service Support/Call Center/Teleservice Operation	52.0411
Executive Assistant/Executive Secretary	52.0402
General Office Occupations and Clerical Services	52.0408
Parts, Warehousing, and Inventory Management Operations	52.0409
Receptionist	52.0406
Traffic, Customs, and Transportation Clerk/Technician	52.0410
Human Resources Management and Services, Other	52.1099
Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration, General	52.1001

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.