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General Administrative Assistant

Types of Degrees General Administrative Assistant Majors Are Earning

Those studying General Administrative Assistant may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	1,592
Associate’s Degree	1,755
Bachelor’s Degree	75
Master’s Degree	2,728

What General Administrative Assistant Majors Need to Know

Coursework for General Administrative Assistant develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that General Administrative Assistant graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing General Administrative Assistant emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Administrative — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.6 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a General Administrative Assistant program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Service Orientation — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.3 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to General Administrative Assistant careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, General Administrative Assistant graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Working with Computers	4.5 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.0 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.0 / 7
Performing Administrative Activities	4.0 / 7
Processing Information	4.0 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	3.9 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.8 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by General Administrative Assistant professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Publisher	Desktop publishing software	—
Human resource management software HRMS	Human resources software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Visio	Process mapping and design software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Database software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Oracle PeopleSoft	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
FileMaker Pro	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for General Administrative Assistant graduates include:

• Administrative Coordinator
• Administrative Officer
• Personal Secretary
• Office Administrator
• Office Assistant
• Staff Assistant
• Administrative Liaison
• Administrative Associate
• Administrative Support Specialist
• Personal Assistant
• Payroll Master
• Mail Carriers Supervisor
• Dispatch Manager
• Customer Service Director
• Customer Experience Coordinator (CX Coordinator)

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	32.1%
Bachelor’s degree	26.7%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	20.5%
Some college courses	15.3%
Postsecondary certificate	3.6%
Master’s degree	0.8%
Post-master’s certificate	0.5%
First professional degree	0.4%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in General Administrative Assistant?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 81.1% of General Administrative Assistant degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	5,358	81.1%
Men	1,249	18.9%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of General Administrative Assistant graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	2,811	42.5%
Asian	248	3.8%
Hispanic or Latino	1,898	28.7%
Black or African American	961	14.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native	88	1.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	20	0.3%
Two or More Races	183	2.8%
Race Unknown	350	5.3%
International Students	48	0.7%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do General Administrative Assistant Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of General Administrative Assistant 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 General Administrative Assistant Programs

Online study is reported by IPEDS for General Administrative Assistant. 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	102	46
Bachelor’s	1	0

^{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 General Administrative Assistant Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, General Administrative Assistant 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
Business Operations Support and Secretarial Services, Other	52.0499
Business/Office Automation/Technology/Data Entry	52.0407
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
Customer Service Management	52.0207
E-Commerce/Electronic Commerce	52.0208
Human Resources Management and Services, Other	52.1099

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.