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Receptionist

Types of Degrees Receptionist Majors Are Earning

Those studying Receptionist have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	14
Master’s Degree	59

What Receptionist Majors Need to Know

Programs in Receptionist build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Receptionist graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Receptionist emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Administrative — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills developed in a Receptionist program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.
• Service Orientation — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.2 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.3 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Receptionist careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Speech Recognition — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.2 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Receptionist graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Working with Computers	4.5 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.5 / 7
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Processing Information	4.1 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	4.0 / 7
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public	3.9 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.9 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.9 / 7
Performing Administrative Activities	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Receptionist professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Intuit QuickBooks	Accounting software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Data entry software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Medical procedure coding software	Medical software	—
Customer relationship management CRM software	Customer relationship management CRM software	—
Microsoft Publisher	Desktop publishing software	—
Database software	Data base user interface and query software	—
FileMaker Pro	Data base user interface and query software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Receptionist graduates include:

• Member Services Representative (Member Services Rep)
• Customer Care Representative (CCR)
• Hub Associate
• Customer Service Specialist
• Service Representative
• Product Support Specialist
• Clerical Adjudicator
• Customer Contact Specialist
• Inbound Customer Service Representative (Inbound CSR)
• Trouble Clerk
• Utility Bill Complaints Investigator
• Customer Care Specialist
• Telephone Service Advisor
• Customer Care Service Representative
• Customer Service Professional

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	55.1%
Some college courses	15.9%
Postsecondary certificate	13.3%
Bachelor’s degree	8.8%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	6.8%
Less than a high school diploma	0.1%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Receptionist?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 92% of Receptionist degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	80	92.0%
Men	7	8.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Receptionist graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	54	62.1%
Asian	2	2.3%
Hispanic or Latino	7	8.0%
Black or African American	10	11.5%
Two or More Races	8	9.2%
Race Unknown	4	4.6%
International Students	2	2.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Receptionist Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Receptionist graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow 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.}

Is a Degree in Receptionist Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Receptionist 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
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
Traffic, Customs, and Transportation Clerk/Technician	52.0410

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.