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General Data Entry

Types of Degrees General Data Entry Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing General Data Entry can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	41
Associate’s Degree	129
Master’s Degree	244

What General Data Entry Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in General Data Entry emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.8 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Administrative — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Law and Government — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Public Safety and Security — Importance 2.9 / 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 General Data Entry program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3 / 7.
• Monitoring — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 2.2 / 7.
• Time Management — Importance 3 / 5; level 2.9 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3 / 5; level 3 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to General Data Entry careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Near Vision — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3 / 7.
• Finger Dexterity — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3 / 7.
• Information Ordering — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3 / 7.
• Perceptual Speed — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 2.8 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, General Data Entry graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Working with Computers	4.7 / 7
Processing Information	4.5 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.4 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Getting Information	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.1 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.1 / 7
Performing Administrative Activities	3.9 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by General Data Entry professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Medical procedure coding software	Medical software	—
Jenzabar ERP	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Database software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Dynamics	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Medical condition coding software	Medical software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Intuit QuickBooks	Accounting 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 General Data Entry graduates include:

• Data Capture Clerk
• Electronic Typesetting Machine Operator
• Teletype Operator
• Computer Clerk
• Teletype Clerk
• Verifier Operator
• Terminal Operator
• Punch Card Operator
• Data Collection Associate
• Teleprinter
• Machine Clerical Verifier
• Cold Type Composing Machine Operator
• Encoder
• Data Coder Operator
• Data Processing Clerk

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	58.7%
Some college courses	30.2%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	11.1%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in General Data Entry?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 46.4% women and 53.6% men among General Data Entry graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	192	46.4%
Men	222	53.6%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	138	33.3%
Asian	71	17.1%
Hispanic or Latino	122	29.5%
Black or African American	37	8.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native	3	0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	2	0.5%
Two or More Races	22	5.3%
Race Unknown	14	3.4%
International Students	5	1.2%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do General Data Entry Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of General Data Entry 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	$46,578
4 years	$35,013
5 years	$35,657

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $35,657 — roughly -23% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online General Data Entry Programs

Online study is reported by IPEDS for General Data Entry. 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	1	3

^{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 Data Entry Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, General Data Entry graduates earn a median of $35,013 four years after completion — about 8% 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
Data Entry/Microcomputer Applications	11.06
Data Entry/Microcomputer Applications, Other	11.0699
Word Processing	11.0602

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.