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Emergency Medical Technology

Types of Degrees Emergency Medical Technology Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Emergency Medical Technology may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	6,393
Associate’s Degree	3,611
Bachelor’s Degree	383
Master’s Degree	12,725

What Emergency Medical Technology Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Emergency Medical Technology emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Education and Training — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 5.9 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.7 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set developed in a Emergency Medical Technology program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Active Learning — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.

Abilities

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

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.8 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Emergency Medical Technology graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.6 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.6 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Working with Computers	4.4 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.3 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.2 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.1 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.0 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Emergency Medical Technology professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Palmtree EMS Field Reference Guide	Information retrieval or search software	—
Medical Wizards ER Suite	Information retrieval or search software	—
Medical Wizards Paramedics ToolBox	Information retrieval or search software	—
Skyscape medical software	Information retrieval or search software	—
Iterum eMedic	Information retrieval or search software	—
TechOnSoftware HazMatCE Pro	Information retrieval or search software	—
Epocrates	Information retrieval or search software	—
Palmtree Pocket EKG	Information retrieval or search software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Emergency Medical Technology graduates include:

• First Responder
• EMT Paramedic (Emergency Medical Technician Paramedic)
• Rescue Worker
• Healthcare Specialist
• Medical Technician
• Paramedic
• Onsite Medical Representative (Onsite Medical Rep)
• Non-Emergency Medical Transportation Driver
• Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)
• Emergency Medical Responder
• Ambulance Driver
• Emergency Department Technician (ED Technician)
• Dispatcher
• Rescue Technician (Rescue Tech)
• EMT-P

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	35.9%
Doctoral degree	24.9%
Post-doctoral training	19.1%
Bachelor’s degree	12.5%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	4.6%
Postsecondary certificate	2.9%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Emergency Medical Technology?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 63.8% of Emergency Medical Technology degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	10,611	36.2%
Men	18,726	63.8%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Emergency Medical Technology graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	18,633	63.5%
Asian	542	1.8%
Hispanic or Latino	6,237	21.3%
Black or African American	1,597	5.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native	248	0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	51	0.2%
Two or More Races	1,130	3.9%
Race Unknown	783	2.7%
International Students	116	0.4%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Emergency Medical Technology Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Emergency Medical Technology 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	$67,845
4 years	$61,295
5 years	$69,015

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $69,015 — roughly 2% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Emergency Medical Technology Programs

Online study are documented by IPEDS for Emergency Medical 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	11	27
Bachelor’s	6	6
Master’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 Emergency Medical Technology Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Emergency Medical Technology graduates earn a median of $61,295 four years after completion — roughly 61% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{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
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions	51.09
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions, Other	51.0999
Athletic Training/Trainer	51.0913
Cardiopulmonary Technology/Technologist	51.0915
Cardiovascular Technology/Technologist	51.0901
Diagnostic Medical Sonography/Sonographer and Ultrasound Technician	51.0910
Electrocardiograph Technology/Technician	51.0902
Electroneurodiagnostic/Electroencephalographic Technology/Technologist	51.0903
Gene/Genetic Therapy	51.0914
Hearing Instrument Specialist	51.0918
Hyperbaric Medicine Technology/Technician	51.0921
Intraoperative Neuromonitoring Technology/Technician	51.0922

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.