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Respiratory Care Therapy

Types of Degrees Respiratory Care Therapy Majors Are Earning

Those studying Respiratory Care Therapy may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	113
Associate’s Degree	4,918
Bachelor’s Degree	1,428
Master’s Degree	227

What Respiratory Care Therapy Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Respiratory Care Therapy emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills developed in a Respiratory Care Therapy program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Respiratory Care Therapy careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Near Vision — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Respiratory Care Therapy graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.6 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.5 / 7
Assisting and Caring for Others	4.4 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Working with Computers	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.1 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.0 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Respiratory Care Therapy professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
MEDITECH software	Medical software	—
Database software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
eClinicalWorks EHR software	Medical software	—
Electronic medical record EMR software	Medical software	—
Scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Respiratory Care Therapy graduates include:

• Medical Technologist
• Polysomnographic Technologist
• Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT)
• Inhalation Therapist
• Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT)
• Travel Registered Respiratory Therapist (Travel RRT)
• Staff Therapist
• Staff Respiratory Therapist
• Travel Respiratory Therapist
• Oxygen Therapist
• Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Respiratory Therapist
• NICU Respiratory Therapist (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Respiratory Therapist)
• Hospital Respiratory Therapist
• Respiratory Care Practitioner (RCP)
• Respiratory Therapist (RT)

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	35.5%
Postsecondary certificate	15.2%
Bachelor’s degree	14.0%
High school diploma or equivalent	13.6%
Master’s degree	9.7%
Some college courses	5.3%
Doctoral degree	2.5%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.3%
Post-doctoral training	1.9%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Respiratory Care Therapy?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 72.4% of Respiratory Care Therapy degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	4,840	72.4%
Men	1,846	27.6%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Respiratory Care Therapy graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	2,927	43.8%
Asian	501	7.5%
Hispanic or Latino	1,614	24.1%
Black or African American	969	14.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native	54	0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	40	0.6%
Two or More Races	216	3.2%
Race Unknown	258	3.9%
International Students	107	1.6%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Respiratory Care Therapy Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Respiratory Care Therapy 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	$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 Respiratory Care Therapy Programs

Fully online options are documented by IPEDS for Respiratory Care Therapy. 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	16
Bachelor’s	16	19
Master’s	5	5

^{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 Respiratory Care Therapy Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Respiratory Care Therapy 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
Emergency Medical Technology/Technician (EMT Paramedic)	51.0904
Gene/Genetic Therapy	51.0914
Hearing Instrument Specialist	51.0918
Hyperbaric Medicine Technology/Technician	51.0921

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.