Surgical Technology/Technologist

Types of Degrees Surgical Technology/Technologist Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many surgical technology graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Associate Degree	4,981
Undergraduate Certificate	1,399
Basic Certificate	1,035
Bachelor’s Degree	18

What Surgical Technology/Technologist Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to surgical technology/technologist were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Surgical Technology/Technologist Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• Medicine and Dentistry - Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

Skills for Surgical Technology/Technologist Majors

When studying surgical technology/technologist, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Abilities for Surgical Technology/Technologist Majors

As a surgical technology/technologist major, you will find yourself needing the following abilities:

• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

What Can You Do With a Surgical Technology/Technologist Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with surgical technology/technologist:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Health Specialties Professors	25.9%	$97,370
Surgical Technologists	11.7%	$47,300

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Surgical Technology/Technologist?

This major is dominated by women with about 89% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of surgical technology/technologist majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	0
Black or African American	1
Hispanic or Latino	2
White	7
International Students	0
Other Races/Ethnicities	8

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Surgical Technology/Technologist

Some careers associated with surgical technology/technologist require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to surgical technology/technologist have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	3.0%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	19.9%
Some College Courses	14.0%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	26.3%
Bachelor’s Degree	5.2%
Master’s Degree	14.9%
Doctoral Degree	10.3%
Post-Doctoral Training	7.9%

Online Surgical Technology/Technologist Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	200	1
Certificate (2-4 Years)	10	0
Associate’s Degree	401	7
Bachelor’s Degree	0	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	0	0
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Surgical Technology/Technologist

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to surgical technology/technologist.

Major	Number of Grads
Emergency Medical Technology/Technician (EMT Paramedic)	27,986
Physician Assistant	12,477
Radiologic Technology	10,598
Respiratory Care Therapy	6,800
Diagnostic Medical Sonography/Sonographer and Ultrasound Technician	6,280
Medical Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiation Therapy	3,991
Athletic Training	3,255
Other Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions	1,970
Cardiovascular Technology/Technologist	1,420
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Technology	921
Electrocardiograph Technology/Technician	611
Nuclear Medical Technology/Technologist	588
Electroneurodiagnostic/Electroencephalographic Technology/Technologist	384
Polysomnography	235
Perfusion Technology/Perfusionist	183
Mammography Technician/Technology	110
Radiation Protection/Health Physics Technician	71
Gene/Genetic Therapy	41
Cardiopulmonary Technology	39
Hearing Instrument Specialist	14
Orthopedic Technology	6

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020

More about our data sources and methodologies.