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Direct Entry Midwifery

Types of Degrees Direct Entry Midwifery Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Direct Entry Midwifery may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	11
Associate’s Degree	18
Bachelor’s Degree	40
Master’s Degree	5

What Direct Entry Midwifery Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Direct Entry Midwifery emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills emphasized by a Direct Entry Midwifery program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Direct Entry Midwifery careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Direct Entry Midwifery graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Documenting/Recording Information	4.7 / 7
Assisting and Caring for Others	4.7 / 7
Getting Information	4.6 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.5 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.2 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.2 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.1 / 7
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public	4.1 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Direct Entry Midwifery professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Eye Tracking Exercises Enterprises Track with Letters	Eye tracking software	—
Therapeutic orthoptic software	Medical software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Computer Aided Vision Therapy CAVT	Medical software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Computer perceptual processing software	Computer based training software	—
SeeRite Flash and Match	Computer based training software	—
MAX Systems Max-Gold Medical Clinic Software	Medical software	—
HTS Vision CVS2	Eye tracking software	—
HTS Vision HTS2 Computerized Binocular Home Eye Exercise System	Eye tracking software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Direct Entry Midwifery graduates include:

• Naturopath
• Naturopathic Doctor
• Public Health Doctor
• Homeopathic Doctor
• Occupational Medicine Specialist
• Doctor of Medicine
• Doctor
• Reflexologist
• Doctor of Naprapathy
• Gastroenterologist
• Drugless Physician
• Health Officer
• Sanipractic Physician
• Neonatologist
• Hematologist

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	45.2%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	41.6%
Bachelor’s degree	3.8%
First professional degree	3.8%
Master’s degree	1.9%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	1.9%
Post-doctoral training	1.9%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Direct Entry Midwifery?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 100% of Direct Entry Midwifery degrees.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	48	64.9%
Hispanic or Latino	7	9.5%
Black or African American	12	16.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native	1	1.4%
Two or More Races	3	4.1%
Race Unknown	3	4.1%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Direct Entry Midwifery Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Direct Entry Midwifery 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	$48,470
4 years	$29,990
5 years	$38,727

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $38,727 — roughly -20% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Direct Entry Midwifery Programs

Distance learning are documented by IPEDS for Direct Entry Midwifery. 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
Bachelor’s	1	0
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 Direct Entry Midwifery Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Direct Entry Midwifery graduates earn a median of $29,990 four years after completion — about 21% 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
Alternative and Complementary Medical Support Services	51.34
Alternative and Complementary Medical Support Services, Other	51.3499
Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine	51.3301
Alternative and Complementary Medicine and Medical Systems, Other	51.3399
Alternative and Complementary Medicine and Medical Systems	51.3300
Aromatherapy	51.3701
Ayurvedic Medicine/Ayurveda	51.3305
Energy and Biologically Based Therapies, Other	51.3799
Herbalism/Herbalist	51.3702
Holistic/Integrative Health	51.3306
Homeopathic Medicine/Homeopathy	51.3304
Naturopathic Medicine/Naturopathy	51.3303

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.