Types of Degrees Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many general office occupations and clerical services graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Undergraduate Certificate	1,150
Basic Certificate	441
Associate Degree	102

What Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, general office occupations and clerical services majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for General Office Occupations and Clerical Services Majors

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

• Clerical - Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
• 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.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Skills for General Office Occupations and Clerical Services Majors

general office occupations and clerical services majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

• 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.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Abilities for General Office Occupations and Clerical Services Majors

General Office Occupations and Clerical Services majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• 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 Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

What Can You Do With a Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with general office occupations and clerical services:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Cargo and Freight Agents	10.4%	$43,210
Freight Forwarders	10.4%	$43,210
Insurance Claims Clerks	11.1%	$39,660
Insurance Policy Processing Clerks	11.1%	$39,660

How Much Do Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

General Office Occupations and Clerical Services majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $41,160 to $43,180 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to

Some careers associated with general office occupations and clerical services 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.

Find out what the typical degree level is for general office occupations and clerical services careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	0.8%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	45.8%
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)	4.0%
Some College Courses	16.2%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	26.6%
Bachelor’s Degree	7.3%

Online 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)	133	24
Certificate (2-4 Years)	1	0
Associate’s Degree	36	3
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

Is a Degree in Worth It?

The median salary for a general office occupations and clerical services grad is $42,150 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 6% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $45,000 after 20 years!

Majors Related to

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to general office occupations and clerical services.

Major	Number of Grads
Customer Service Support/Call Center/Teleservice Operation	6,428
General Administrative Assistant and Secretarial Science	6,267
Business & Office Technology	2,616
Executive Assistant/Executive Secretary	1,792
Other Business Operations Support and Secretarial Services	418
Traffic, Customs, and Transportation Clerk/Technician	192
Parts, Warehousing, and Inventory Management Operations	168
Receptionist	112

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.