undergradly.
Major · Business

A short office-skills credential for administrative roles

Administrative Assistant and Secretarial Science, General (CIP 52.0401) is a one-to-two-year credential covering business communications, office software, and clerical procedures. About 1,829 students complete it across 470 institutions, with associate’s grads earning $38,529 — close to the BLS national median for the underlying job, which lists no formal degree as typical entry.

Schools offering
470
Annual completions
1,829
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$38k

About this major

Administrative Assistant and Secretarial Science, General (CIP 52.0401) is a one-to-two-year business credential preparing students for administrative-assistant, secretarial, and office-support roles across industries. The CIP definition organizes coursework around business communications, business law, word processing and data entry, office machines and procedures, public relations, secretarial accounting, filing systems and records management, and report preparation. Most accredited programs run as one-year certificates or two-year associate’s degrees with an office-practicum placement. Specialty tracks (legal administrative assistant under CIP 22.0301, medical administrative assistant under 51.0716) are cross-referenced and command higher wages.

The major fits students who want a fast credential mapped directly to a labor-market job, prefer office environments to hands-on or field work, and have the typing speed, software fluency, and professional communication skills the role demands. The career has a defined ladder from receptionist to administrative assistant to senior or executive assistant to office manager, with most progression driven by years of paid experience, software-tool fluency, and industry-domain knowledge rather than additional formal credentials.

One grounded observation about scale and earnings: 1,829 students complete this CIP across 470 institutions — broadly distributed at community and technical colleges nationwide. The associate’s grads earn $38,529, close to the BLS administrative-assistant median of $46,290. The bachelor’s wage in the data ($36,106) is lower than the associate’s — an unusual inversion that reflects a highly vocational specialized cohort and shouldn’t be read as a real wage signal. All four named BLS occupations list "High school diploma or equivalent" as typical entry, meaning the credential is a head start, not a license. Both general administrative-assistant and executive-secretary occupations are projected to decline 1.6%, driven by automation of scheduling, drafting, and routine office tasks. Specialty-track work (legal secretary, medical administrative assistant, C-suite executive) holds up better than generalist roles.

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

Occupation Median wage Job growth Typical education
Secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive $46k -1.6% High school diploma or equivalent
First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers $66k -0.3% High school diploma or equivalent
Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants $74k -1.6% High school diploma or equivalent
Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping $49k -7.1% Associate's degree
Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$38k

Associate's vs Bachelor's — early-career earnings

Associate's

$39k

Bachelor's

$36k

Who this major is for

Good signs this major fits: you want a fast credential mapped directly to office-support work, you have the typing speed, software fluency, and professional communication skills the role demands, and you’re considering a specialty-track program (legal administrative assistant or medical administrative assistant) that commands higher wages than the generalist credential. Local community colleges (Shasta, Mississippi Gulf Coast, Piedmont Technical, Lone Star, Merced) anchor regional pipelines into government, healthcare, and small-business administrative work at low tuition cost. The packet’s $38,529 associate’s wage tracks the BLS national median.

Reasons to pause: the BLS lists high school as typical entry for the named target occupations, meaning the ROI on a full two-year associate’s deserves scrutiny relative to a shorter certificate or direct on-the-job entry. Both general and executive admin-assistant occupations are projected to decline 1.6%, with AI tools accelerating automation pressure on routine scheduling and drafting work. The bachelor’s wage in the data ($36,106) is lower than the associate’s — an inversion that signals the labor market doesn’t reward four-year credentials in this CIP. If you want a more flexible business credential, Business Administration or Accounting Technology may keep more options open. If you’re committed to administrative work, stack a specialty domain (legal, medical) and software-tool fluency to insulate against automation.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Administrative Assistant and Secretarial Science, General

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
Shasta College Redding, CA 56 0 56
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Perkinston, MS 40 0 40
Piedmont Technical College Greenwood, SC 33 0 33
Lone Star College System The Woodlands, TX 29 0 29
Merced College Merced, CA 28 0 28
Shelton State Community College Tuscaloosa, AL 27 0 27
Trident Technical College Charleston, SC 25 0 25
Bryant & Stratton College-Online Orchard Park, NY 24 0 24
Gadsden State Community College Gadsden, AL 23 0 23
Gwinnett Technical College Lawrenceville, GA 21 0 21
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Executive Assistant/Executive Secretary

370 completions/yr

Business/Office Automation/Technology/Data Entry

220 completions/yr

Traffic, Customs, and Transportation Clerk/Technician

199 completions/yr

Business Operations Support and Secretarial Services, Other

137 completions/yr

General Office Occupations and Clerical Services

86 completions/yr

Parts, Warehousing, and Inventory Management Operations

19 completions/yr

Customer Service Support/Call Center/Teleservice Operation

5 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

Do I really need a degree to be an administrative assistant?
Honest answer: no. The BLS lists "High school diploma or equivalent" as typical entry for Secretaries and administrative assistants ($46,290), First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers ($66,140), and Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants ($74,260). The actual gates are typing speed, software fluency (Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, scheduling tools), professional communication, and on-the-job experience. The credential is a head start, not a license.
Then what does an administrative-assistant program actually deliver?
Coursework covers business communications, business law fundamentals, word processing and spreadsheet software, office machines and procedures, public relations, secretarial accounting, filing systems and records management, and report preparation. The CIP definition matches the entry-level skill set. Most programs run as one-year certificates or two-year associate’s degrees and include a practicum or office-internship placement. Some programs include specialty tracks (legal secretary, medical administrative assistant) that command higher wages.
What jobs do graduates land — and at what pay?
Common destinations include receptionist, administrative assistant, executive assistant, office manager, scheduling coordinator, records clerk, customer-service representative, and small-business office administrator. Pay typically starts in the $32,000-$42,000 range with significant variation by region and industry. The packet shows associate’s grads at $38,529 — close to the BLS administrative-assistant median of $46,290. Senior executive-assistant roles climb to $70,000-$90,000+ in major metros and at large corporations.
Why is the bachelor’s wage in the data lower than the associate’s?
The packet shows a small bachelor’s cohort at $36,106 versus $38,529 for associate’s — an unusual inversion. This is a highly vocational, specialized credential where most working professionals enter through certificate or associate’s programs and learn on the job. The small bachelor’s cohort likely reflects atypical placements (career changers, second-degree students, or individuals in transition). Don’t read the inversion as a real signal — the labor market for administrative work doesn’t reward bachelor’s credentials in this CIP.
Are administrative-assistant jobs actually declining?
Yes, modestly. The BLS projects -1.6% growth for both general administrative assistants and executive secretaries — driven by automation of scheduling, document drafting, and routine office tasks (AI tools have accelerated this trend). Specialty tracks (legal, medical, executive at C-suite level) hold up better than generalist roles. Stack software fluency, scheduling-platform expertise (Calendly, project-management tools), and a specialty domain to insulate against automation pressure.
Where are the strongest programs concentrated?
Heavy community-college and technical-college concentration: Shasta College (56), Mississippi Gulf Coast CC (40), Piedmont Technical (33), Lone Star College (29), Merced College (28), Shelton State CC (27), Trident Technical (25), Bryant & Stratton Online (24), Gadsden State CC (23), and Gwinnett Technical (21). The CIP serves regional employers through public CC pipelines; if your target employer is local government, healthcare administration, or small-business support, your closest CC is typically the strongest fit by cost.