What Does an Administrative Assistant Do?
An administrative assistant performs a variety of tasks that keep businesses running smoothly. Administrative assistants may handle finances, liaise with clients, manage schedules, assist workers with routine business concerns, and update business's administrative systems. The specific tasks that an administrative assistant is likely to do will vary with the specific job that administrative assistants take on, as the needs of each company are different. This is part of why getting a university education can be so important for prospective administrative assistants: associate's degrees in administrative assisting can help students learn a wide variety of tasks that can all help them to be more flexible when they come to work in a particular environment.
How to Choose an Administrative Assistant Associate's Degree
When picking a degree, it is important to take a number of different things into consideration. First of all, what prior experience do you have as an administrative assistant? Would you prefer to learn online, on campus, or in a hybrid program? Are you interested in studying in a different city or state, or would you prefer to stay where you are? What is your educational budget? How long do you want to spend getting your associate's degree? Carefully consider the answers to all of these questions when making your decision. Administrative assistant programs are relatively common across the country, so there will almost certainly be a program that suits your needs.
Program Duration
Administrative assistants are not generally expected to have more than an associate's degree in terms of formal education. An associate's degree typically takes around two years of full-time study to complete. Many administrative assistants opt for shorter certificate courses instead, which can also be useful. When taking an associate's degree online, it is often possible to either complete the program more quickly or more slowly than usual, depending on your personal schedule and time commitment abilities during the time that you are studying for your associate's degree. Think about what kind of timeframe you would like to work with when you are planning your future educational structure.
Administrative Assistant Degree Programs
Students in a general administrative assistant associate's degree program learn about office computer applications, accounting, customer service, transcription and database management.
Those interested in working in a medical or dental office may pursue an associate's degree in medical administrative assisting. This type of program includes specialized classes in medical terminology, medical law and ethics, insurance coding and medical transcription. Students interested in becoming legal administrative assistants can pursue a specialized degree that covers legal transcription, legal presentation preparation, court procedures and paralegal duties.
Administrative Assistant Associate's Degree
An administrative assistant associate's degree program instructs students in effective and professional communications, keyboarding, proofreading, telephone etiquette, customer service techniques and record keeping. Administrative assistant college degree students are also taught to prioritize tasks, transcribe documents, schedule appointments, prepare budgets, maintain databases and report to tax agencies. In some offices, administrative assistants are responsible for maintaining the company's website or preparing the company newsletter.
Prior to enrolling in a degree for administrative assistant work, students must have earned a high school diploma or general education diploma (GED). Students should also achieve a satisfactory college entrance examination score. In addition, it is beneficial for students to have taken previous courses in keyboarding or word processing. Students enrolled in this program typically take classes in office management, computer applications and office etiquette. Additionally, network security procedures, desktop publishing, word processing, and transcription procedures are topics that may be explored in the curriculum. Some of the common program topics include:
- Accounting and bookkeeping
- Database management
- Customer service practices
- Spreadsheet applications
- Effective presentations
Medical Administrative Assistant Associate's Degree
Medical administrative assistant degree programs are designed to train students to manage a medical or dental office. These programs often combine clinical and administrative courses in order to give students a broader background. Students are trained to help put patients at ease, exhibit professional behavior, manage information discretely and confidentially, schedule office and laboratory appointments, oversee filing and transcribe medical documents.
Students interested in enrolling in a medical administrative assistant degree program should submit high school or GED transcripts, previous college transcripts and college entrance exam scores. Students enrolled in this program take many of the same courses as students in a non-medical administrative assistant program; however, they also take specialty classes including insurance coding, filing procedures, and medical assisting. Additional topics may include:
- Computer applications in the medical office
- Medical ethics
- Medical law
- Medical transcription
Legal Administrative Assistant Associate's Degree
Legal administrative assistant associate's degree programs emphasize the importance of accuracy, integrity and productivity in the legal field. Students learn to properly prepare legal correspondence, engage in legal research and review attorney timesheets for billing purposes. Legal administrative assistant degree programs also teach students how to prepare evidence for trial. A high school diploma or GED and satisfactory college entrance exam scores are required to enroll in a legal administrative assistant associate's degree program. Some school programs may require students to have a laptop.
Legal administrative assistant degree programs teach the same types of classes in non-legal administrative assistant programs, but additional specialized classes are offered, such as legal transcription, website maintenance, court procedures, and paralegal responsibilities. Common course topics may include:
- Employment law for legal administrative assistants
- Medical terminology for use in the law office
- Legal administrative assistant procedures
- Preparing legal presentations
What Can I Do with an Administrative Assistant Degree?
Popular Career Options
Administrative assistants are trained for a number of office positions. Particularly for those who have obtained an associate's degree, there is a wide variety of possible careers available. Many industries require the services of administrative assistants, and there are several different professions that such assistants can get, including:
- Executive assistant
- Office manager
- Administrative Secretary
- Support Specialist
Students who have earned a medical administrative assistant degree typically choose a profession, such as:
- Dental office manager
- Medical office manager
- Insurance office support person
- Hospital administrative assistant
Students with a legal administrative assistant degree find employment in the following positions:
- Legal administrative assistant
- Legal secretary
- Law office receptionist
- Deputy court administrator
- Judicial secretary
Continuing Education
Students wishing to receive a broader education may wish to enroll in a bachelor's degree administrative assistant program. These programs are often joint programs between 2-year colleges and universities, which allow the student to transfer credits and take additional classes in order to earn an administrative assistant degree specializing in legal administrative assisting, medical assisting or business management.
The associate's degree program for administrative assistants has its own curriculum, as well as two specialty concentrations: medical administrative and legal administrative. Regardless of the specialty chosen, students will be skilled in office procedures and organization in their respective fields.
Salary and Job Outlook
According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), secretaries and administrative assistants should expect a 9% decline in their job field between 2019 and 2029. The median annual wage for this field was $39,850 in 2019. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants, on the other hand, had a much higher median annual salary of $60,890 in 2019 according to the BLS.
