Administrative Assistant Degree Program Information

Administrative assistant degree programs prepare individuals to run an office efficiently. Specializations are available in the medical and legal fields. The most common administrative assistant degree program awards an associate's degree.

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. 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.

Educational Prerequisites

Prior to enrolling in an administrative assistant associate's degree program, 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.

Program Coursework

Students enrolled in this program typically take classes in office management, computer applications and office etiquette. Courses one would expect to find on an administrative assistant degree curriculum include:

  • Accounting and bookkeeping
  • Database management
  • Customer service practices
  • Network security procedures
  • Spreadsheet applications
  • Effective presentations
  • Desktop publishing
  • Word processing
  • Transcription procedures

Popular Career Options

Administrative assistants are trained for a number of office positions, including:

  • Executive assistant
  • Office manager
  • Administrative Secretary
  • Support Specialist

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.

Educational Prerequisites

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.

Program Coursework

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, such as:

  • Medical terminology
  • Computer applications in the medical office
  • Medical ethics
  • Medical law
  • Medical transcription
  • Insurance coding and filing procedures
  • Medical assisting

Popular Career Options

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

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.

Educational Prerequisites

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.

Program Coursework

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:

  • Paralegal responsibilities
  • Legal transcription
  • Employment law for legal administrative assistants
  • Medical terminology for use in the law office
  • Legal administrative assistant procedures
  • Website maintenance
  • Preparing legal presentations
  • Court procedures

Popular Career Options

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.

Administrative Assistant Careers

Administrative assistants can receive training in certificate or 2-year associate degree programs offered at community colleges, although some learn their skills on the job. The Certified Administrative Professional (CAP) designation is awarded through the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP).

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