Learn about the education and preparation needed for a career in business support or administrative services. Get a quick view of the requirements as well as details about degree requirements, job duties and certifications to find out if this is the career for you.
Essential Information
Degree programs in business support or administrative services prepare people for careers in a variety of fields. Proper training and education can open doors for administrative and secretarial services, office management and educational administration. Earning a professional certification in these fields is lucrative to prospective employers. It can increase employment opportunities and better prepare existing employees for advancement.
Office Manager
An office manager oversees administrative services for an entire business or office. He or she assumes responsibility for office operations, such as liaising with contractors, ordering office supplies and ensuring that office machines remain in good repair. He or she may also perform the duties of a secretary or administrative assistant, such as maintaining files, making appointments or managing correspondence. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) notes that while a degree is not always required to be an office manager, many employers give preference to those who hold at least an associate's degree
Salary and Job Prospects
According to the BLS, office managers are classified as first-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers for salary tracking purposes. As of May 2012, their median annual salary was $49,330. Employment is expected to grow 12% between 2012 and 2022.
Administrative Assistants and Secretaries
Administrative assistants and secretaries perform a variety of clerical tasks, but do not have responsibility for coordinating administrative services for an entire office. Instead, these individuals usually work for a department within a business or directly for one or two managers, executives or other high-level employees. A degree isn't always necessary to land a job, but an associate's degree in business support or certification as a Certified Administrative Professional through the International Association of Administrative Professionals can increase employability.
According to the BLS, legal secretaries and medical office administrators often need to complete degree programs that provide training in their respective, specialized field. Employers may also want legal and medical administrative assistants to hold professional certification, such as the Accredited Legal Secretary certification offered through the National Association of Legal Secretaries or the Medical Administrative Specialist designation.
Salaries
The average salary for administrative assistants and secretaries varies by industry as well as the types of services performed. According to the BLS, as of May 2012, the median annual salary for secretaries and administrative assistants, with the exception of those who work as executive assistants or in the legal or medical fields, was $35,330. Executive secretaries during the same time period earned a median salary of $53,590, while legal and medical secretaries earned median salaries of $46,990 and $34,160 respectively.
Job Prospects
The BLS expects secretarial jobs to increase at an average pace of 12% from 2012 through 2022. However, these numbers vary by area of specialization; for example, medical secretary jobs are expected to increase by 36% during this time, while legal secretaries is projected to decline three percent during the same period.
Higher Education Administrative Services
Administrative services jobs in higher education include positions in financial aid, student affairs and records offices. While it is possible to begin working in education administrative services with a bachelor's degree, moving into higher-level positions, such as a director of financial aid or a school registrar, often requires a master's degree in higher education administrative services or administration, according to the BLS.
Salary and Job Prospects
The BLS reports that educational administrators working in elementary and secondary schools earned a median wage of $87,760 annually in 2012, while those working in postsecondary educational institutions received a median salary of $86,490 per year. The bureau also projected a 15% percent increase in employment opportunities for postsecondary administrators and a six percent increase for elementary and secondary school administrators in the decade between 2012 and 2022.
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