Post job

Emergency medical technician education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
2 min read
Usually, emergency medical technicians don't need a college education. The most common degree for emergency medical technicians is bachelor's degree with 36% graduates, with only 26% emergency medical technician graduates earning associate degree. Emergency medical technicians who decided to graduate from college often finish University of Phoenix or Columbia Southern University. Some good skills to have in this position include patients, cpr and ems.

Popular emergency medical technician certifications include Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA), or Basic Life Support for Healthcare and Public Safety (BLS). To improve emergency medical technician qualification and skills, we prepared some online courses to help in emergency medical technician education paths.

What education do you need to become an emergency medical technician?

What degree do you need to be an emergency medical technician?

The most common degree for emergency medical technicians is bachelor's degree, with 36% of emergency medical technicians earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 26% and associate degree degree at 16%.
  • Bachelor's, 36%
  • Associate, 26%
  • High School Diploma, 16%
  • Diploma, 4%
  • Other Degrees, 18%

What should I major in to become an emergency medical technician?

You should major in medical technician to become an emergency medical technician. 26% of emergency medical technicians major in medical technician. Other common majors for an emergency medical technician include fire science and protection and nursing.

Best majors for emergency medical technicians

RankMajorPercentages
1Medical Technician26.4%
2Fire Science And Protection11.8%
3Nursing9.8%
4Business7.5%
5Biology7.3%

20 best online courses for emergency medical technicians

Advertising disclosure

1. Medical Emergencies: Airway, Breathing, and Circulation

coursera

In this course, you will develop the knowledge and skills to assess and stabilize certain types of patients for transport. By the end of this course, you will be able to: 1) assess a basic medical patient 2) describe general pharmacologic principles and the skills associated with medication administration, 3) explain airway physiology, the assessment of the airway and available interventions for airway management, 4) identify, assess and formulate a plan to stabilize a patient with a...

2. Trauma Emergencies and Care

coursera

Welcome to Trauma Emergencies and Care. In this course, you will learn about some of the mechanics and physics of trauma on the human body, and how this can cause injury. You will continue to expand your new vocabulary with medical terminology, and learn how to describe the different injuries you may see. You will also learn about the trauma system itself- and when it is important to transport patients to a trauma center. Then we will dive into specific injuries based on what part of the body...

3. Introduction to Medical Imaging

udemy
4.5
(827)

Your guide to the history, science, math, and economics of medical imaging systems (e.g., X-ray, CT, MRI, Ultrasound)...

4. Medical Terminology

udemy
4.7
(3,688)

Introduction to the meaning of various roots, terms and combining forms that are components of medical words...

5. Medical Emergencies: CPR, Toxicology, and Wilderness

coursera

In this course, you will develop the knowledge and skills to assess and stabilize certain types of patients for transport. By the end of this course, you will be able to: (1) Identify the signs and symptoms associated with a patient in shock, to describe the major categories of shock, to assess a patient with signs of shock and formulate a plan for treatment to stabilize the patient for transport, (2) Identify a patient in cardiac arrest and to describe the components of high performance CPR...

6. Medical Terminology II

coursera

This is the second course of the Medical Terminology specialization. It builds on the basic concepts of medical terminology with the introduction of new roots, terms, and abbreviations specific to the endocrine system (hormones). The body's transportation and defense systems (cardiovascular, blood, and lymphatic) will also be covered as well as the respiratory system (lungs)...

7. ICD 10 & 11 Medical Coding and Billing

udemy
4.4
(767)

Preparation for Medical Coding Certification Exam...

8. A Specialty Approach to Learning Medical Billing and Coding

udemy
4.6
(352)

Volume One: Medical Hematology...

9. AMCI Introduction to Medical Coding (I2MC) Course

udemy
4.6
(444)

Introduction to Medical Coding (I2MC) Course...

10. Medical Coding: ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code Training

udemy
4.5
(645)

Learn medical coding and prepare yourself for today's healthcare workplace...

11. Medical Terminology 101

udemy
4.4
(752)

For those in healthcare, billing, and more. Boost earning ability and marketable skills by learning to speak medicine...

12. Practical Regulatory Affairs 2020 - European Medical Devices

udemy
4.5
(527)

A practical course discussing the EU Medical Device Regulation (MDR) in real-world situations...

13. Medical Device Regulation (MDR): Intro for Device Designers

udemy
4.4
(520)

An introduction to the EU's Medical Device Regulation (MDR) for those involved in developing medical devices...

14. Medical Device Regulation 2017/745 EU regulatory affairs.

udemy
4.3
(764)

Understand regulations for medical devices in simple terms to gain market approval of a medical device in the EU...

15. Practical Regulatory Affairs 2020 - US FDA Medical Devices

udemy
4.4
(726)

A practical course discussing the US FDA Medical Device regulations for real-world situations...

16. EU Medical Device Regulatory Affairs explained Simply

udemy
4.3
(391)

How to get approval to sell Medical Devices within the European Union. Understand regulatory affairs & ISO 13485 2016...

17. ISO 13485 Demystified - Medical Devices' QMS 360° Insights

udemy
4
(648)

Deep dive into the world of ISO 13485 international standard for medical devices' QMS, basic concepts & requirements...

18. Medical Devices Quality Management System - ISO 13485:2016

udemy
4.2
(631)

Awareness and Application for the requirements of ISO 13485:2016 for Medical Device Development and QMS...

19. Emergency Life Support First Aid Training

udemy
4.7
(2,132)

Learn important life saving first aid. Treatment of major illness and injuries...

20. ISO 13485:2016 - Design and Development of Medical Devices

udemy
4.2
(408)

Design and Development of Medical Devices in the perspective of ISO 13485:2016 and Medical Devices Industry...

Average emergency medical technician salary by education level

Emergency medical technicians with a Bachelor's degree earn more than those without, at $42,870 annually. With a Associate degree, emergency medical technicians earn a median annual income of $41,805 compared to $38,424 for emergency medical technicians with an High School Diploma degree.
Emergency medical technician education levelEmergency medical technician salary
High School Diploma or Less$38,424
Bachelor's Degree$42,870
Some College/ Associate Degree$41,805

Emergency medical technician education FAQs

Search for emergency medical technician jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Browse healthcare practitioner and technical jobs