Best programs to become a medical assistant
You do not need a college degree to become a medical assistant. BLS lists a postsecondary nondegree award (a certificate) as the typical entry-level education. The fields of study that lead most directly to this job are Medical/Clinical Assistant; Medical/Health Management and Clinical Assistant/Specialist; and Anesthesiologist Assistant (IPEDS completions).
3 college programs at 1,082 schools train medical assistants, graduating 57,117 people a year (IPEDS completions). The job pays a median of $45,690 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About medical assistants
Perform administrative and certain clinical duties under the direction of a physician. Administrative duties may include scheduling appointments, maintaining medical records, billing, and coding information for insurance purposes. Clinical duties may include taking and recording vital signs and medical histories, preparing patients for examination, drawing blood, and administering medications as directed by physician.
A medical assistant, also known as a "clinical assistant" or healthcare assistant in the US, is an allied health professional who supports the work of physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and other health professionals, usually in a clinic setting. Medical assistants can become certified through an accredited program. Medical assistants perform routine tasks and procedures in a medical clinic.
Read more on Wikipedia →Best programs to study to become a medical assistant
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Medical/Clinical Assistantmain feeder CIP 51.0801 | 55,276 | 96.8% | 1,057 | $29,507 | $11,000 |
| 2 | CIP 51.0711 | 1,344 | 2.4% | 20 | $30,774 | $17,375 |
| 3 | Anesthesiologist Assistantmain feeder CIP 51.0809 | 497 | 0.9% | 24 | $29,507 | $11,000 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ivy Tech Community College Indianapolis, IN Public · 2 feeder programs | 1,620 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | 40% | — | — |
| 2 | South Florida Institute of Technology Miami, FL Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 1,395 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | 83% | $29,731 | — |
| 3 | NUC University Bayamon, PR Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 944 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | 54% | $9,377 | — |
| 4 | The College of Health Care Professions - Northwest Houston, TX Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 791 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | 47% | $28,425 | — |
| 5 | Unitek College Fremont, CA Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 673 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | 73% | $27,021 | — |
| 6 | Northwest Career College Las Vegas, NV Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 580 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | 68% | $15,787 | — |
| 7 | Martinsburg College Cheyenne, WY Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 459 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | 60% | $12,163 | 100% |
| 8 | Charter College Anchorage, AK Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 406 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | 56% | $26,789 | — |
| 9 | American Career College - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 393 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | 75% | $28,906 | — |
| 10 | Concorde Career College - Memphis Memphis, TN Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 374 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | 55% | $23,740 | 95% |
| 11 | Garden State Science and Technology Institute Jersey City, NJ Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 354 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | 33% | $25,917 | — |
| 12 | Hunter Business School Levittown, NY Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 354 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | 85% | $27,954 | — |
| 13 | Delta Technical College - Mississippi Horn Lake, MS Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 334 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | 71% | $18,202 | — |
| 14 | Southern Technical College Orlando, FL Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 333 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | 63% | $25,852 | — |
| 15 | UEI College - Riverside Riverside, CA Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 330 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | 71% | $27,181 | — |
| 16 | Pima Medical Institute - Houston Houston, TX Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 327 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | 71% | $20,583 | — |
| 17 | UEI College - Fresno Fresno, CA Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 324 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | 61% | $30,005 | — |
| 18 | Ross College - Sylvania Sylvania, OH Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 321 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | 53% | $28,241 | — |
| 19 | Santa Ana College Santa Ana, CA Public · 1 feeder program | 320 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | 31% | — | — |
| 20 | ECPI University Virginia Beach, VA Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 310 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | 42% | $21,909 | 75% |
| 21 | College of Health Care Professions Houston, TX Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 308 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | 75% | $30,518 | — |
| 22 | The College of Health Care Professions - Austin Austin, TX Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 306 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | 64% | $27,517 | — |
| 23 | FVI School of Nursing and Technology Miami, FL Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 300 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | 89% | $27,818 | 74% |
| 24 | UEI College - Huntington Park Huntington Park, CA Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 297 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | 70% | $29,313 | — |
| 25 | Concorde Career College - San Diego San Diego, CA Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 294 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | 76% | $25,970 | 100% |
| 26 | South College Knoxville, TN Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 293 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | 42% | $20,346 | — |
| 27 | Miller - Motte College - Chattanooga Chattanooga, TN Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 290 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | 60% | $26,425 | — |
| 28 | Carrington College - Sacramento Sacramento, CA Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 289 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | 51% | $38,203 | — |
| 29 | American Career College - Anaheim Anaheim, CA Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 286 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | 70% | $28,590 | — |
| 30 | San Joaquin Valley College - Visalia Visalia, CA Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 286 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | 36% | $30,518 | — |
| 31 | UEI College - Bakersfield Bakersfield, CA Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 282 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | 68% | $29,687 | — |
| 32 | UEI College - Phoenix Phoenix, AZ Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 282 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | 57% | $32,886 | — |
| 33 | The College of Health Care Professions - Fort Worth Fort Worth, TX Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 280 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | 70% | $27,961 | — |
| 34 | Concorde Career College - San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 276 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | 76% | $24,160 | 98% |
| 35 | The College of Health Care Professions - McAllen Campus McAllen, TX Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 276 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | 77% | $26,617 | — |
| 36 | United Education Institute - Morrow Morrow, GA Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 274 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | 51% | $34,631 | — |
| 37 | UEI College - Sacramento Sacramento, CA Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 265 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | 60% | $28,742 | — |
| 38 | Compu - Med Vocational Careers Corp Hialeah, FL Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 260 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | 81% | $22,487 | — |
| 39 | Mildred Elley - New York Campus New York, NY Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 259 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | 32% | $24,850 | — |
| 40 | The College of Health Care Professions - Southwest Houston Houston, TX Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 259 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | 69% | $29,145 | — |
| 41 | UEI College - Chula Vista Chula Vista, CA Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 259 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | 71% | $28,465 | — |
| 42 | Concorde Career College - Portland Portland, OR Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 250 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | — | — | — |
| 43 | Bryan University Tempe, AZ Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 248 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | 41% | $22,877 | — |
| 44 | PCI Health Training Center Dallas, TX Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 247 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | 86% | $20,087 | — |
| 45 | High Desert Medical College Lancaster, CA Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 235 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | 68% | $28,838 | — |
| 46 | National Institute for Medical Assistant Advancement (NIMAA) Denver, CO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder program | 232 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | 80% | $10,571 | 29% |
| 47 | Concorde Career College - Grand Prairie Grand Prairie, TX Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 224 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | 55% | $26,239 | 100% |
| 48 | Arizona College - Glendale Glendale, AZ Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 220 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | 85% | $28,686 | — |
| 49 | Pima Medical Institute - Tucson Tucson, AZ Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 219 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | 72% | — | — |
| 50 | Downey Adult School Downey, CA Public · 1 feeder program | 210 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | 31% | — | — |
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
What medical assistants earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $49,660 | 117,060 | 1.22× | 146 | 12,734 |
| Texas | $39,520 | 75,340 | 1.02× | 68 | 6,546 |
| Florida | $43,680 | 66,110 | 1.27× | 70 | 4,560 |
| Arizona | $45,940 | 21,460 | 1.26× | 27 | 2,443 |
| Indiana | $45,110 | 19,630 | 1.17× | 13 | 2,184 |
| New York | $48,000 | 40,710 | 0.80× | 34 | 2,016 |
| New Jersey | $47,210 | 20,330 | 0.90× | 31 | 1,886 |
| Tennessee | $39,570 | 19,180 | 1.11× | 25 | 1,505 |
| Ohio | $42,810 | 28,950 | 0.99× | 62 | 1,495 |
| Colorado | $48,400 | 13,160 | 0.87× | 22 | 1,486 |
| Michigan | $39,870 | 27,810 | 1.20× | 47 | 1,446 |
| Georgia | $41,600 | 28,780 | 1.12× | 38 | 1,422 |
| Illinois | $46,090 | 20,260 | 0.63× | 42 | 1,277 |
| Louisiana | $36,320 | 12,310 | 1.21× | 34 | 1,185 |
| Nevada | $45,200 | 7,760 | 0.95× | 10 | 1,102 |
| Washington | $59,290 | 19,500 | 1.04× | 28 | 1,076 |
| Kentucky | $39,270 | 13,440 | 1.28× | 21 | 858 |
| North Carolina | $45,140 | 23,650 | 0.91× | 45 | 830 |
| Pennsylvania | $43,920 | 23,050 | 0.72× | 34 | 809 |
| Alabama | $36,100 | 13,300 | 1.20× | 20 | 758 |
| Oregon | $50,410 | 11,840 | 1.14× | 19 | 684 |
| Connecticut | $47,430 | 10,250 | 1.15× | 9 | 660 |
| Wisconsin | $48,680 | 13,810 | 0.89× | 23 | 573 |
| Oklahoma | $38,750 | 10,510 | 1.17× | 18 | 527 |
| Mississippi | $35,360 | 3,340 | 0.55× | 6 | 510 |
| Maryland | $46,410 | 16,390 | 1.13× | 10 | 492 |
| Alaska | $52,560 | 2,140 | 1.25× | 5 | 484 |
| Utah | $45,360 | 9,990 | 1.09× | 14 | 476 |
| Wyomingmoderate | $40,920 | 1,040 | 0.70× | 3 | 474 |
| Virginia | $44,740 | 16,650 | 0.77× | 8 | 454 |
| Missouri | $40,440 | 13,050 | 0.85× | 19 | 430 |
| Iowa | $45,480 | 5,990 | 0.73× | 15 | 373 |
| West Virginia | $37,180 | 4,540 | 1.23× | 12 | 329 |
| South Carolina | $41,160 | 12,110 | 1.00× | 16 | 326 |
| New Mexico | $39,230 | 5,400 | 1.18× | 8 | 242 |
| Kansas | $39,510 | 5,510 | 0.73× | 9 | 239 |
| Massachusetts | $49,460 | 14,880 | 0.78× | 16 | 220 |
| Minnesota | $50,480 | 10,580 | 0.68× | 11 | 191 |
| Idaho | $44,700 | 5,250 | 1.16× | 9 | 166 |
| Delawaremoderate | $44,490 | 2,880 | 1.13× | 3 | 150 |
| Rhode Islandlimited | $47,190 | 3,210 | 1.22× | 1 | 139 |
| Maine | $47,580 | 4,480 | 1.33× | 8 | 113 |
| Hawaiimoderate | $48,410 | 3,890 | 1.18× | 3 | 100 |
| Nebraskamoderate | $47,370 | 2,380 | 0.44× | 3 | 70 |
| Montana | $46,820 | 2,460 | 0.92× | 5 | 30 |
| South Dakotamoderate | $41,870 | 1,340 | 0.56× | 3 | 26 |
| New Hampshiremoderate | $48,020 | 3,000 | 0.83× | 3 | 23 |
| Vermontlimited | $47,250 | 1,140 | 0.72× | 1 | 9 |
| Arkansaslimited | $37,760 | 5,150 | 0.75× | 1 | 5 |
| North Dakotalimited | $45,980 | 600 | 0.27× | 2 | 4 |
Skills and knowledge
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Interview patients to obtain medical information and measure their vital signs, weight, and height.
- Clean and sterilize instruments and dispose of contaminated supplies.
- Record patients' medical history, vital statistics, or information such as test results in medical records.
- Explain treatment procedures, medications, diets, or physicians' instructions to patients.
- Prepare treatment rooms for patient examinations, keeping the rooms neat and clean.
- Collect blood, tissue, or other laboratory specimens, log the specimens, and prepare them for testing.
- Show patients to examination rooms and prepare them for the physician.
- Help physicians examine and treat patients, handing them instruments or materials or performing such tasks as giving injections or removing sutures.
Skills
- Active Listening3.9
- Speaking3.9
- Reading Comprehension3.8
- Critical Thinking3.6
- Monitoring3.5
- Writing3.4
- Active Learning3.3
- Learning Strategies3.1
Knowledge areas
- English Language4.8
- Customer and Personal Service4.5
- Medicine and Dentistry4.3
- Administrative4.1
- Computers and Electronics3.8
- Education and Training3.5
Abilities
- Oral Comprehension4.0
- Oral Expression4.0
- Written Comprehension4.0
- Problem Sensitivity3.9
- Near Vision3.9
- Speech Recognition3.9
Core activities
- Getting Information4.9
- Working with Computers4.7
- Documenting/Recording Information4.7
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge4.6
- Assisting and Caring for Others4.6
- Processing Information4.5
How to get in
How to become a medical assistant
- Typical entry education
- Postsecondary nondegree award
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 4 majors mapped to Medical Assistants3 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 51.0711Medical/Health Management and Clinical Assistant/Specialist
- 51.0801Medical/Clinical Assistant
- 51.0809Anesthesiologist Assistant
- 51.0813Chiropractic Technician/Assistant(no graduates reported)
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
What degree do you need to become a medical assistant?+
You do not need a college degree to become a medical assistant. BLS lists a postsecondary nondegree award (a certificate) as the typical entry-level education. The fields of study that lead most directly to this job are Medical/Clinical Assistant; Medical/Health Management and Clinical Assistant/Specialist; and Anesthesiologist Assistant (IPEDS completions).
Which college majors lead to becoming a medical assistant?+
The fields of study that lead most directly to this job are Medical/Clinical Assistant; Medical/Health Management and Clinical Assistant/Specialist; and Anesthesiologist Assistant (IPEDS completions). In all, the NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 3 programs to this job, which together graduate about 57,117 people a year.
How much do medical assistants earn?+
The median is $45,690 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $36,050 at the 10th percentile to $59,310 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for medical assistants growing?+
BLS projects a +12.5% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, much faster than average, with roughly 112,300 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
1,082 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 3 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do medical assistants work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Doctor's Assistant, Chiropractor Assistant, Certified Medical Assistant (CMA), Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 31-9092.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024-25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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