Why This Matters
-
COLLEGE EDUCATION IS TYPICALLY REQUIRED
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most medical assistant jobs require applicants to have at least a postsecondary certificate or associate degree.
-
105,900 MORE MEDICAL ASSISTANTS NEEDED BY 2032
As advances in medicine increase the average lifespan, the demands on healthcare services are set to increase steadily. Medical assistant jobs are expected to grow by 14% in the coming decade.
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POTENTIAL TO EARN OVER $50,000 PER YEAR
Medical assistants earn a median wage of $38,270 per year, with the top 10% earning more than $51,710. Completing an associate degree program may help you access higher-paid roles.
Our Research
This list features some of the best online associate in medical assisting degree programs at top colleges nationwide. Each school featured is a nonprofit, accredited institution — either public or private — with a high standard of academic quality for post-secondary education. Many of the programs on our list have been accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) or the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES), which assess the objectives, quality, and overall effectiveness of healthcare-related programs.
We evaluated each school’s program on admission, retention, and graduation rates as well as tuition costs, faculty, reputation, and the resources provided for online students. Then, we calculated the Intelligent Score on a scale of 0 to 100. Read more about our ranking methodology.
Next, we compared this comprehensive list of online associate in medical assisting degree programs to a list of aggregated college rankings from reputable publications like U.S. News & World Report, among others, to simplify a student’s college search. We pored through these rankings so students don’t have to.
- 54 hours to write this article
- 84 universities and colleges we assessed
- 93 education programs we compared
The Top 50 Online Associate in Medical Assisting Programs
intelligent score 98.32
Award
Rankings
#1 Center for Online Education
#2 Best Colleges
#5 Premuim Schools
#14 Best Health Degrees
School Information
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Graduation Rate: 54%
Admission Rate: 97%
Urbanicity: City
School Size: Large
Award
Delivery Format
Online, On-Campus
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
62
Department
Estimated Cost per Credit
$667
accreditation
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
more program informationEmail:
[email protected]
Phone:
884-453-4737
Delivery Format
Online, On-Campus
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
62
intelligent score 96.65
Award
Rankings
#1 Best Colleges
#2 Premuim Schools
School Information
Brookfield, WI
Graduation Rate: 54%
Admission Rate: 93%
Urbanicity: Suburban
School Size: Small
Award
Delivery Format
Online, On-Campus
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
60
Department
Estimated Cost per Credit
$464
accreditation
Higher Learning Commission
more program informationEmail:
[email protected]
Phone:
855-285-3809
Delivery Format
Online, On-Campus
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
60
intelligent score 95
Award
Rankings
#8 Center for Online Education
School Information
Alexandria, MN
Graduation Rate: 64%
Admission Rate: 100%
Urbanicity: Town
School Size: Small
Award
Delivery Format
Online
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
60
Department
Estimated Cost per Credit
$211
accreditation
Higher Learning Commission
more program informationEmail:
[email protected]
Phone:
320-762-0221
Delivery Format
Online
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
60
intelligent score 94.35
Award
Rankings
#3 Premuim Schools
#4 Online Schools Center
#13 Best Health Degrees
School Information
Sedalia, MO
Graduation Rate: 27%
Admission Rate: 100%
Urbanicity: Town
School Size: Medium
Award
Delivery Format
Online, On-Campus
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
61
Department
Estimated Cost per Credit
In-State: $266
Out-of-State: $322
accreditation
Higher Learning Commission
more program informationEmail:
[email protected]
Phone:
660-530-5833
Delivery Format
Online, On-Campus
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
61
intelligent score 94.32
Award
Rankings
#5 Online Schools Center
#7 Center for Online Education
#9 Premuim Schools
School Information
Great Bend, KS
Graduation Rate: 21%
Admission Rate: 100%
Urbanicity: Rural
School Size: Medium
Award
Delivery Format
Online, On-Campus
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
64
Department
Estimated Cost per Credit
$155
accreditation
Higher Learning Commission
more program informationEmail:
[email protected]
Phone:
866-781-4302
Delivery Format
Online, On-Campus
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
64
intelligent score 93.81
Award
Rankings
#1 Premuim Schools
#10 Online Schools Center
#12 Best Health Degrees
School Information
Lynchburg, VA
Graduation Rate: 34%
Admission Rate: 50%
Urbanicity: City
School Size: Large
Award
Delivery Format
Online
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
64
Department
Estimated Cost per Credit
$390
accreditation
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
more program informationEmail:
[email protected]
Phone:
800-424-9595
Delivery Format
Online
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
64
intelligent score 93.11
Award
Rankings
#5 Center for Online Education
#6 Premuim Schools
School Information
Fergus Falls, MN
Graduation Rate: 39%
Admission Rate: 100%
Urbanicity: Town
School Size: Medium
Award
Delivery Format
Online, On-Campus
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
60
Department
Estimated Cost per Credit
$198
accreditation
Higher Learning Commission
more program informationEmail:
[email protected]
Phone:
877-450-3322
Delivery Format
Online, On-Campus
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
60
intelligent score 92.92
Award
Rankings
$4 Premuim Schools
#10 Center for Online Education
School Information
Thief River Falls, MN
Graduation Rate: 45%
Admission Rate: 100%
Urbanicity: Town
School Size: Small
Award
Delivery Format
Online
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
60
Department
Estimated Cost per Credit
$211
accreditation
Higher Learning Commission
more program informationEmail:
[email protected]
Phone:
800-959-6282
Delivery Format
Online
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
60
intelligent score 91.19
Award
Rankings
#2 Center for Online Education
#7 Online Schools Center
School Information
Granite Falls, MN
Graduation Rate: 49%
Admission Rate: 100%
Urbanicity: Town
School Size: Small
Award
Delivery Format
Online
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
60
Department
Estimated Cost per Credit
$194
accreditation
Higher Learning Commission
more program informationEmail:
[email protected]
Phone:
800-658-2330
Delivery Format
Online
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
60
intelligent score 90.79
Award
Rankings
#6 Center for Online Education
#10 Premuim Schools
School Information
Bottineau, ND
Graduation Rate: 31%
Admission Rate: 100%
Urbanicity: Rural
School Size: Small
Award
Delivery Format
Online, On-Campus
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
60
Department
Estimated Cost per Credit
In-State: $188
Out-of-State: $211
accreditation
Higher Learning Commission
more program informationEmail:
[email protected]
Phone:
800-542-6866
Delivery Format
Online, On-Campus
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
60
intelligent score 89.25
Award
Rankings
School Information
Durham, NC
Graduation Rate: 18%
Admission Rate: 100%
Urbanicity: City
School Size: Medium
Award
Delivery Format
Online, On-Campus
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
70
Department
Estimated Cost per Credit
In-State: $78
Out-of-State: $268
accreditation
Commission on Accreditation of Applied Health Education Programs
more program informationEmail:
[email protected]
Phone:
919-536-7200 ext. 1800
Delivery Format
Online, On-Campus
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
70
intelligent score 88.87
Award
Rankings
School Information
Jamestown, NC
Graduation Rate: 21%
Admission Rate: 100%
Urbanicity: Suburban
School Size: Medium
Award
Delivery Format
Online
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
66
Department
Estimated Cost per Credit
In-State: $76
Out-of-State: $268
accreditation
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
more program informationEmail:
[email protected]
Phone:
336-334-4822 ext. 31125
Delivery Format
Online
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
66
intelligent score 87.37
Award
Rankings
School Information
Ogden, UT
Graduation Rate: 42%
Admission Rate: 100%
Urbanicity: City
School Size: Large
Award
Delivery Format
Online, On-Campus
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
63
Department
Estimated Cost per Credit
$291
accreditation
Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
more program informationEmail:
[email protected]
Phone:
801-626-6743
Delivery Format
Online, On-Campus
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
63
intelligent score 87.14
Award
Rankings
School Information
Glenwood Springs, CO
Graduation Rate: 35%
Admission Rate: 100%
Urbanicity: Town
School Size: Medium
Award
Delivery Format
Online, On-Campus
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
60
Department
Estimated Cost per Credit
In-District: $100
In-State: $200
Out-of-State: $510
accreditation
Higher Learning Commission
more program informationEmail:
[email protected]
Phone:
800-621-8559
Delivery Format
Online, On-Campus
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
60
intelligent score 86.06
Award
Rankings
School Information
Clearwater, FL
Graduation Rate: 58%
Admission Rate: 100%
Urbanicity: City
School Size: Medium
Award
Delivery Format
Online
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
62
Department
Estimated Cost per Credit
$475
accreditation
Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools
more program informationEmail:
[email protected]
Phone:
888-205-2510
Delivery Format
Online
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
62
intelligent score 85.05
Award
Rankings
School Information
Rochester, MN
Graduation Rate: 32%
Admission Rate: 100%
Urbanicity: City
School Size: Medium
Award
Delivery Format
Online, On-Campus
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
60
Department
Estimated Cost per Credit
$212
accreditation
Higher Learning Commission
more program informationEmail:
[email protected]
Phone:
507-285-7557
Delivery Format
Online, On-Campus
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
60
intelligent score 84.96
Award
Rankings
School Information
Grayling, MI
Graduation Rate: 23%
Admission Rate: 100%
Urbanicity: Rural
School Size: Small
Award
Delivery Format
Online
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
66-70
Department
Estimated Cost per Credit
In-District: $200 - $212
Out-of-District: $260 - $276
accreditation
Higher Learning Commission
more program informationEmail:
[email protected]
Phone:
989-275-5000 ext. 284
Delivery Format
Online
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
66-70
Discover More Options
What You Should Know About This Degree
Most of the degrees on this list award an Associate of Science (A.S.) in medical assisting. Students will learn vital clinical skills under the supervision of a licensed healthcare professional, including taking vital signs, assisting during surgery, and performing diagnostic tests. Many courses also teach administrative skills such as record keeping and medical billing, and you can choose to take a course focused on medical administration if you prefer.
Only apply to schools approved by a DOE-recognized accrediting organization, such as the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) or Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). If your school isn’t accredited, you may be unable to access financial aid or transfer credits to another institution if needed.
There are no mandatory certification requirements for medical assistants, but most complete some postsecondary education. Potential employers are likely to prefer candidates who have completed a medical assisting program or associate degree.
What’s Next?
Here are some questions to ask when researching online associate in medical assisting programs:
- Am I eligible for this program? These courses require a high school diploma or GED. Some may require you to meet threshold ACT or SAT scores or take tests to prove your ability in English and mathematics. You should check that you meet the college’s admissions requirements before applying.
- Are courses offered synchronously or asynchronously? Many online medical assisting degree programs offer synchronous learning, where students attend lessons at a scheduled time but follow courses remotely. Others follow an asynchronous format that allows you to access teaching materials and complete your coursework on your own timetable. Check which delivery option your chosen program offers to ensure it fits with your schedule.
When you’re choosing your online associate in medical assisting program, take note of the application deadline and what documents you have to submit during the admissions process. Most colleges state their requirements on their websites, but you can contact the admissions department if you’re unsure.
You must also figure out how to finance your studies. Check the deadlines for financial aid applications and explore your options for scholarships, grants, and subsidized loans.
Compare School Options
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