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Animal assisted therapist education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become an animal assisted therapist. Animal assisted therapists usually study psychology, biology, or medical assisting services. 54% of animal assisted therapists hold a bachelor's degree, and 18% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 1,340 real animal assisted therapist resumes to see exactly what animal assisted therapist education sections show.
The most common colleges for animal assisted therapists are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online animal assisted therapist courses to help get the education required to be an animal assisted therapist.
There are certain animal assisted therapist certifications that you should consider. These animal assisted therapist certifications include Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) and Medical Assistant.
What education do you need to become an animal assisted therapist?
What degree do you need to be an animal assisted therapist?
- Bachelor's, 54%
- Associate, 18%
- High School Diploma, 12%
- Master's, 8%
- Other Degrees, 8%
What should I major in to become an animal assisted therapist?
- Psychology, 18%
- Biology, 8%
- Business, 6%
- Other Majors, 61%
Most common colleges for animal assisted therapists
| Animal assisted therapist common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 9.76% |
| Virginia Commonwealth University | 6.10% |
| University of California, Santa Barbara | 6.10% |
| Ashford University | 6.10% |
| University of Delaware | 6.10% |
Best majors for animal assisted therapists
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psychology | 18.2% |
| 2 | Biology | 8.2% |
| 3 | Medical Assisting Services | 7.4% |
| 4 | Business | 6.0% |
| 5 | Kinesiology | 6.0% |
Best colleges for animal assisted therapists
The best colleges for animal assisted therapists are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and Duke University.
An animal assisted therapist with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for animal assisted therapists. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become animal assisted therapists.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
2. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$10,595
Enrollment
30,184
3. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
4. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
5. Howard University
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$26,756
Enrollment
6,166
6. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
7. University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA • Private
In-state tuition
$17,653
Enrollment
16,405
8. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
9. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
10. Inter American University of Puerto Rico San German
San German, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$5,940
Enrollment
3,747
20 best online courses for animal assisted therapists
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Top 10 most affordable universities for animal assisted therapists
The most affordable schools for animal assisted therapists are Hunter College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and baruch college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for animal assisted therapists are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for animal assisted therapists.
1. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
2. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
3. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
4. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
6. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
7. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
8. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Pomona, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,353
Cost of attendance
21,302
9. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
10. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for animal assisted therapists
The hardest universities for animal assisted therapists to get into are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and Duke University.
Some great schools for animal assisted therapists are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for animal assisted therapists based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
3. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
4. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
5. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
6. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
7. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
8. Swarthmore College
Swarthmore, PA • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,465
9. University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA • Private
Admissions rate
26%
SAT average
1,427
10. Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,443
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for animal assisted therapists
The easiest schools for animal assisted therapists to get into are AdventHealth University, life university, and bluefield college.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an animal assisted therapist without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for animal assisted therapists.
1. AdventHealth University
Orlando, FL • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,016
2. Life University
Marietta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
94%
SAT average
979
3. Bluefield College
Bluefield, VA • Private
Admissions rate
95%
SAT average
980
4. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
5. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
6. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
7. Pennsylvania State University - Fayette (The Eberly Campus)
Lemont Furnace, PA • Private
Admissions rate
80%
SAT average
1,067
8. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
9. Presentation College
Aberdeen, SD • Private
Admissions rate
97%
SAT average
1,050
10. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
Average animal assisted therapist salary by education level
| Animal assisted therapist education level | Animal assisted therapist salary |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's Degree | $33,656 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $36,002 |
Animal assisted therapist education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025