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Certified surgical assistant education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a certified surgical assistant. Certified surgical assistants usually study medical technician, business, or nursing. 33% of certified surgical assistants hold a bachelor's degree, and 28% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 1,460 real certified surgical assistant resumes to see exactly what certified surgical assistant education sections show.
The most common colleges for certified surgical assistants are the Eastern Virginia Medical School and the Eastern Virginia Medical School.
There are also many online certified surgical assistant courses to help get the education required to be a certified surgical assistant.
There are certain certified surgical assistant certifications that you should consider. These certified surgical assistant certifications include Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) and Medical Assistant.
What education do you need to become a certified surgical assistant?
What degree do you need to be a certified surgical assistant?
- Bachelor's, 33%
- Associate, 28%
- High School Diploma, 14%
- Diploma, 8%
- Other Degrees, 17%
What should I major in to become a certified surgical assistant?
- Medical Technician, 16%
- Business, 14%
- Nursing, 12%
- Psychology, 8%
- Other Majors, 50%
Most common colleges for certified surgical assistants
| Certified surgical assistant common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Eastern Virginia Medical School | 8.22% |
| University of Phoenix | 6.85% |
| University of Wisconsin Colleges | 5.48% |
| Liberty University | 5.48% |
| University of Nebraska - Omaha | 5.48% |
Best majors for certified surgical assistants
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Medical Technician | 16.2% |
| 2 | Business | 13.5% |
| 3 | Nursing | 12.0% |
| 4 | Psychology | 8.3% |
| 5 | Medical Assisting Services | 7.6% |
Best colleges for certified surgical assistants
The best colleges for certified surgical assistants are Northwestern University, New York University, and Emory University.
A certified surgical assistant with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for certified surgical assistants. 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 certified surgical assistants.
1. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
2. Howard University
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$26,756
Enrollment
6,166
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
4. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
5. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
6. Emory University
Atlanta, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,306
Enrollment
6,975
7. SUNY College of Technology at Alfred
Alfred, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,570
Enrollment
3,721
8. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
9. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
10. Andrew College
Cuthbert, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$17,388
Enrollment
292
20 best online courses for certified surgical assistants
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1. Trauma Emergencies and Care
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2. Value-Based Care: Managing Processes to Improve Outcomes
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Please join us for an exciting and innovative journey, examining one of the most important and often overlooked aspects of the oncology setting: Traditional Herbal Medicine in Supportive Cancer Care. This course is presented with short lectures offering a wide range of issues related to the principles and practice of herbal medicine in cancer care. The course includes interviews with leading world experts from the field of Integrative Oncology, from the U.S. and Canada, as well as Europe, the...
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Top 10 most affordable universities for certified surgical assistants
The most affordable schools for certified surgical assistants are SUNY Farmingdale, university of florida, and california state university - bakersfield.
If the best universities for certified surgical assistants 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 certified surgical assistants.
1. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
2. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
3. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
4. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
5. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
6. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
7. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Mayaguez, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$4,094
Cost of attendance
14,302
8. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
9. Minot State University
Minot, ND • Private
In-state tuition
$7,064
Cost of attendance
15,576
10. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for certified surgical assistants
The hardest universities for certified surgical assistants to get into are Northwestern University, New York University, and Emory University.
Some great schools for certified surgical assistants 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 certified surgical assistants 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. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
3. Emory University
Atlanta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,449
4. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
5. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
6. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
42%
SAT average
1,380
7. Yale University
New Haven, CT • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,517
8. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
9. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
10. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for certified surgical assistants
The easiest schools for certified surgical assistants to get into are AdventHealth University, d'youville college, and gwynedd mercy university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a certified surgical assistant 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 certified surgical assistants.
1. AdventHealth University
Orlando, FL • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,016
2. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
3. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
4. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
5. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
6. Presentation College
Aberdeen, SD • Private
Admissions rate
97%
SAT average
1,050
7. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
8. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
99%
SAT average
1,008
9. Midwestern State University
Wichita Falls, TX • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,033
10. Fresno Pacific University
Fresno, CA • Private
Admissions rate
85%
SAT average
1,053
Average certified surgical assistant salary by education level
| Certified surgical assistant education level | Certified surgical assistant salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $84,555 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $53,782 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $69,401 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $60,587 |
Certified surgical assistant education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common healthcare practitioner and technical questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025