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Child & adolescent psychiatrist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a child & adolescent psychiatrist. Child & adolescent psychiatrists usually study medicine, psychology, or literature. 36% of child & adolescent psychiatrists hold a bachelor's degree, and 26% hold an doctoral degree. We analyzed 157 real child & adolescent psychiatrist resumes to see exactly what child & adolescent psychiatrist education sections show.

The most common colleges for child & adolescent psychiatrists are the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

There are also many online child & adolescent psychiatrist courses to help get the education required to be a child & adolescent psychiatrist.

There are certain child & adolescent psychiatrist certifications that you should consider. These child & adolescent psychiatrist certifications include Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Certification in Psychiatry: Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

What education do you need to become a child & adolescent psychiatrist?

What degree do you need to be a child & adolescent psychiatrist?

The most common degree for child & adolescent psychiatrists is bachelor's degree, with 36% of child & adolescent psychiatrists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are doctoral degree degree at 26% and doctoral degree degree at 10%.
  • Bachelor's, 36%
  • Doctorate, 26%
  • Master's, 10%
  • Associate, 6%
  • Other Degrees, 22%

What should I major in to become a child & adolescent psychiatrist?

You should major in medicine to become a child & adolescent psychiatrist. 30% of child & adolescent psychiatrists major in medicine. Other common majors for a child & adolescent psychiatrist include psychology and literature.

Most common colleges for child & adolescent psychiatrists

Child & adolescent psychiatrists often get their degrees at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, The University of Tennessee - Knoxville, and St. Louis. Here are the most common colleges for child & adolescent psychiatrists in the US based on their resumes.
Child & adolescent psychiatrist common collegePercentages
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center8.33%
The University of Tennessee - Knoxville8.33%
St. Louis8.33%
Boston University8.33%
SUNY Upstate Medical University4.17%

Best majors for child & adolescent psychiatrists

RankMajorPercentages
1Medicine30.3%
2Psychology12.1%
3Literature9.1%
4Nursing9.1%
5Biology7.6%

Best colleges for child & adolescent psychiatrists

The best colleges for child & adolescent psychiatrists are Columbia University in the City of New York, Duke University, and Johns Hopkins University.

A child & adolescent psychiatrist with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for child & adolescent psychiatrists. 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 child & adolescent psychiatrists.

1. University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$13,226

Enrollment

31,568

2. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

3. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

4. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,625

Enrollment

17,407

5. Ohio State University

Columbus, OH • Private

In-state tuition

$10,726

Enrollment

45,769

6. University of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$19,080

Enrollment

19,127

7. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

8. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

9. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

In-state tuition

$53,430

Enrollment

5,963

10. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

20 best online courses for child & adolescent psychiatrists

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5. Addiction Treatment: Clinical Skills for Healthcare Providers

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12. Trauma Emergencies and Care

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13. Pain Management: Easing Pain in Palliative Care

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14. Value-Based Care: Managing Processes to Improve Outcomes

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15. Kids with Cancer Still Need School: The Providers Role

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Top 10 most affordable universities for child & adolescent psychiatrists

The most affordable schools for child & adolescent psychiatrists are Hunter College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and florida international university.

If the best universities for child & adolescent psychiatrists 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 child & adolescent psychiatrists.

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. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

3. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

4. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

5. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

6. Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$4,831

Cost of attendance

19,559

7. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

8. University of Central Florida

Orlando, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,368

Cost of attendance

21,034

9. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

10. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Cost of attendance

25,527

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for child & adolescent psychiatrists

The hardest universities for child & adolescent psychiatrists to get into are Columbia University in the City of New York, Duke University, and Johns Hopkins University.

Some great schools for child & adolescent psychiatrists 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 child & adolescent psychiatrists 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. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

2. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,516

3. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

4. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

5. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,517

6. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

7. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

8. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

9. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,456

10. University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

14%

SAT average

1,423

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for child & adolescent psychiatrists

The easiest schools for child & adolescent psychiatrists to get into are AdventHealth University, nyack college, and d'youville college.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a child & adolescent psychiatrist 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 child & adolescent psychiatrists.

1. AdventHealth University

Orlando, FL • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,016

2. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

3. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

4. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

5. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

6. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

7. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

8. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

9. Linfield College

McMinnville, OR • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

1,117

10. Aultman College of Nursing and Health Sciences

Canton, OH • Private

Admissions rate

75%

SAT average

1,085

Average child & adolescent psychiatrist salary by education level

Child & adolescent psychiatrist education levelChild & adolescent psychiatrist salary
Doctorate Degree$260,601

Child & adolescent psychiatrist education FAQs

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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.

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