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Child Psychiatrist Education Requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a child psychiatrist. Child psychiatrists usually study medicine, psychology, or biology. 32% of child psychiatrists hold a bachelor's degree, and 20% hold an doctoral degree. We analyzed 54 real child psychiatrist resumes to see exactly what child psychiatrist education sections show.

The most common colleges for child psychiatrists are the The University of Texas at Arlington and the The University of Texas at Arlington.

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

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

What education do you need to become a child psychiatrist?

What degree do you need to be a child psychiatrist?

The most common degree for child psychiatrists is bachelor's degree, with 32% of child psychiatrists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are doctoral degree degree at 20% and doctoral degree degree at 16%.
  • Bachelor's, 32%
  • Doctorate, 20%
  • Master's, 16%
  • Associate, 4%
  • Other Degrees, 28%

What should I major in to become a child psychiatrist?

You should major in medicine to become a child psychiatrist. 17% of child psychiatrists major in medicine. Other common majors for a child psychiatrist include psychology and biology.

Most common colleges for child psychiatrists

Child psychiatrists often get their degrees at The University of Texas at Arlington, Southwestern University, and Washburn University of Topeka. Here are the most common colleges for child psychiatrists in the US based on their resumes.
Child Psychiatrist Common CollegePercentages
The University of Texas at Arlington12.50%
Southwestern University6.25%
Washburn University of Topeka6.25%
Boston University6.25%
Salem State University6.25%

Best majors for child psychiatrists

RankMajorPercentages
1Medicine17.4%
2Psychology13.0%
3Biology8.7%
4Nursing8.7%
5Business4.3%

Best colleges for child psychiatrists

The best colleges for child psychiatrists are University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Northwestern University.

A child 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 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 psychiatrists.

1. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-State Tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

5. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-State Tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

6. University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$13,226

Enrollment

31,568

7. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-State Tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

8. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

In-State Tuition

$49,816

Enrollment

6,840

9. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

10. SUNY at Buffalo

Buffalo, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$10,099

Enrollment

21,404

20 best online courses for child psychiatrists

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Top 10 most affordable universities for child psychiatrists

The most affordable schools for child psychiatrists are California State University - Long Beach, hunter college of the city university of new york, and florida state university.

If the best universities for child 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 psychiatrists.

1. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,798

Cost of Attendance

18,306

2. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,182

Cost of Attendance

13,998

3. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-State Tuition

$5,656

Cost of Attendance

21,623

4. Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL • Private

In-State Tuition

$4,831

Cost of Attendance

19,559

5. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,381

Cost of Attendance

21,034

6. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,942

Cost of Attendance

14,469

7. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-State Tuition

$8,987

Cost of Attendance

25,527

8. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,410

Cost of Attendance

20,456

9. California State University - Fresno

Fresno, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,587

Cost of Attendance

16,915

10. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,309

Cost of Attendance

16,714

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for child psychiatrists

The hardest universities for child psychiatrists to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for child 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 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. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions Rate

8%

SAT Average

1,492

2. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions Rate

6%

SAT Average

1,512

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions Rate

8%

SAT Average

1,508

4. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions Rate

11%

SAT Average

1,513

5. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions Rate

10%

SAT Average

1,514

6. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions Rate

5%

SAT Average

1,520

7. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions Rate

13%

SAT Average

1,445

8. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions Rate

20%

SAT Average

1,419

9. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions Rate

15%

SAT Average

1,506

10. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions Rate

15%

SAT Average

1,456

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

The easiest schools for child psychiatrists to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, gwynedd mercy university, and barry university.

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

1. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions Rate

84%

SAT Average

1,031

2. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions Rate

92%

SAT Average

1,031

3. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions Rate

91%

SAT Average

1,006

4. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions Rate

93%

SAT Average

1,026

5. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions Rate

81%

SAT Average

999

6. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions Rate

90%

SAT Average

994

7. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions Rate

96%

SAT Average

1,111

8. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions Rate

68%

SAT Average

964

9. AdventHealth University

Orlando, FL • Private

Admissions Rate

87%

SAT Average

1,016

10. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions Rate

78%

SAT Average

1,024

Average child psychiatrist salary by education level

Child Psychiatrist education levelChild Psychiatrist salary
Doctorate Degree$254,850

Child 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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