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Clinical coordinator education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a clinical coordinator. Clinical coordinators usually study nursing, psychology, or business. 46% of clinical coordinators hold a bachelor's degree, and 22% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 14,656 real clinical coordinator resumes to see exactly what clinical coordinator education sections show.

The most common colleges for clinical coordinators are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online clinical coordinator courses to help get the education required to be a clinical coordinator.

There are certain clinical coordinator certifications that you should consider. These clinical coordinator certifications include Medical Assistant and Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA).

What education do you need to become a clinical coordinator?

What degree do you need to be a clinical coordinator?

The most common degree for clinical coordinators is bachelor's degree, with 46% of clinical coordinators earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 22% and associate degree degree at 19%.
  • Bachelor's, 46%
  • Associate, 22%
  • Master's, 19%
  • Diploma, 5%
  • Other Degrees, 8%

What should I major in to become a clinical coordinator?

You should major in nursing to become a clinical coordinator. 40% of clinical coordinators major in nursing. Other common majors for a clinical coordinator include psychology and business.

Most common colleges for clinical coordinators

Clinical coordinators often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, New York University, and Boston University. Here are the most common colleges for clinical coordinators in the US based on their resumes.
Clinical coordinator common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix20.08%
New York University6.83%
Boston University5.38%
Arizona State University4.87%
University of Massachusetts Boston4.66%

Best majors for clinical coordinators

RankMajorPercentages
1Nursing40.3%
2Psychology9.7%
3Business8.3%
4Social Work7.0%
5Medical Technician4.6%

Best colleges for clinical coordinators

The best colleges for clinical coordinators are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

A clinical coordinator with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for clinical coordinators. 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 clinical coordinators.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

3. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

4. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

5. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

6. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

7. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Enrollment

9,394

8. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,625

Enrollment

17,407

9. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

10. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

20 best online courses for clinical coordinators

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5. HI-FIVE: Health Informatics For Innovation, Value & Enrichment (Clinical Perspective)

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HI-FIVE (Health Informatics For Innovation, Value & Enrichment) Training is a 12-hour online course designed by Columbia University in 2016, with sponsorship from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC). The training is role-based and uses case scenarios. Also, it has additional, optional modules on other topics of interest or relevance. Although we suggest to complete the course within a month's timeframe, the course is self-paced and so you can start and...

6. Addiction Treatment: Clinical Skills for Healthcare Providers

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10. Introduction to Clinical Data Science

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This course will prepare you to complete all parts of the Clinical Data Science Specialization. In this course you will learn how clinical data are generated, the format of these data, and the ethical and legal restrictions on these data. You will also learn enough SQL and R programming skills to be able to complete the entire Specialization - even if you are a beginner programmer. While you are taking this course you will have access to an actual clinical data set and a free, online...

11. The Beginners Course for Clinical Research

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12. The Simplest Guide to Clinical Trials Data Analysis with SAS

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13. The Critical Role of IT Support Staff in Healthcare

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14. Clinical Trials Data Management and Quality Assurance

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In this course, you’ll learn to collect and care for the data gathered during your trial and how to prevent mistakes and errors through quality assurance practices. Clinical trials generate an enormous amount of data, so you and your team must plan carefully by choosing the right collection instruments, systems, and measures to protect the integrity of your trial data. You’ll learn how to assemble, clean, and de-identify your datasets. Finally, you’ll learn to find and correct deficiencies...

15. Certificate Course in Clinical Research (CCCR)

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16. Abnormal Behavior & Clinical Psychology (Certificate)

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17. Predictive Modeling and Transforming Clinical Practice

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18. Clinical Natural Language Processing

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19. Health Data 101

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20. Making Data Science Work for Clinical Reporting

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Top 10 most affordable universities for clinical coordinators

The most affordable schools for clinical coordinators are SUNY Farmingdale, california state university - bakersfield, and california state university - dominguez hills.

If the best universities for clinical coordinators 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 clinical coordinators.

1. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

3. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

5. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

6. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

7. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

8. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,238

Cost of attendance

21,567

9. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

10. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for clinical coordinators

The hardest universities for clinical coordinators to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for clinical coordinators 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 clinical coordinators 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. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

6. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

7. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

8. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

9. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

10. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,422

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for clinical coordinators

The easiest schools for clinical coordinators to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, d'youville college, and holy names university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a clinical coordinator 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 clinical coordinators.

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

3. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

4. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

5. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

6. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

7. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

8. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

9. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

10. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

Average clinical coordinator salary by education level

Clinical coordinators with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $70,723 annually. With a Master's degree, clinical coordinators earn a median annual income of $67,345 compared to $61,976 for clinical coordinators with an Bachelor's degree.
Clinical coordinator education levelClinical coordinator salary
Master's Degree$67,345
High School Diploma or Less$52,348
Bachelor's Degree$61,976
Doctorate Degree$70,723
Some College/ Associate Degree$54,366

Clinical coordinator 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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