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Clinical Director Education Requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a clinical director. Clinical directors usually study nursing, psychology, or social work. 43% of clinical directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 33% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 12,248 real clinical director resumes to see exactly what clinical director education sections show.

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

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

There are certain clinical director certifications that you should consider. These clinical director certifications include Certified Professional Counselor and Certified Clinical Supervisor.

What education do you need to become a clinical director?

What degree do you need to be a clinical director?

The most common degree for clinical directors is bachelor's degree, with 43% of clinical directors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 33% and master's degree degree at 11%.
  • Bachelor's, 43%
  • Master's, 33%
  • Associate, 11%
  • Doctorate, 10%
  • Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a clinical director?

You should major in nursing to become a clinical director. 23% of clinical directors major in nursing. Other common majors for a clinical director include psychology and social work.

Most common colleges for clinical directors

Clinical directors often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, New York University, and Boston University. Here are the most common colleges for clinical directors in the US based on their resumes.
Clinical Director Common CollegePercentages
University of Phoenix13.74%
New York University8.44%
Boston University6.77%
Capella University6.18%
Arizona State University4.91%

Best majors for clinical directors

RankMajorPercentages
1Nursing22.5%
2Psychology16.3%
3Social Work12.6%
4Counseling Psychology5.4%
5Business5.2%

Best colleges for clinical directors

The best colleges for clinical directors are University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Johns Hopkins University.

A clinical director 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 directors. 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 directors.

1. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-State Tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-State Tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

5. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

6. University of Connecticut

Storrs, CT • Private

In-State Tuition

$15,730

Enrollment

18,830

7. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$9,625

Enrollment

17,407

8. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-State Tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

9. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-State Tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

10. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-State Tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

20 best online courses for clinical directors

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13. Clinical Natural Language Processing

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Top 10 most affordable universities for clinical directors

The most affordable schools for clinical directors are University of Florida, baruch college of the city university of new york, and hunter college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for clinical directors 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 directors.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,381

Cost of Attendance

21,034

2. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,262

Cost of Attendance

14,046

3. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,182

Cost of Attendance

13,998

4. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,798

Cost of Attendance

18,306

5. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,749

Cost of Attendance

14,823

6. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,309

Cost of Attendance

16,714

7. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,410

Cost of Attendance

20,456

8. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-State Tuition

$5,620

Cost of Attendance

18,136

9. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,556

Cost of Attendance

19,434

10. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,942

Cost of Attendance

14,469

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for clinical directors

The hardest universities for clinical directors to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Johns Hopkins University.

Some great schools for clinical directors 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 directors 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. 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. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions Rate

5%

SAT Average

1,520

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions Rate

13%

SAT Average

1,445

7. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions Rate

15%

SAT Average

1,506

8. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions Rate

9%

SAT Average

1,516

9. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions Rate

4%

SAT Average

1,497

10. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions Rate

19%

SAT Average

1,466

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

The easiest schools for clinical directors to get into are D'Youville College, mount saint mary's university, and barry university.

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

1. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions Rate

100%

SAT Average

1,072

2. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions Rate

84%

SAT Average

1,031

3. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions Rate

91%

SAT Average

1,006

4. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions Rate

81%

SAT Average

999

5. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions Rate

88%

SAT Average

1,044

6. University of Houston - Downtown

Houston, TX • Private

Admissions Rate

83%

SAT Average

1,012

7. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions Rate

86%

SAT Average

991

8. Marymount University

Arlington, VA • Private

Admissions Rate

91%

SAT Average

1,065

9. Our Lady of the Lake University

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions Rate

93%

SAT Average

1,002

10. The University of Texas at El Paso

El Paso, TX • Private

Admissions Rate

100%

SAT Average

1,035

Average clinical director salary by education level

Clinical directors with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $137,881 annually. With a Master's degree, clinical directors earn a median annual income of $116,562 compared to $102,345 for clinical directors with an Bachelor's degree.
Clinical Director education levelClinical Director salary
Master's Degree$116,562
Bachelor's Degree$102,345
Doctorate Degree$137,881
Some College/ Associate Degree$92,176

Clinical Director 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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