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Clinical education specialist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a clinical education specialist. Clinical education specialists usually study nursing, medical technician, or business. 47% of clinical education specialists hold a bachelor's degree, and 23% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 633 real clinical education specialist resumes to see exactly what clinical education specialist education sections show.

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

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

There are certain clinical education specialist certifications that you should consider. These clinical education specialist certifications include Basic Life Support for Healthcare and Public Safety (BLS) and Nursing Professional Development (RN-BC).

What education do you need to become a clinical education specialist?

What degree do you need to be a clinical education specialist?

The most common degree for clinical education specialists is bachelor's degree, with 47% of clinical education specialists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 23% and associate degree degree at 23%.
  • Bachelor's, 47%
  • Associate, 23%
  • Master's, 23%
  • Diploma, 3%
  • Other Degrees, 4%

What should I major in to become a clinical education specialist?

You should major in nursing to become a clinical education specialist. 58% of clinical education specialists major in nursing. Other common majors for a clinical education specialist include medical technician and business.

Most common colleges for clinical education specialists

Clinical education specialists often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Grand Canyon University, and Arizona State University. Here are the most common colleges for clinical education specialists in the US based on their resumes.
Clinical education specialist common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix22.73%
Grand Canyon University9.09%
Arizona State University5.68%
Kent State University5.68%
University of Pittsburgh4.55%

Best majors for clinical education specialists

Best colleges for clinical education specialists

The best colleges for clinical education specialists are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and New York University.

A clinical education specialist 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 education specialists. 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 education specialists.

1. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

2. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

3. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,625

Enrollment

17,407

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

5. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

6. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

7. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

8. SUNY at Buffalo

Buffalo, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,099

Enrollment

21,404

9. Western Carolina University

Cullowhee, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$3,926

Enrollment

9,835

10. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

20 best online courses for clinical education specialists

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6. Health, Housing, and Educational Services

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10. Predictive Modeling and Transforming Clinical Practice

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13. Clinical Trials Data Management and Quality Assurance

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20. Introduction to Early Childhood Montessori Education

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Top 10 most affordable universities for clinical education specialists

The most affordable schools for clinical education specialists are SUNY Farmingdale, university of florida, and california state university - bakersfield.

If the best universities for clinical education specialists 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 education specialists.

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. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

7. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

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 clinical education specialists

The hardest universities for clinical education specialists to get into are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and New York University.

Some great schools for clinical education specialists 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 education specialists 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. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

3. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

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. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

7. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,516

8. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

9. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

10. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for clinical education specialists

The easiest schools for clinical education specialists to get into are D'Youville College, gwynedd mercy university, and barry university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a clinical education specialist 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 education specialists.

1. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

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. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

5. AdventHealth University

Orlando, FL • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,016

6. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

7. Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,050

8. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

9. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

10. Holy Family University

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,017

Average clinical education specialist salary by education level

According to our data, clinical education specialists with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $85,917 annually. Clinical education specialists with a Doctorate degree earn an average annual salary of $82,102.
Clinical education specialist education levelClinical education specialist salary
Master's Degree$85,917
Bachelor's Degree$80,429
Doctorate Degree$82,102
Some College/ Associate Degree$73,839

Clinical education specialist 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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