Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Clinical educator education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a clinical educator. Clinical educators usually study nursing, business, or medical technician. 51% of clinical educators hold a bachelor's degree, and 21% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 2,594 real clinical educator resumes to see exactly what clinical educator education sections show.
The most common colleges for clinical educators are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online clinical educator courses to help get the education required to be a clinical educator.
There are certain clinical educator certifications that you should consider. These clinical educator certifications include Basic Life Support for Healthcare and Public Safety (BLS) and Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE).
What education do you need to become a clinical educator?
What degree do you need to be a clinical educator?
- Bachelor's, 51%
- Associate, 21%
- Master's, 21%
- Diploma, 3%
- Other Degrees, 4%
What should I major in to become a clinical educator?
Most common colleges for clinical educators
| Clinical educator common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 23.81% |
| Walden University | 8.06% |
| Grand Canyon University | 6.59% |
| Texas Woman's University | 5.49% |
| University of Illinois at Chicago | 4.76% |
Best majors for clinical educators
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nursing | 69.7% |
| 2 | Business | 4.7% |
| 3 | Medical Technician | 3.7% |
| 4 | Biology | 2.6% |
| 5 | Psychology | 2.6% |
Best colleges for clinical educators
The best colleges for clinical educators are University of Rochester, University of Tulsa, and Vanderbilt University.
A clinical educator 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 educators. 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 educators.
1. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
3. Yale University
New Haven, CT • Private
In-state tuition
$53,430
Enrollment
5,963
4. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
5. Georgetown University
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$54,104
Enrollment
7,089
6. University of California - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$13,226
Enrollment
31,568
7. University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA • Private
In-state tuition
$17,653
Enrollment
16,405
8. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
9. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
10. Chamberlain College of Nursing - Arlington
Arlington, VA • Private
In-state tuition
$19,375
Enrollment
506
20 best online courses for clinical educators
Advertising disclosure
1. Clinical Kidney, Pancreas and Islet Transplantation
Kidney transplantation is a major advance of modern medicine which provides high-quality of life for patients with end-stage renal disease. What used to be an experimental, risky, and very limited treatment option more than 50 years ago is now routinely performed in many countries worldwide. The number of renal transplants is expected to rise sharply in the next decade since the proportion of patients with end stage renal disease is increasing. Are you interested in clinical kidney, pancreas...
2. Value-Based Care: Managing Processes to Improve Outcomes
COURSE 3 of 7. This course is designed to introduce you to critical office-based processes that a value-based practice must manage in the drive towards improved patient outcomes. In Module 2, we’ll focus on office-based and clinical patient-based supporting functions. At every level in healthcare, guidelines, processes, and functions exist to improve outcomes, and following a consistent process will return the best effect. Refine your understanding of value and learn strategies to provide real...
3. Educational Psychology & Special Education (Certificate)
Informational content for educators and parents to learn about teaching and understanding exceptional children...
4. Basic of Clinical Data Management
Clinical Data Management...
5. Trauma Emergencies and Care
Welcome to Trauma Emergencies and Care. In this course, you will learn about some of the mechanics and physics of trauma on the human body, and how this can cause injury. You will continue to expand your new vocabulary with medical terminology, and learn how to describe the different injuries you may see. You will also learn about the trauma system itself- and when it is important to transport patients to a trauma center. Then we will dive into specific injuries based on what part of the body...
6. Introduction to Clinical Data Science
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...
7. The Beginners Course for Clinical Research
The Essentials of Clinical Trials - Clinical Research for Beginners...
8. The Simplest Guide to Clinical Trials Data Analysis with SAS
Step into the world of Pharmaceutical industry Clinical Trials Clinical Research Biostatistics Clinical SAS SAS...
9. Prehospital care of acute stroke and patient selection for endovascular treatment using the RACE scale
Acute stroke is a time-dependent medical emergency. In acute ischemic stroke, the first objective is to restore brain flow using sistemic thrombolytic treatment and, in patients with large vessel occlusion, by endovascular treatment. In hemorrhagic stroke there are also specific treatments that can improve the clinical outcome. The sooner the initiation of all these therapies the higher the clinical benefit. Thus, the organization of Stroke Code systems coordinated between emergency medical...
10. Addiction Treatment: Clinical Skills for Healthcare Providers
This course is designed with a singular goal: to improve the care you provide to your patients with substance use disorders. By delving into a model case performed by actors, seven Yale instructors from various fields provide techniques to screen your patients for substance use disorder risk, diagnose patients to gauge the severity of their use, directly manage treatment plans, refer out to treatment services, and navigate the various conditions that may limit your patient’s access to treatment...
11. Good Clinical Practice ICH GCP for Clinical Research
Certification on ICH GCP E6 R2 Good Clinical Practice for Clinical Research The Only Complete Course You Can Find Online...
12. Google Certified Educator Level 1 Technical Training
Google Apps for Education...
13. Health After Cancer: Cancer Survivorship for Primary Care
This course presents basic principles of cancer survivorship to primary-care physicians. Developed by a team of experts in caring for cancer survivors, and narrated by a primary-care physician, this course provides practical tips and tools that can be easily integrated into medical practice. You will learn about the complex physical and psychosocial needs and concerns of the growing number of cancer survivors, along with the key role that primary care physicians have in guiding these patients...
14. Clinical Natural Language Processing
This course teaches you the fundamentals of clinical natural language processing (NLP). In this course you will learn the basic linguistic principals underlying NLP, as well as how to write regular expressions and handle text data in R. You will also learn practical techniques for text processing to be able to extract information from clinical notes. Finally, you will have a chance to put your skills to the test with a real-world practical application where you develop text processing...
15. Good Clinical Practice for Clinical Research Professionals
The Complete, Certified ICH GCP (R2 & R3) Course for Investigators, Study Coordinators, Sponsors, Monitors and Study staff...
16. Train the Trainer Foundation: Adult Education Mastery Course
Deploy a repeatable system for employee learning to ensure you reach every learner…every time...
17. The Critical Role of IT Support Staff in Healthcare
This is a very exciting time to be exploring a career in Health IT Support! In this introductory course, you’ll learn about various roles in IT support that are common in healthcare. IT support staff play critical roles in many different healthcare venues. In addition to helping clinics, hospitals, and emergency rooms, you may end up providing support in a skilled nursing facility, ambulatory surgical center, virtual care setting, or even a patient’s home! On any given day, you may interact...
18. Operations and Patient Safety for Healthcare IT Staff
Now that you've been introduced to the world of Health IT and the important role played by electronic health records (EHRs), we'll focus on other technologies that play a role in maintaining ongoing operations in healthcare. Telemedicine, patient portals, barcode scanners, printers, and medical devices are just some of the technologies that impact providers and patients. As an IT support specialist, you’ll be asked to troubleshoot issues with a wide variety of tools. You'll see a scenario with...
19. Certificate Course in Clinical Research (CCCR)
A Clinical Research Course-ICH-GCP E6(R2), Clinical Trials, Essential Documents, Sponsor, Investigator, Pharmaceuticals...
20. Object Oriented Programming - Timeless Principles
Object Oriented Programming, master it!...
Top 10 most affordable universities for clinical educators
The most affordable schools for clinical educators are SUNY Farmingdale, brigham young university, and hunter college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for clinical educators 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 educators.
1. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
2. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
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. Clayton State University
Morrow, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$5,419
Cost of attendance
17,697
5. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
6. Minot State University
Minot, ND • Private
In-state tuition
$7,064
Cost of attendance
15,576
7. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
8. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Mayaguez, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$4,094
Cost of attendance
14,302
9. SUNY Polytechnic Institute
Utica, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,238
Cost of attendance
21,567
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 educators
The hardest universities for clinical educators to get into are University of Rochester, University of Tulsa, and Vanderbilt University.
Some great schools for clinical educators 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 educators 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 Rochester
Rochester, NY • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,422
2. University of Tulsa
Tulsa, OK • Private
Admissions rate
41%
SAT average
1,321
3. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
4. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
Admissions rate
40%
SAT average
1,376
5. Clemson University
Clemson, SC • Private
Admissions rate
47%
SAT average
1,337
6. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
7. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
Admissions rate
28%
SAT average
1,429
8. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
Admissions rate
58%
SAT average
1,309
9. Saint Louis University
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
58%
SAT average
1,304
10. SUNY Stony Brook
Stony Brook, NY • Private
Admissions rate
42%
SAT average
1,326
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for clinical educators
The easiest schools for clinical educators 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 clinical educator 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 educators.
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. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
99%
SAT average
1,008
5. Saint Joseph's College of Maine
Standish, ME • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,069
6. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
7. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
8. Aultman College of Nursing and Health Sciences
Canton, OH • Private
Admissions rate
75%
SAT average
1,085
9. Saint Martin's University
Lacey, WA • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,111
10. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
Average clinical educator salary by education level
| Clinical educator education level | Clinical educator salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $80,074 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $72,361 |
| Doctorate Degree | $74,684 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $63,465 |
Clinical educator education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common healthcare practitioner and technical questions.
Search for clinical educator jobs
Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025