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Clinical externship education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a clinical externship. Clinical externships usually study psychology, social work, or biology. 63% of clinical externships hold a bachelor's degree, and 14% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 18,102 real clinical externship resumes to see exactly what clinical externship education sections show.
The most common colleges for clinical externships are the University of California, Santa Barbara and the University of California, Santa Barbara.
There are also many online clinical externship courses to help get the education required to be a clinical externship.
There are certain clinical externship certifications that you should consider. These clinical externship certifications include Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (NHA) and Certified Clinical Research Professional (CCRP).
What education do you need to become a clinical externship?
What degree do you need to be a clinical externship?
- Bachelor's, 63%
- Master's, 14%
- Associate, 11%
- Doctorate, 4%
- Other Degrees, 8%
What should I major in to become a clinical externship?
- Psychology, 30%
- Social Work, 8%
- Biology, 7%
- Other Majors, 50%
Most common colleges for clinical externships
| Clinical externship common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of California, Santa Barbara | 9.80% |
| University of California - Davis | 7.55% |
| Florida State University | 7.37% |
| Temple University | 5.98% |
| University of Florida | 5.46% |
Best majors for clinical externships
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psychology | 29.6% |
| 2 | Social Work | 8.5% |
| 3 | Biology | 6.7% |
| 4 | Medical Assisting Services | 5.2% |
| 5 | Kinesiology | 4.6% |
Best colleges for clinical externships
The best colleges for clinical externships are Johns Hopkins University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University in the City of New York.
A clinical externship 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 externships. 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 externships.
1. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Enrollment
31,503
2. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Enrollment
16,205
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
4. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
5. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
6. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
7. San Jose State University
San Jose, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,796
Enrollment
27,125
8. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
9. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
10. Coppin State University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$8,873
Enrollment
2,326
20 best online courses for clinical externships
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13. Predictive Modeling and Transforming Clinical Practice
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14. Informed Clinical Decision Making using Deep Learning
This specialisation is for learners with experience in programming that are interested in expanding their skills in applying deep learning in Electronic Health Records and with a focus on how to translate their models into Clinical Decision Support Systems.\n\nThe main areas that would explore are:\n\nData mining of Clinical Databases: Ethics, MIMIC III database, International Classification of Disease System and definition of common clinical outcomes. Deep learning in Electronic Health...
15. The Beginners Course for Clinical Research
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16. Good Clinical Practice for Clinical Research Professionals
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17. [Accredited] Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) Counselor
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18. Addiction & Mental Health (Dual Diagnosis) Integrative 12hrs
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19. Certificate Course in Clinical Research (CCCR)
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20. Managing mental health issues in the workplace
Learn how to support your own mental health and wellbeing and that of your staff...
Top 10 most affordable universities for clinical externships
The most affordable schools for clinical externships are Hunter College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and baruch college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for clinical externships 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 externships.
1. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
2. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
3. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
4. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
5. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
6. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
7. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
8. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
9. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
10. Minot State University
Minot, ND • Private
In-state tuition
$7,064
Cost of attendance
15,576
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for clinical externships
The hardest universities for clinical externships to get into are Johns Hopkins University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University in the City of New York.
Some great schools for clinical externships 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 externships 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. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
3. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
4. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
5. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
Admissions rate
28%
SAT average
1,429
6. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
7. Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,443
8. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
9. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
Admissions rate
23%
SAT average
1,434
10. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for clinical externships
The easiest schools for clinical externships to get into are Nyack 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 externship 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 externships.
1. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
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. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
5. Texas Woman's University
Denton, TX • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,059
6. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
7. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
8. College of New Rochelle, The
New Rochelle, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
982
9. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
10. Fresno Pacific University
Fresno, CA • Private
Admissions rate
85%
SAT average
1,053
Average clinical externship salary by education level
| Clinical externship education level | Clinical externship salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $39,455 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $31,956 |
Clinical externship education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025