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Clinical medical transcriptionist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a clinical medical transcriptionist. Clinical medical transcriptionists usually study nursing, health care administration, or business. 54% of clinical medical transcriptionists hold a bachelor's degree, and 18% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 245 real clinical medical transcriptionist resumes to see exactly what clinical medical transcriptionist education sections show.

The most common colleges for clinical medical transcriptionists are the University of Rhode Island and the University of Rhode Island.

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

There are certain clinical medical transcriptionist certifications that you should consider. These clinical medical transcriptionist certifications include Medical Assistant and Certified Medical Transcriptionist (CMT).

What education do you need to become a clinical medical transcriptionist?

What degree do you need to be a clinical medical transcriptionist?

The most common degree for clinical medical transcriptionists is bachelor's degree, with 54% of clinical medical transcriptionists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 18% and associate degree degree at 7%.
  • Bachelor's, 54%
  • Associate, 18%
  • Master's, 7%
  • Diploma, 7%
  • Other Degrees, 14%

What should I major in to become a clinical medical transcriptionist?

You should major in nursing to become a clinical medical transcriptionist. 26% of clinical medical transcriptionists major in nursing. Other common majors for a clinical medical transcriptionist include health care administration and business.

Most common colleges for clinical medical transcriptionists

Clinical medical transcriptionists often get their degrees at University of Rhode Island, Curry College, and Pennsylvania State University. Here are the most common colleges for clinical medical transcriptionists in the US based on their resumes.
Clinical medical transcriptionist common collegePercentages
University of Rhode Island8.00%
Curry College8.00%
Pennsylvania State University8.00%
University of Vermont8.00%
San Jose State University8.00%

Best majors for clinical medical transcriptionists

RankMajorPercentages
1Nursing26.2%
2Health Care Administration16.5%
3Business10.7%
4Biology7.8%
5Psychology4.9%

Best colleges for clinical medical transcriptionists

The best colleges for clinical medical transcriptionists are New York University, University of Virginia, and University of Connecticut.

A clinical medical transcriptionist 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 medical transcriptionists. 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 medical transcriptionists.

1. University of Connecticut

Storrs, CT • Private

In-state tuition

$15,730

Enrollment

18,830

2. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

3. Jefferson College of Health Sciences

Roanoke, VA • Private

In-state tuition

$26,886

Enrollment

774

4. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Arecibo

Arecibo, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$5,872

Enrollment

3,553

5. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

6. Ohio State University

Columbus, OH • Private

In-state tuition

$10,726

Enrollment

45,769

7. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Bayamon

Bayamon, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$5,940

Enrollment

4,169

8. Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

New Brunswick, NJ • Private

In-state tuition

$14,974

Enrollment

35,656

9. University of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$19,080

Enrollment

19,127

10. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

20 best online courses for clinical medical transcriptionists

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Top 10 most affordable universities for clinical medical transcriptionists

The most affordable schools for clinical medical transcriptionists are Hunter College of the City University of New York, california state university - los angeles, and suny farmingdale.

If the best universities for clinical medical transcriptionists 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 medical transcriptionists.

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 - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

3. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

4. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

5. Louisiana State University at Alexandria

Alexandria, LA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,668

Cost of attendance

14,488

6. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

7. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

8. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

9. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

10. Midwestern State University

Wichita Falls, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$9,233

Cost of attendance

18,110

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for clinical medical transcriptionists

The hardest universities for clinical medical transcriptionists to get into are New York University, University of Virginia, and University of Connecticut.

Some great schools for clinical medical transcriptionists 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 medical transcriptionists 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. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

2. University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA • Private

Admissions rate

26%

SAT average

1,427

3. University of Connecticut

Storrs, CT • Private

Admissions rate

49%

SAT average

1,318

4. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

5. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

Admissions rate

23%

SAT average

1,398

6. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

7. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

8. University of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

59%

SAT average

1,367

9. Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

New Brunswick, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

60%

SAT average

1,303

10. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for clinical medical transcriptionists

The easiest schools for clinical medical transcriptionists to get into are AdventHealth University, gwynedd mercy university, and d'youville college.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a clinical medical transcriptionist 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 medical transcriptionists.

1. AdventHealth University

Orlando, FL • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,016

2. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

3. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

4. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

5. Thomas More University

Crestview Hills, KY • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

1,099

6. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

7. Midwestern State University

Wichita Falls, TX • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,033

8. Washington Adventist Hospital

Takoma Park, MD • Private

Admissions rate

52%

SAT average

958

9. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

10. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

Average clinical medical transcriptionist salary by education level

According to our data, clinical medical transcriptionists with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $39,352 annually. Clinical medical transcriptionists with a Doctorate degree earn an average annual salary of $38,967.
Clinical medical transcriptionist education levelClinical medical transcriptionist salary
Master's Degree$39,352
High School Diploma or Less$31,758
Bachelor's Degree$38,383
Doctorate Degree$38,967
Some College/ Associate Degree$35,081

Clinical medical transcriptionist 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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