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Clinical supervisor education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a clinical supervisor. Clinical supervisors usually study nursing, psychology, or social work. 43% of clinical supervisors hold a bachelor's degree, and 32% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 14,638 real clinical supervisor resumes to see exactly what clinical supervisor education sections show.

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

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

There are certain clinical supervisor certifications that you should consider. These clinical supervisor certifications include Certified Professional Counselor and Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA).

What education do you need to become a clinical supervisor?

What degree do you need to be a clinical supervisor?

The most common degree for clinical supervisors is bachelor's degree, with 43% of clinical supervisors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 32% and master's degree degree at 16%.
  • Bachelor's, 43%
  • Master's, 32%
  • Associate, 16%
  • Doctorate, 4%
  • Other Degrees, 5%

What should I major in to become a clinical supervisor?

You should major in nursing to become a clinical supervisor. 27% of clinical supervisors major in nursing. Other common majors for a clinical supervisor include psychology and social work.

Most common colleges for clinical supervisors

Clinical supervisors often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, New York University, and Capella University. Here are the most common colleges for clinical supervisors in the US based on their resumes.
Clinical supervisor common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix14.94%
New York University7.64%
Capella University5.83%
Walden University5.50%
Temple University5.09%

Best majors for clinical supervisors

RankMajorPercentages
1Nursing27.1%
2Psychology16.1%
3Social Work14.2%
4Counseling Psychology5.6%
5Business4.4%

Best colleges for clinical supervisors

The best colleges for clinical supervisors are University of Pennsylvania, Boston College, and Boston University.

A clinical supervisor 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 supervisors. 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 supervisors.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

4. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

5. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,464

Enrollment

9,639

6. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

7. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Enrollment

32,072

8. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Enrollment

16,205

9. University of Central Florida

Orlando, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,368

Enrollment

58,392

10. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

20 best online courses for clinical supervisors

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Top 10 most affordable universities for clinical supervisors

The most affordable schools for clinical supervisors are Hunter College of the City University of New York, baruch college of the city university of new york, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for clinical supervisors 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 supervisors.

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. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

4. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

5. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

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. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

9. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

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 supervisors

The hardest universities for clinical supervisors to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Boston College, and Boston University.

Some great schools for clinical supervisors 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 supervisors 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. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

3. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

6. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

7. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

Admissions rate

23%

SAT average

1,398

8. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

9. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

10. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,422

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

The easiest schools for clinical supervisors to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, barry university, and nyack college.

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

1. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

2. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

3. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

4. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

5. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

6. Texas Woman's University

Denton, TX • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,059

7. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

8. College of New Rochelle, The

New Rochelle, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

982

9. Washington Adventist Hospital

Takoma Park, MD • Private

Admissions rate

52%

SAT average

958

10. Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,053

Average clinical supervisor salary by education level

According to our data, clinical supervisors with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $67,879 annually. Clinical supervisors with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $54,922.
Clinical supervisor education levelClinical supervisor salary
Master's Degree$67,879
Bachelor's Degree$54,922

Clinical supervisor 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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