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Clinician education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a clinician. Clinicians usually study psychology, social work, or counseling psychology. 49% of clinicians hold a bachelor's degree, and 41% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 26,513 real clinician resumes to see exactly what clinician education sections show.
The most common colleges for clinicians are the Springfield College and the Springfield College.
There are also many online clinician courses to help get the education required to be a clinician.
There are certain clinician certifications that you should consider. These clinician certifications include Certified Medical Interpreter - Spanish (CMI) and Certification in Forensic Social Work (CFSW).
What education do you need to become a clinician?
What degree do you need to be a clinician?
- Bachelor's, 49%
- Master's, 41%
- Associate, 5%
- Doctorate, 3%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a clinician?
- Psychology, 24%
- Social Work, 21%
- Other Majors, 42%
Most common colleges for clinicians
| Clinician common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Springfield College | 7.51% |
| University of Phoenix | 7.18% |
| Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey | 6.44% |
| Boston University | 6.29% |
| New York University | 6.10% |
Best majors for clinicians
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psychology | 24.2% |
| 2 | Social Work | 21.0% |
| 3 | Counseling Psychology | 7.0% |
| 4 | Mental Health Counseling | 6.4% |
| 5 | Nursing | 5.9% |
Best colleges for clinicians
The best colleges for clinicians are Johns Hopkins University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University in the City of New York.
A clinician with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for clinicians. 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 clinicians.
1. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Enrollment
31,503
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
3. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Enrollment
16,205
4. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
5. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
6. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
7. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
8. San Jose State University
San Jose, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,796
Enrollment
27,125
9. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
10. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
20 best online courses for clinicians
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14. Abnormal Behavior & Clinical Psychology (Certificate)
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15. CBT: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy For Therapists & Coaches
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16. Providing Trauma-Informed Care
Exploring psychological trauma and how to provide care and compassion to trauma survivors...
17. Anger Management & Conflict Resolution Program - (4 hours)
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19. Metacognitive Therapy
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20. Introduction to CBT: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
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Top 10 most affordable universities for clinicians
The most affordable schools for clinicians 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 clinicians 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 clinicians.
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. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
5. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
6. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
7. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
8. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
9. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
10. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for clinicians
The hardest universities for clinicians to get into are Johns Hopkins University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University in the City of New York.
Some great schools for clinicians 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 clinicians 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. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
5. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
6. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
Admissions rate
28%
SAT average
1,429
7. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
8. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
9. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
10. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for clinicians
The easiest schools for clinicians 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 clinician 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 clinicians.
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. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
5. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
6. Texas Woman's University
Denton, TX • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,059
7. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
8. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
9. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
10. College of New Rochelle, The
New Rochelle, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
982
Average clinician salary by education level
| Clinician education level | Clinician salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $69,688 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $50,501 |
Clinician education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common community and social services questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025