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Health therapist education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a health therapist. Health therapists usually study social work, psychology, or counseling psychology. 45% of health therapists hold a bachelor's degree, and 42% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 839 real health therapist resumes to see exactly what health therapist education sections show.
The most common colleges for health therapists are the Wayne State University and the Wayne State University.
There are also many online health therapist courses to help get the education required to be a health therapist.
What education do you need to become a health therapist?
What degree do you need to be a health therapist?
- Bachelor's, 45%
- Master's, 42%
- Associate, 7%
- Doctorate, 3%
- Other Degrees, 3%
What should I major in to become a health therapist?
- Social Work, 24%
- Psychology, 16%
- Other Majors, 41%
Most common colleges for health therapists
| Health therapist common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Wayne State University | 7.76% |
| University of Phoenix | 6.90% |
| University of Wisconsin Colleges | 6.03% |
| New Mexico Highlands University | 6.03% |
| Argosy University | 6.03% |
Best majors for health therapists
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Social Work | 23.9% |
| 2 | Psychology | 15.5% |
| 3 | Counseling Psychology | 9.6% |
| 4 | School Counseling | 8.5% |
| 5 | Mental Health Counseling | 8.0% |
Best colleges for health therapists
The best colleges for health therapists are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and University of Pennsylvania.
A health therapist with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for health therapists. 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 health therapists.
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. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
5. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
6. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
7. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
8. SUNY at Albany
Albany, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$10,011
Enrollment
13,434
9. San Jose State University
San Jose, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,796
Enrollment
27,125
10. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
20 best online courses for health therapists
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2. Foundational Skills for Communicating About Health
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15. Crisis Intervention Seminar
The emphasis is on the development of fundamental clinical skills in the area of crisis intervention...
16. Workplace Mental Health: A Manager's Ultimate Guide
How to manage mental health in the workplace to boost productivity and be the best boss!...
17. Mental Health First Aid Skills -
This course is designed to provide the tools and knowledge for learners to help and support those experiencing MH issues...
18. Introduction to CBT: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Online Counselling & Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) Training Course...
19. Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) Certificate
Become a Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) practitioner and help people improve their mental health...
20. Health Coaching Certification Holistic Wellness Health Coach
Health Coaching Practitioner Course Graduates Prepared Health Coaching Specialists in Holistic Wellness Health Coaching...
Top 10 most affordable universities for health therapists
The most affordable schools for health therapists are Baruch College of the City University of New York, hunter college of the city university of new york, and california state university - long beach.
If the best universities for health therapists 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 health therapists.
1. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
2. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
3. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
4. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
5. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
6. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
7. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
8. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
9. Minot State University
Minot, ND • Private
In-state tuition
$7,064
Cost of attendance
15,576
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 health therapists
The hardest universities for health therapists to get into are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and University of Pennsylvania.
Some great schools for health therapists 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 health therapists 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. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
4. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
5. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
6. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
7. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
8. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
Admissions rate
28%
SAT average
1,429
9. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
10. Fordham University
Bronx, NY • Private
Admissions rate
46%
SAT average
1,354
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for health therapists
The easiest schools for health therapists to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, 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 health therapist 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 health therapists.
1. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
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. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
6. Life University
Marietta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
94%
SAT average
979
7. Texas Woman's University
Denton, TX • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,059
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. Rosemont College
Rosemont, PA • Private
Admissions rate
89%
SAT average
1,026
Average health therapist salary by education level
| Health therapist education level | Health therapist salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $60,052 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $50,089 |
Health therapist 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