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Medicaid specialist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a medicaid specialist. Medicaid specialists usually study business, health care administration, or psychology. 53% of medicaid specialists hold a bachelor's degree, and 20% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 1,191 real medicaid specialist resumes to see exactly what medicaid specialist education sections show.

The most common colleges for medicaid specialists are the Jackson State University and the Jackson State University.

There are also many online medicaid specialist courses to help get the education required to be a medicaid specialist.

There are certain medicaid specialist certifications that you should consider. These medicaid specialist certifications include Medical Assistant and Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS).

What education do you need to become a medicaid specialist?

What degree do you need to be a medicaid specialist?

The most common degree for medicaid specialists is bachelor's degree, with 53% of medicaid specialists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 20% and associate degree degree at 9%.
  • Bachelor's, 53%
  • Associate, 20%
  • Master's, 9%
  • High School Diploma, 9%
  • Other Degrees, 9%

What should I major in to become a medicaid specialist?

You should major in business to become a medicaid specialist. 25% of medicaid specialists major in business. Other common majors for a medicaid specialist include health care administration and psychology.

Most common colleges for medicaid specialists

Medicaid specialists often get their degrees at Jackson State University, University of Southern Mississippi, and University of Phoenix. Here are the most common colleges for medicaid specialists in the US based on their resumes.
Medicaid specialist common collegePercentages
Jackson State University13.61%
University of Southern Mississippi10.99%
University of Phoenix9.42%
Mississippi Valley State University9.42%
Mississippi State University7.85%

Best majors for medicaid specialists

RankMajorPercentages
1Business24.6%
2Health Care Administration11.0%
3Psychology10.6%
4Social Work6.4%
5Criminal Justice6.0%

Best colleges for medicaid specialists

The best colleges for medicaid specialists are Northwestern University, Duke University, and Johns Hopkins University.

A medicaid specialist with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for medicaid specialists. 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 medicaid specialists.

1. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

3. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

4. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

5. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

6. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

7. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Enrollment

13,871

8. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

9. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,625

Enrollment

17,407

10. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

20 best online courses for medicaid specialists

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Top 10 most affordable universities for medicaid specialists

The most affordable schools for medicaid specialists are Hunter College of the City University of New York, california state university - bakersfield, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for medicaid specialists 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 medicaid specialists.

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 - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

4. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

5. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

6. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

7. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

8. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

9. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

10. Lehman College of the City University of New York

Bronx, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,210

Cost of attendance

14,359

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for medicaid specialists

The hardest universities for medicaid specialists to get into are Northwestern University, Duke University, and Johns Hopkins University.

Some great schools for medicaid specialists 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 medicaid specialists 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. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,516

3. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

5. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

6. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

7. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

8. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

9. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

Admissions rate

23%

SAT average

1,434

10. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for medicaid specialists

The easiest schools for medicaid specialists to get into are D'Youville College, mount saint mary's university, and gwynedd mercy university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a medicaid specialist 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 medicaid specialists.

1. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

2. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

3. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

4. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

5. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

6. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

7. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

8. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

979

9. Holy Family University

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,017

10. Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,050

Average medicaid specialist salary by education level

Medicaid specialists with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $50,131 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, medicaid specialists earn a median annual income of $48,491 compared to $44,028 for medicaid specialists with an Associate degree.
Medicaid specialist education levelMedicaid specialist salary
Master's Degree$50,131
High School Diploma or Less$41,436
Bachelor's Degree$48,491
Some College/ Associate Degree$44,028

Medicaid specialist 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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