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Nurse anesthesia program director education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a nurse anesthesia program director. Nurse anesthesia program directors usually study nursing, education, or business. 44% of nurse anesthesia program directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 31% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 114 real nurse anesthesia program director resumes to see exactly what nurse anesthesia program director education sections show.

The most common colleges for nurse anesthesia program directors are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online nurse anesthesia program director courses to help get the education required to be a nurse anesthesia program director.

What education do you need to become a nurse anesthesia program director?

What degree do you need to be a nurse anesthesia program director?

The most common degree for nurse anesthesia program directors is bachelor's degree, with 44% of nurse anesthesia program directors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 31% and master's degree degree at 10%.
  • Bachelor's, 44%
  • Master's, 31%
  • Associate, 10%
  • Doctorate, 10%
  • Other Degrees, 5%

What should I major in to become a nurse anesthesia program director?

You should major in nursing to become a nurse anesthesia program director. 72% of nurse anesthesia program directors major in nursing. Other common majors for a nurse anesthesia program director include education and business.

Most common colleges for nurse anesthesia program directors

Nurse anesthesia program directors often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, University of Illinois at Chicago, and Hardin-Simmons University. Here are the most common colleges for nurse anesthesia program directors in the US based on their resumes.
Nurse anesthesia program director common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix22.58%
University of Illinois at Chicago6.45%
Hardin-Simmons University6.45%
California State University - Los Angeles6.45%
Mount Saint Mary College6.45%

Best majors for nurse anesthesia program directors

RankMajorPercentages
1Nursing72.0%
2Education4.0%
3Business3.0%
4Psychology3.0%
5Biology2.0%

Best colleges for nurse anesthesia program directors

The best colleges for nurse anesthesia program directors are University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Northwestern University.

A nurse anesthesia program director with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for nurse anesthesia program directors. 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 nurse anesthesia program directors.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

3. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

5. SUNY at Buffalo

Buffalo, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,099

Enrollment

21,404

6. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

7. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

8. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

In-state tuition

$49,816

Enrollment

6,840

9. University of Iowa

Iowa City, IA • Private

In-state tuition

$9,267

Enrollment

23,410

10. Indiana University Bloomington

Bloomington, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$10,681

Enrollment

32,991

20 best online courses for nurse anesthesia program directors

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1. Fundamentals for Implementing a Hypertension Program

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2. Introduction to Integrative Nursing

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Learn Web Programming from a University Professor in Computer Science with over 20 years of teaching experience...

5. Health After Cancer: Cancer Survivorship for Primary Care

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This course presents basic principles of cancer survivorship to primary-care physicians. Developed by a team of experts in caring for cancer survivors, and narrated by a primary-care physician, this course provides practical tips and tools that can be easily integrated into medical practice. You will learn about the complex physical and psychosocial needs and concerns of the growing number of cancer survivors, along with the key role that primary care physicians have in guiding these patients...

6. Nursing Informatics Leadership Theory and Practice

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9. HI-FIVE: Health Informatics For Innovation, Value & Enrichment (Clinical Perspective)

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HI-FIVE (Health Informatics For Innovation, Value & Enrichment) Training is a 12-hour online course designed by Columbia University in 2016, with sponsorship from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC). The training is role-based and uses case scenarios. Also, it has additional, optional modules on other topics of interest or relevance. Although we suggest to complete the course within a month's timeframe, the course is self-paced and so you can start and...

10. Emergency Care: Pregnancy, Infants, and Children

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Welcome to the final course of lectures in your quest to master EMT basics. In this course, we will cover some of the highest-stress patient populations: pregnant patients and kids, also known as pediatrics. To wrap up your EMT knowledge we will end this course with information about hazmat situations, extricating patients from tight spots and finally how you write a note about your patient care. You will learn to ensure it communicates what your assessment of the patient was, what...

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Top 10 most affordable universities for nurse anesthesia program directors

The most affordable schools for nurse anesthesia program directors are California State University - Long Beach, california state university - dominguez hills, and california state university - bakersfield.

If the best universities for nurse anesthesia program directors 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 nurse anesthesia program directors.

1. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

2. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

3. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

4. Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$4,831

Cost of attendance

19,559

5. California State University - Fresno

Fresno, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,587

Cost of attendance

16,915

6. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Cost of attendance

25,527

7. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

8. California State University - Northridge

Northridge, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,893

Cost of attendance

18,870

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. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for nurse anesthesia program directors

The hardest universities for nurse anesthesia program directors to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for nurse anesthesia program directors 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 nurse anesthesia program directors 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. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

4. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

5. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

7. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

Admissions rate

23%

SAT average

1,398

8. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

9. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,422

10. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for nurse anesthesia program directors

The easiest schools for nurse anesthesia program directors to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, gwynedd mercy university, and barry university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a nurse anesthesia program director 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 nurse anesthesia program directors.

1. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

2. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

3. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

4. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

5. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

6. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

7. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

8. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

9. AdventHealth University

Orlando, FL • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,016

10. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

Average nurse anesthesia program director salary by education level

According to our data, nurse anesthesia program directors with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $85,886 annually. Nurse anesthesia program directors with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $72,736.
Nurse anesthesia program director education levelNurse anesthesia program director salary
Master's Degree$85,886
Bachelor's Degree$72,736

Nurse anesthesia program director 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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