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Peer health educator education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a peer health educator. Peer health educators usually study psychology, public health, or biology. 78% of peer health educators hold a bachelor's degree, and 8% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 1,410 real peer health educator resumes to see exactly what peer health educator education sections show.

The most common colleges for peer health educators are the California State University - San Bernardino and the California State University - San Bernardino.

There are also many online peer health educator courses to help get the education required to be a peer health educator.

There are certain peer health educator certifications that you should consider. These peer health educator certifications include Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES) and Certified in Public Health (CPH).

What education do you need to become a peer health educator?

What degree do you need to be a peer health educator?

The most common degree for peer health educators is bachelor's degree, with 78% of peer health educators earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 8% and associate degree degree at 8%.
  • Bachelor's, 78%
  • Associate, 8%
  • Master's, 8%
  • High School Diploma, 4%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a peer health educator?

You should major in psychology to become a peer health educator. 16% of peer health educators major in psychology. Other common majors for a peer health educator include public health and biology.

Most common colleges for peer health educators

Peer health educators often get their degrees at California State University - San Bernardino, University of Massachusetts Amherst, and Elizabeth City State University. Here are the most common colleges for peer health educators in the US based on their resumes.
Peer health educator common collegePercentages
California State University - San Bernardino7.25%
University of Massachusetts Amherst7.25%
Elizabeth City State University7.25%
San Jose State University6.28%
Western Washington University5.80%

Best majors for peer health educators

RankMajorPercentages
1Psychology16.4%
2Public Health12.5%
3Biology8.4%
4Kinesiology7.9%
5Health Education6.9%

Best colleges for peer health educators

The best colleges for peer health educators are Northwestern University, Columbia University in the City of New York, and University of Southern California.

A peer health educator with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for peer health educators. 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 peer health educators.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

2. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Enrollment

34,564

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

4. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

5. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

6. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

7. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

8. San Jose State University

San Jose, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,796

Enrollment

27,125

9. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

10. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

20 best online courses for peer health educators

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1. Health for All Through Primary Health Care

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2. Instructional Methods in Health Professions Education

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This course provides those involved in educating members of the health professions an asynchronous, interdisciplinary, and interactive way to obtain, expand, and improve their teaching skills. These skills can then be applied within their own professional context, with a variety of learners, extending across many stages. After completing this course, learners will: 1. Understand educational theory as it relates to health professions education 2. Match instructional methods with desired...

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5. HI-FIVE: Health Informatics For Innovation, Value & Enrichment (Social/Peer Perspective)

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HI-FIVE (Health Informatics For Innovation, Value & Enrichment) Training is an approximately 10-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. No additional hardware or software are required for this course. Our nation’s healthcare system is changing at a rapid pace. Transformative health care delivery programs depend heavily on...

6. Comparative Health Systems

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This course uses comparative analysis of health care systems to gain a better understanding of health care systems in several high-income, middle-income and low-income countries. One focus of analysis in this course will therefore be to develop a better knowledge of these health care systems. A second focus will be to use to this analysis to gain a better understanding of the health care system in the United States. This analysis is relevant for those who are directly interested in the United...

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9. Global Health Policy

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10. Health Systems Development: Introduction to Health Systems

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13. Workplace Mental Health: A Manager's Ultimate Guide

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20. Mindfulness for Mental Health, Personal Growth & Inner Peace

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Top 10 most affordable universities for peer health educators

The most affordable schools for peer health educators are University of Florida, california state university - long beach, and hunter college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for peer health educators 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 peer health educators.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

3. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

4. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

5. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

8. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

9. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

10. California State University - Fresno

Fresno, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,587

Cost of attendance

16,915

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for peer health educators

The hardest universities for peer health educators to get into are Northwestern University, Columbia University in the City of New York, and University of Southern California.

Some great schools for peer health educators 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 peer health educators 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. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

4. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

5. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

6. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

7. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

8. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

9. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

10. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

Admissions rate

23%

SAT average

1,434

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for peer health educators

The easiest schools for peer health educators to get into are Barry University, kean university, and felician university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a peer health educator 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 peer health educators.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

3. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

4. William Paterson University of New Jersey

Wayne, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

994

5. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

6. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

7. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

8. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

9. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

10. Marymount University

Arlington, VA • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,065

Average peer health educator salary by education level

According to our data, peer health educators with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $42,394 annually. Peer health educators with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $35,588.
Peer health educator education levelPeer health educator salary
Master's Degree$42,394
High School Diploma or Less$29,489
Bachelor's Degree$35,588
Some College/ Associate Degree$30,416

Peer health educator 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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