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Prosthetist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a prosthetist. Prosthetists usually study health sciences and services, graphic design, or physical therapy. 52% of prosthetists hold a bachelor's degree, and 14% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 50 real prosthetist resumes to see exactly what prosthetist education sections show.

The most common colleges for prosthetists are the Northwestern University and the Northwestern University.

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

What education do you need to become a prosthetist?

What degree do you need to be a prosthetist?

The most common degree for prosthetists is bachelor's degree, with 52% of prosthetists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 14% and master's degree degree at 7%.
  • Bachelor's, 52%
  • Master's, 14%
  • Associate, 7%
  • Diploma, 7%
  • Other Degrees, 20%

What should I major in to become a prosthetist?

You should major in health sciences and services to become a prosthetist. 13% of prosthetists major in health sciences and services. Other common majors for a prosthetist include graphic design and physical therapy.

Most common colleges for prosthetists

Prosthetists often get their degrees at Northwestern University, California State University - San Bernardino, and University of Pittsburgh. Here are the most common colleges for prosthetists in the US based on their resumes.
Prosthetist common collegePercentages
Northwestern University16.67%
California State University - San Bernardino8.33%
University of Pittsburgh4.17%
San Diego State University4.17%
Wabash College4.17%

Best majors for prosthetists

Best colleges for prosthetists

The best colleges for prosthetists are Northwestern University, Duke University, and University of Southern California.

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

1. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

2. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

3. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

4. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

6. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

7. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

8. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

9. Ohio State University

Columbus, OH • Private

In-state tuition

$10,726

Enrollment

45,769

10. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

20 best online courses for prosthetists

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1. Health After Cancer: Cancer Survivorship for Primary Care

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2. Prehospital care of acute stroke and patient selection for endovascular treatment using the RACE scale

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4. Trauma Emergencies and Care

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5. Traditional herbal medicine in supportive cancer care: From alternative to integrative

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Please join us for an exciting and innovative journey, examining one of the most important and often overlooked aspects of the oncology setting: Traditional Herbal Medicine in Supportive Cancer Care. This course is presented with short lectures offering a wide range of issues related to the principles and practice of herbal medicine in cancer care. The course includes interviews with leading world experts from the field of Integrative Oncology, from the U.S. and Canada, as well as Europe, the...

6. Value-Based Care: Managing Processes to Improve Outcomes

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7. Addiction Treatment: Clinical Skills for Healthcare Providers

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8. Operations and Patient Safety for Healthcare IT Staff

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9. 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...

10. Palliative Care Always Capstone Course

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11. Clinical Kidney, Pancreas and Islet Transplantation

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Kidney transplantation is a major advance of modern medicine which provides high-quality of life for patients with end-stage renal disease. What used to be an experimental, risky, and very limited treatment option more than 50 years ago is now routinely performed in many countries worldwide. The number of renal transplants is expected to rise sharply in the next decade since the proportion of patients with end stage renal disease is increasing. Are you interested in clinical kidney, pancreas...

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Top 10 most affordable universities for prosthetists

The most affordable schools for prosthetists are Baruch College of the City University of New York, hunter college of the city university of new york, and university of florida.

If the best universities for prosthetists 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 prosthetists.

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. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

4. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

5. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

6. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

7. Lehman College of the City University of New York

Bronx, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,210

Cost of attendance

14,359

8. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Cost of attendance

25,527

9. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

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 prosthetists

The hardest universities for prosthetists to get into are Northwestern University, Duke University, and University of Southern California.

Some great schools for prosthetists 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 prosthetists 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. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

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. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

9. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

Admissions rate

23%

SAT average

1,398

10. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for prosthetists

The easiest schools for prosthetists to get into are D'Youville College, 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 prosthetist 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 prosthetists.

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. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

4. AdventHealth University

Orlando, FL • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,016

5. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

6. Texas Woman's University

Denton, TX • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,059

7. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

8. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

9. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

10. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

Average prosthetist salary by education level

According to our data, prosthetists with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $108,025 annually. Prosthetists with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $65,321.
Prosthetist education levelProsthetist salary
Master's Degree$108,025
High School Diploma or Less$47,447
Bachelor's Degree$65,321
Some College/ Associate Degree$56,982

Prosthetist 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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