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Psychiatric assistant education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a psychiatric assistant. Psychiatric assistants usually study psychology, nursing, or criminal justice. 61% of psychiatric assistants hold a bachelor's degree, and 16% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 806 real psychiatric assistant resumes to see exactly what psychiatric assistant education sections show.
The most common colleges for psychiatric assistants are the University of Mississippi and the University of Mississippi.
There are also many online psychiatric assistant courses to help get the education required to be a psychiatric assistant.
There are certain psychiatric assistant certifications that you should consider. These psychiatric assistant certifications include Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) and Medical Assistant.
What education do you need to become a psychiatric assistant?
What degree do you need to be a psychiatric assistant?
- Bachelor's, 61%
- Associate, 16%
- Master's, 10%
- High School Diploma, 5%
- Other Degrees, 8%
What should I major in to become a psychiatric assistant?
- Psychology, 43%
- Nursing, 8%
- Criminal Justice, 6%
- Social Work, 5%
- Other Majors, 38%
Most common colleges for psychiatric assistants
| Psychiatric assistant common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Mississippi | 11.67% |
| Millersville University of Pennsylvania | 10.83% |
| University of Central Florida | 10.00% |
| Mississippi State University | 5.83% |
| Alcorn State University | 5.00% |
Best majors for psychiatric assistants
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psychology | 43.4% |
| 2 | Nursing | 7.9% |
| 3 | Criminal Justice | 6.0% |
| 4 | Social Work | 5.3% |
| 5 | Business | 4.3% |
Best colleges for psychiatric assistants
The best colleges for psychiatric assistants are Johns Hopkins University, Northwestern University, and Duke University.
A psychiatric assistant with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for psychiatric assistants. 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 psychiatric assistants.
1. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
2. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Enrollment
31,503
3. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Enrollment
16,205
4. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
5. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
6. University of Holy Cross
New Orleans, LA • Private
In-state tuition
$14,180
Enrollment
863
7. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
8. San Jose State University
San Jose, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,796
Enrollment
27,125
9. Fairfield University
Fairfield, CT • Private
In-state tuition
$48,350
Enrollment
4,103
10. Coppin State University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$8,873
Enrollment
2,326
20 best online courses for psychiatric assistants
Advertising disclosure
1. Addiction Treatment: Clinical Skills for Healthcare Providers
This course is designed with a singular goal: to improve the care you provide to your patients with substance use disorders. By delving into a model case performed by actors, seven Yale instructors from various fields provide techniques to screen your patients for substance use disorder risk, diagnose patients to gauge the severity of their use, directly manage treatment plans, refer out to treatment services, and navigate the various conditions that may limit your patient’s access to treatment...
2. Medical Emergencies: CPR, Toxicology, and Wilderness
In this course, you will develop the knowledge and skills to assess and stabilize certain types of patients for transport. By the end of this course, you will be able to: (1) Identify the signs and symptoms associated with a patient in shock, to describe the major categories of shock, to assess a patient with signs of shock and formulate a plan for treatment to stabilize the patient for transport, (2) Identify a patient in cardiac arrest and to describe the components of high performance CPR...
3. Home Health Aide, Nurse Aide, Caregiver Certification Course
Become A Certified Home Health Aide, Personal Care Aide, Nurse Aide/ Caregiver At The End Of This Course. Enroll Now!!...
4. Crisis Intervention Seminar
The emphasis is on the development of fundamental clinical skills in the area of crisis intervention...
5. Prehospital care of acute stroke and patient selection for endovascular treatment using the RACE scale
Acute stroke is a time-dependent medical emergency. In acute ischemic stroke, the first objective is to restore brain flow using sistemic thrombolytic treatment and, in patients with large vessel occlusion, by endovascular treatment. In hemorrhagic stroke there are also specific treatments that can improve the clinical outcome. The sooner the initiation of all these therapies the higher the clinical benefit. Thus, the organization of Stroke Code systems coordinated between emergency medical...
6. Motivational Enhancement Techniques: Working with Patients with Opioid & Substance Use Disorders or High Risk Use MAT Waiver Training S...
WORKING WITH PATIENTS WITH SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS OR HIGH RISK This optional online course opportunity is made possible through a joint partnership with University of Virginia School of Medicine (UVASOM) and Nursing (SON) and the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry (AAAP), DATA 2000 sponsor. This content was created by the AAAP and has been used with permission. The course consists of one 1-hour session for healthcare providers who wish to enhance their effectiveness in treating high-risk...
7. Addiction & Mental Health (Dual Diagnosis) Integrative 12hrs
Substance Abuse & Mental Health Interventions: Drug & Alcohol Addiction & Mental Health - Integrative Holistic Approach...
8. Addiction & Mental Health - Chemically Speaking Two (2hrs)
Substance Abuse & Mental Health Interventions - Understand Drug & Alcohol Addiction & Mental Health. How to help people...
9. Health After Cancer: Cancer Survivorship for Primary Care
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...
10. COVID-19 Training for Healthcare Workers
COVID-19 is rapidly spreading across the globe and all providers must be prepared to recognize, stabilize and treat patients with novel coronavirus infection. Following completion of this short course physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals will have a unified, evidenced-based approach to saving the lives of patients with COVID-19, including those who are critically ill. Learning modules are broken into short videos presented in a richly illustrated and compelling manner. The...
11. Active Directory & Group Policy Administration for IT Techs
Active Directory & Group Policy Administration Basics for Helpdesk and Desktop / IT Support Technicians...
12. Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT): The Complete Course
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)...
13. Operations and Patient Safety for Healthcare IT Staff
Now that you've been introduced to the world of Health IT and the important role played by electronic health records (EHRs), we'll focus on other technologies that play a role in maintaining ongoing operations in healthcare. Telemedicine, patient portals, barcode scanners, printers, and medical devices are just some of the technologies that impact providers and patients. As an IT support specialist, you’ll be asked to troubleshoot issues with a wide variety of tools. You'll see a scenario with...
14. Health for All Through Primary Health Care
This course explores why primary health care is central for achieving Health for All. It provides examples of how primary health care has been instrumental in approaching this goal in selected populations and how the principles of primary health care can guide future policies and actions. Two of the most inspiring, least understood, and most often derided terms in global health discourse are “Health for All” and “Primary Health Care.” In this course, we will explore these terms in the context...
15. [Accredited] Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) Counselor
Learn DBT in depth, start conducting sessions with ready to use templates, and set up counseling practice within weeks!...
16. Managing mental health issues in the workplace
Learn how to support your own mental health and wellbeing and that of your staff...
17. Active Directory & Group Policy Lab
Learn REAL job skills and stack your resume with the experience you will gain in this course!...
18. Mastering Group Policy on Windows Server
An IT person's guide to managing Active Directory Users and Computers with Group Policy...
19. 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...
20. Cat Behavior Rectification & Cat Health Care: 2 courses in 1
1. Common Cat Behavior Issues and training methods to rectify them 2. Tips for better healthcare of your cat...
Top 10 most affordable universities for psychiatric assistants
The most affordable schools for psychiatric assistants are Hunter College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and baruch college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for psychiatric assistants 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 psychiatric assistants.
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 - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
3. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
4. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
5. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
6. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
7. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
8. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
9. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
10. Minot State University
Minot, ND • Private
In-state tuition
$7,064
Cost of attendance
15,576
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for psychiatric assistants
The hardest universities for psychiatric assistants to get into are Johns Hopkins University, Northwestern University, and Duke University.
Some great schools for psychiatric assistants 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 psychiatric assistants 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. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
3. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
4. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
5. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
6. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
Admissions rate
28%
SAT average
1,429
7. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
8. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
9. University of Rochester
Rochester, NY • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,422
10. Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,443
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for psychiatric assistants
The easiest schools for psychiatric assistants to get into are Nyack College, notre dame de namur university, and d'youville college.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a psychiatric assistant 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 psychiatric assistants.
1. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
2. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
3. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
4. Bluefield College
Bluefield, VA • Private
Admissions rate
95%
SAT average
980
5. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
6. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
7. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
8. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
9. Curry College
Milton, MA • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,026
10. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
Average psychiatric assistant salary by education level
| Psychiatric assistant education level | Psychiatric assistant salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $45,959 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $40,119 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $41,389 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $40,264 |
Psychiatric assistant education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common healthcare practitioner and technical questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025