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Rural health consultant education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a rural health consultant. Rural health consultants usually study nursing, rural sociology, or biology. 55% of rural health consultants hold a bachelor's degree, and 30% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 34 real rural health consultant resumes to see exactly what rural health consultant education sections show.

The most common colleges for rural health consultants are the Whitworth University and the Whitworth University.

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

What education do you need to become a rural health consultant?

What degree do you need to be a rural health consultant?

The most common degree for rural health consultants is bachelor's degree, with 55% of rural health consultants earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 30% and associate degree degree at 15%.
  • Bachelor's, 55%
  • Associate, 30%
  • Master's, 15%

What should I major in to become a rural health consultant?

You should major in nursing to become a rural health consultant. 18% of rural health consultants major in nursing. Other common majors for a rural health consultant include rural sociology and biology.

Most common colleges for rural health consultants

Rural health consultants often get their degrees at Whitworth University, University of Southern Mississippi, and University of Chicago. Here are the most common colleges for rural health consultants in the US based on their resumes.
Rural health consultant common collegePercentages
Whitworth University13.33%
University of Southern Mississippi6.67%
University of Chicago6.67%
Kansas State University6.67%
University of Alaska Fairbanks6.67%

Best majors for rural health consultants

Best colleges for rural health consultants

The best colleges for rural health consultants are University of Pennsylvania, Boston College, and Case Western Reserve University.

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

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

4. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

5. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,464

Enrollment

9,639

6. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

7. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Enrollment

32,072

8. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Enrollment

16,205

9. Case Western Reserve University

Cleveland, OH • Private

In-state tuition

$49,042

Enrollment

5,131

10. University of Central Florida

Orlando, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,368

Enrollment

58,392

20 best online courses for rural health consultants

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1. Health Care Delivery in Healthcare Organizations

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Have you ever needed health care and thought that there must be better ways to get or deliver health care? For example, have you found yourself thinking that there should be a way to get a diagnostic test or treatment at home? Or do you work in a healthcare organization and find yourself thinking that there must be better ways to deliver health care? If you have, this course is for you. Course content includes an overview of health care delivery including healthcare consumerism, the patient's...

2. Health for All Through Primary Health Care

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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...

3. Certified Electronic Health Records Specialist

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Health Information Technology HIT...

4. Health Data 101

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An Introduction to Health Data for data analysts...

5. Addiction Treatment: Clinical Skills for Healthcare Providers

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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...

6. 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...

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8. The 5 Element Theory: How to Enhance Health and Healing

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9. Health Care IT: Challenges and Opportunities

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A strong argument can be made that the health care field is one of the most information-intensive sectors in the U.S. economy and avoidance of the rapid advances in information technology is no longer an option. Consequently, the study of health care information technology and systems has become central to health care delivery effectiveness. This course covers the modern application of information technology that is critical to supporting the vision and operational knowledge of the health care...

10. Health Informatics for Healthcare Professionals

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This course is best suited for individuals currently in the healthcare sector, as a provider, payer, or administrator. Individuals pursuing a career change to the healthcare sector may also be interested in this course. In this course, you will have an opportunity to explore concepts and topics related to the design and management of health information systems. After an introduction to the history and current status of information systems in healthcare, you will then explore the areas of...

11. Health Coaching Certification Holistic Wellness Health Coach

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Health Coaching Practitioner Course Graduates Prepared Health Coaching Specialists in Holistic Wellness Health Coaching...

12. Consulting Business: How to Start a Consulting Business

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Consulting Business 90-Step Startup + 5-Phase Consulting Business Proposal Plan to Start Consulting Business Fast...

13. 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...

14. Operations and Patient Safety for Healthcare IT Staff

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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...

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Learn and practice how to transform raw healthcare claims data into valuable knowledge and actionable insights!...

16. Internationally Accredited Diploma in Health & Wellness

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Learn about holistic health, wellness, key biomarkers, good sleep and ways to optimize your health...

17. Professionalism in Allied Health

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This course will benefit anyone considering a career in allied health, as well as those already working the field. Allied Health Professionals must be committed to the key attributes of professionalism and strive to reflect this within the delivery of patient-centered, safe, and effective care. “Professionalism” is a broad term which reflects many different skills and abilities. For an individual to exhibit professionalism, they must be armed with specific skills and abilities that do not...

18. Health Coaching Conversations

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Are you a healthcare practitioner or student in a healthcare field? Do you want to learn how to have more empowering conversations with your patients and support them to take control of their own health and wellbeing? Are you looking for a course to start learning these skills that also fits with your busy life? If so, this is the course for you! In this course, you will become much more familiar with some key health coaching principles and skills, and will be equipped to start applying these...

19. Population Health: Governance

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How can we organise care in such a way that we optimize experience, quality and costs? What type of governance is needed? And how should healthcare organisations collaborate? These are central questions in this course. In answering them, we depart from a recognition of the impact of three crucial global shifts in health care governance: 1) the change in focus from cure to population health, 2) the increased attention to social determinants of health, and 3) the stronger involvement of...

20. Foundational Skills for Communicating About Health

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Effective communication is a core skill that nearly every health professional will need and use during their careers. Yet, few health professionals receive even basic training in how to design communications to be clear and successful. As “foundational skills,” the content in this course can be applied to both oral and written communication, within and beyond health. Learners will develop the skills to: analyze and tailor a communication effort for different audiences, develop clear messages,...

Top 10 most affordable universities for rural health consultants

The most affordable schools for rural health consultants are Hunter College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and brigham young university.

If the best universities for rural health consultants 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 rural health consultants.

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. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

4. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

5. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

6. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

7. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

8. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

9. Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$4,831

Cost of attendance

19,559

10. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for rural health consultants

The hardest universities for rural health consultants to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Boston College, and Case Western Reserve University.

Some great schools for rural health consultants 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 rural health consultants 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. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

3. Case Western Reserve University

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,443

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

6. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

Admissions rate

23%

SAT average

1,398

7. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

8. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,422

9. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

10. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for rural health consultants

The easiest schools for rural health consultants to get into are Nyack College, mount saint mary's university, and kean university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a rural health consultant 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 rural health consultants.

1. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

2. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

3. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

4. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

5. Texas Woman's University

Denton, TX • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,059

6. College of New Rochelle, The

New Rochelle, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

982

7. AdventHealth University

Orlando, FL • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,016

8. Washington Adventist Hospital

Takoma Park, MD • Private

Admissions rate

52%

SAT average

958

9. Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,053

10. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

Average rural health consultant salary by education level

According to our data, rural health consultants with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $64,038 annually. Rural health consultants with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $51,470.
Rural health consultant education levelRural health consultant salary
Master's Degree$64,038
High School Diploma or Less$40,476
Bachelor's Degree$51,470
Some College/ Associate Degree$43,337

Rural health consultant 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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