Sterile processing technician education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a sterile processing technician. Sterile processing technicians usually study medical technician, business, or nursing. 30% of sterile processing technicians hold a associate degree, and 22% hold an high school diploma. We analyzed 9,626 real sterile processing technician resumes to see exactly what sterile processing technician education sections show.

The most common colleges for sterile processing technicians are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online sterile processing technician courses to help get the education required to be a sterile processing technician.

There are certain sterile processing technician certifications that you should consider. These sterile processing technician certifications include Certified Sterile Processing Management (CSPM) and Certified Registered Central Service Technician (CRSCT).

What education do you need to become a sterile processing technician?

What degree do you need to be a sterile processing technician?

The most common degree for sterile processing technicians is associate degree, with 30% of sterile processing technicians earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are high school diploma degree at 22% and high school diploma degree at 18%.

Associate, 30%

High School Diploma, 22%

Bachelor's, 18%

Diploma, 14%

Other Degrees, 16%

What should I major in to become a sterile processing technician?

You should major in medical technician to become a sterile processing technician. 30% of sterile processing technicians major in medical technician. Other common majors for a sterile processing technician include business and nursing.

Medical Technician, 30%

Business, 11%

Nursing, 9%

General Studies, 7%

Other Majors, 43%

Most common colleges for sterile processing technicians

Sterile processing technicians often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Baker College, and Concorde Career College. Here are the most common colleges for sterile processing technicians in the US based on their resumes.

Sterile processing technician common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	11.33%
Baker College	10.55%
Concorde Career College	10.16%
Purdue University	8.59%
St. Louis	6.25%

Show more common sterile processing technician colleges

Best majors for sterile processing technicians

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Medical Technician	30.2%
2	Business	10.9%
3	Nursing	8.5%
4	General Studies	7.2%
5	Health Care Administration	6.1%

Show more common sterile processing technician majors

Best colleges for sterile processing technicians

The best colleges for sterile processing technicians are New York University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and George Washington University, The.

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

1. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

2. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

3. University of Wisconsin - Madison

Madison, WI • Private

In-state tuition

$10,555

Enrollment

30,360

4. University of Connecticut

Storrs, CT • Private

In-state tuition

$15,730

Enrollment

18,830

5. University of Central Florida

Orlando, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,368

Enrollment

58,392

6. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

7. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,625

Enrollment

17,407

8. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Enrollment

31,321

9. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

10. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

20 best online courses for sterile processing technicians

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8. Introduction to process control and instrumentation

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16. Introduction to Business Process Modeling

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17. Executive Briefing: Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

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18. NLP - Natural Language Processing with Python

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19. Process/Chemical Engineering - BOOTCAMP 2021

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20. Signal processing problems, solved in MATLAB and in Python

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Top 10 most affordable universities for sterile processing technicians

The most affordable schools for sterile processing technicians are Brigham Young University, suny farmingdale, and minot state university.

If the best universities for sterile processing technicians 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 sterile processing technicians.

1. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

2. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

3. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

4. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

5. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

6. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

7. University of Central Florida

Orlando, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,368

Cost of attendance

21,034

8. York College of the City University of New York

Jamaica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,158

Cost of attendance

14,204

9. Louisiana State University at Alexandria

Alexandria, LA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,668

Cost of attendance

14,488

10. Baptist Memorial College of Health Sciences

Memphis, TN • Private

In-state tuition

$11,900

Cost of attendance

21,002

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for sterile processing technicians

The hardest universities for sterile processing technicians to get into are New York University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and George Washington University, The.

Some great schools for sterile processing technicians 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 sterile processing technicians 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. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

2. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

Admissions rate

23%

SAT average

1,398

3. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

4. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

5. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,326

6. Baylor University

Waco, TX • Private

Admissions rate

39%

SAT average

1,307

7. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

Admissions rate

39%

SAT average

1,367

8. University of Wisconsin - Madison

Madison, WI • Private

Admissions rate

52%

SAT average

1,365

9. Saint Louis University

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

58%

SAT average

1,304

10. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

Admissions rate

49%

SAT average

1,347

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for sterile processing technicians

The easiest schools for sterile processing technicians to get into are Gwynedd Mercy University, adventhealth university, and d'youville college.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a sterile processing technician 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 sterile processing technicians.

1. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

2. AdventHealth University

Orlando, FL • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,016

3. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

4. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

5. Thomas More University

Crestview Hills, KY • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

1,099

6. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

7. Midwestern State University

Wichita Falls, TX • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,033

8. Texas Woman's University

Denton, TX • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,059

9. Holy Family University

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,017

10. Washington Adventist Hospital

Takoma Park, MD • Private

Admissions rate

52%

SAT average

958

Average sterile processing technician salary by education level

Sterile processing technicians with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $46,823 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, sterile processing technicians earn a median annual income of $42,560 compared to $40,083 for sterile processing technicians with an Associate degree.

Sterile processing technician education level	Sterile processing technician salary
Master's Degree	$46,823
High School Diploma or Less	$38,342
Bachelor's Degree	$42,560
Some College/ Associate Degree	$40,083

Sterile processing technician education FAQs

What is the best college for Sterile Processing Technicians?

Have more questions? See all answers to common healthcare support questions.

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Updated January 8, 2025

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.

Updated January 8, 2025

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