The Best Medical Assistant Programs

School type: Public
Net price: $353
Graduation rate: 77%

Apollo Career Center offers a full-time certificate program that allows students to become medical assistants. The program is designed to provide a balanced clinical and administrative curriculum with comprehensive lectures and laboratory courses, with a clinical practicum in local healthcare facilities. Students will learn both the administrative and clinical duties of medical assisting and can earn certificates in medical assisting, phlebotomy, and medical coding.

School type: Private
Net price: $33,132
Graduation rate: 53%

The Carrington College medical assisting program at the Sacramento campus can be completed in as few as nine months for a certificate or as few as 16 months for an associate degree. The program is offered at 16 locations around the country, including Arizona, California, Idaho, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. Graduation from this program requires the completion of courses such as MA Administration Theory and MA Clinical Applications.

School type: Private
Net price: $27,761
Graduation rate: 50%

The Carrington College medical assisting program at the San Leandro campus can be completed in as few as nine months for a certificate or as few as 16 months for an associate degree. Graduation from this program requires completing courses such as MA Administration Theory and MA Clinical Applications.

School type: Public
Net price: $10,804
Graduation rate: 55%

At Fox Valley Technical College, students can earn a technical diploma in medical assisting through either a daytime or evening program with just 32 credits. This program will teach students to become essential parts of a healthcare team, with roles such as taking vital signs, assisting physicians with examinations and minor office procedures, and administering medications.

School type: Private
Net price: $22,203
Graduation rate: 83%

The Hunter Business School offers one of the quickest medical assisting programs available, with students able to complete it in as little as 7.5 months for a daytime program or 15 months for an evening program. This program can prepare students with a passion for the healthcare field to enter the medical assisting field quickly with hands-on experience in a real medical setting where they're able to foster professional relationships with actual patients.

School type: Public
Net price: $9,476
Graduation rate: 75%

The Lake Technical College medical assisting program allows students to graduate in as little as 43 weeks and start their careers as medical assistants. Students in this program will learn administrative skills such as appointment scheduling, billing, telephone skills, insurance, transcription, and more. They'll also learn clinical skills like EKG, blood draws, injections, vital signs, patient exam preparation, and assisting physicians during exams and office surgeries.

School type: Private
Net price: $23,941
Graduation rate: 76%

The Lansdale School of Business's medical assistant program prepares graduates to become important members of a health team. Students can choose between a short certificate program or an associate's degree. In the program, students will learn many aspects of medical assisting, including laboratory and clinical skills, medical administration, medical terminology and pharmacology, and more.

School type: Private
Net price: $7,604
Graduation rate: 77%

The medical assisting program at Laurel Business Institute trains students to become Clinical Medical Assistants (CMAs). Students will go through 1,215 hours of coursework to gain certifications in medical assisting, phlebotomy, ECG certification, CPR, and first aid. Students will learn important medical skills such as medical records, anatomy and physiology, medical terminology, pharmacology, coding, and more.

School type: Public
Net price: $9,765
Graduation rate: 91%

The Lorenzo Walker Technical College medical assisting program teaches practitioners to work primarily in settings such as medical offices and clinics. This program teaches important skills like computer skills, medical terminology, appointment scheduling, medical correspondence, billing, coding, insurance, hands-on care, and more. This program, starting in August, requires 1,300 hours, with the ability to graduate in just two semesters.

School type: Public
Net price: $9,935
Graduation rate: 70%

At the Mahoning County Career and Technical Center, students can graduate from a medical assisting program in as little as 41 weeks, for a total of 945 class hours. This program will train students with the skills they need to work in a physician's office, outpatient or ambulatory care facility, extended care facility, and more.

In this program, students are cross-trained to perform both administrative and clinical duties, allowing them to collect and record patient medical histories and vital signs, assist in tests and minor procedures, give injections, change dressings, and more.

School type: Public
Net price: $4,106
Graduation rate: 91%

The medical assisting program at Manatee Technical College is designed to prepare students for employment as medical assistants in a variety of healthcare settings. Students will learn critical administrative and clinical skills like clerical and managerial skills, phlebotomy, laboratory skills, patient care, and more.

School type: Private
Net price: $24,978
Graduation rate: 74%

Through the Midwest Technical Institute's East Peoria campus, you can complete the medical assisting program in as little as nine months. This program provides flexibility, allowing students to choose between daytime and evening classes. It's a hands-on program that brings real-world experiences to the classroom and lab, including training on assisting with physical exams, EKGs, X-ray procedures, performing routine lab tests, administering medications, and more.

School type: Private
Net price: $23,227
Graduation rate: 56%

The Ohio Business College Sheffield campus allows students to complete a medical assistant program in just 12 months and will help place them on jobs once they've completed the program. This program helps prepare students for a career as a medical assistant capable of working in any medical office or facility. Students gain exposure to subjects such as human anatomy, pharmacology, record-keeping, clinical and administrative procedures, and more.

School type: Public
Net price: $11,147
Graduation rate: 76%

At Orange Technical College's Westside Campus, you can complete the medical assisting program in 1,300 hours, which is about one year and two months. This program prepares graduates to become competent entry-level medical assistants, including teaching them how to assist with patient examinations, treatments, medications, and more.

School type: Public
Net price: $23,570
Graduation rate: 63%

At Orange Technical College's Winter Park Campus, you can complete the medical assisting program in 1,300 hours, which is about one year and two months. This program prepares graduates to become competent entry-level medical assistants, including teaching them how to assist with patient examinations, treatments, medications, and more.

School type: Public
Net price: $13,495
Graduation rate: 83%

At the Polaris Career Center in Middleburg Heights, Ohio, students can complete an accredited medical assisting program in as little as 39 weeks for both the daytime and evening programs. This program prepares students to perform administrative and clinical procedures for employment in a physician's office, clinic, or hospital. Students gain critical skills like medical terminology, communication, administration procedures, phlebotomy, assisting with minor procedures, and more.

School type: Public
Net price: $9,935
Graduation rate: 70%

The Treasure Coast Technical College medical assisting program is one of the quickest available, allowing students to graduate in just seven months and start their careers. With start dates in both August and January, this program aims to enhance the community by offering high-quality, innovative training to students who can enter the health care system as competent and professional clinical medical assistants. In this program, students will learn both the clerical and clinical aspects of the medical office setting.

School type: Public
Net price: $19,336
Graduation rate: 78%

Students of the medical assistant program at Trumbull Career & Technical Center can graduate in as little as 49 weeks and start their medical assisting careers. This program teaches both clinical and administrative skills with coursework that includes medical terminology, pharmacology, anatomy and physiology, EKG monitoring, and more. Students also have access to support services like career counseling, resume development, and placement services.

School type: Public
Net price: $10,230
Graduation rate: 63%

The medical assisting program at William T McFatter Technical College allows students to graduate in just 10 months in a hybrid program. Students can choose to attend in-person, online, or a combination of the two and earn CMA and RMA credentials. The program teaches anatomy, physiology, medical and administrative office duties, infection control, patient care techniques, and more.

School type: Public
Net price: $8,228
Graduation rate: 81%

York County School of Technology offers a medical professions program that teaches students the foundation courses to help students succeed in the medical field. Students will learn about the front office responsibilities of the medical field, including preparing medical files, documentation and confidentiality of protected health information, insurance and billing procedures, medical terminology, and medical office equipment. They'll also learn clinical skills such as EKG technology, emergency preparedness, pharmacology, and more.

The best medical assistant programs, including those on this list, provide a quality and accredited education that teaches everything students need to know about being a medical assistant. The best program for you is the one that fits with your lifestyle and provides the flexibility and resources you need.

In a medical assistant program, students learn both the administrative and clinical aspects of working in a doctor's office, including schedule, patient care, labs, and more.

While medical assistant programs can last as long as two years, most allow students to graduate in less than one year.

Medical assistant programs come with a wide range of price tags, though many cost less than $10,000.

There are online medical assistant programs and hybrid programs. If possible, we recommend attending at least some instruction in person if you plan on going into the medical field. This way, a qualified instructor can correct your work on the spot in a hands-on clinical setting.