Why This Matters
-
20% OF POSITIONS REQUIRE A CERTIFICATE
A postsecondary certificate will qualify you for the 20% of medical office administration jobs that require this level of education as well as the 48% that only require a high school diploma.
-
FASTER-THAN-AVERAGE JOB GROWTH EXPECTED
Over the next decade, the number of jobs for medical secretaries and administrative assistants is projected to grow by 5% to 8%.
-
POTENTIAL TO EARN OVER $26 PER HOUR
While the median wage for medical office staff is $18.51 per hour, the top 10% of workers in this profession make more than $26.74 per hour.
Our Research
This list features some of the best online certificate in medical office administration programs at top colleges nationwide. Each school featured is a nonprofit, accredited institution — either public or private — with a high standard of academic quality for postsecondary education.
We evaluated each school’s program on admission, retention, and graduation rates as well as tuition costs, faculty, reputation, and the resources provided for online students. Then, we calculated the Intelligent Score on a scale of 0 to 100. Read more about our ranking methodology.
Next, we compared this comprehensive list of online certificate in medical office administration programs to a list of aggregated college rankings from reputable publications like U.S. News & World Report, among others, to simplify a student’s college search. We pored through these rankings so students don’t have to.
- 61 hours to write this article
- 26 universities and colleges we assessed
- 40 education programs we compared
The Top 50 Online Certificate in Medical Office Administration Programs
intelligent score 98.51
Award
Rankings
#1 Best Colleges
School Information
Goldsboro, NC
Graduation Rate: 23%
Admission Rate: 100%
Urbanicity: City
School Size: Medium
Award
Delivery Format
Online, Hybrid
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
17-18
Department
Estimated Cost per Credit
Resident: $76
Non-Resident: $268
accreditation
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
more program informationEmail:
[email protected]
Phone:
919-739-6720
Delivery Format
Online, Hybrid
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
17-18
intelligent score 97
Award
Rankings
#3 Best Colleges
#5 Best Value Schools
School Information
Henderson, NC
Graduation Rate: 24%
Admission Rate: 100%
Urbanicity: Town
School Size: Small
Award
Delivery Format
Online
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
17
Department
Estimated Cost per Credit
Resident: $76
Non-Resident: $268
accreditation
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
more program informationEmail:
[email protected]
Phone:
252-738-3327
Delivery Format
Online
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
17
intelligent score 96.44
Award
Rankings
#4 Best Colleges
#6 The Best Schools
School Information
Kinston, NC
Graduation Rate: 22%
Admission Rate: 100%
Urbanicity: Town
School Size: Small
Award
Delivery Format
Online
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
18
Department
Estimated Cost per Credit
Resident: $76
Non-Resident: $268
accreditation
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
more program informationEmail:
[email protected]
Phone:
252-527-6223
Delivery Format
Online
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
18
intelligent score 94.88
Award
Rankings
#1 The Best Schools
#5 Best Colleges
School Information
Winterville, NC
Graduation Rate: 26%
Admission Rate: 100%
Urbanicity: Suburban
School Size: Medium
Award
Delivery Format
Online
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
17
Department
Estimated Cost per Credit
Resident: $76
Non-Resident: $268
accreditation
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
more program informationEmail:
[email protected]
Phone:
252-493-7232
Delivery Format
Online
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
17
intelligent score 94.52
Award
Rankings
#2 Best Value Schools
#4 The Best Schools
#9 Best Colleges
School Information
Dobson, NC
Graduation Rate: 28%
Admission Rate: 100%
Urbanicity: Rural
School Size: Small
Award
Delivery Format
Online, On-Campus
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
12
Department
Estimated Cost per Credit
Resident: $84
Non-Resident: $276
accreditation
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
more program informationEmail:
[email protected]
Phone:
336-386-3218
Delivery Format
Online, On-Campus
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
12
intelligent score 93.92
Award
Rankings
#1 Best Value Schools
School Information
Kennesaw, GA
Graduation Rate: 48%
Admission Rate: 83%
Urbanicity: Suburban
School Size: Large
Award
Delivery Format
Hybrid
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
Non-credit
Department
Estimated Cost per Credit
$6,999 (Total program fee)
accreditation
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
more program informationEmail:
[email protected]
Phone:
470-578-6765
Delivery Format
Hybrid
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
Non-credit
intelligent score 91.17
Award
Rankings
#8 Best Colleges
#9 The Best Schools
School Information
Raleigh, NC
Graduation Rate: 25%
Admission Rate: 100%
Urbanicity: Suburban
School Size: Large
Award
Delivery Format
Online
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
18
Department
Estimated Cost per Credit
Resident: $76
Non-Resident: $268
accreditation
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
more program informationEmail:
[email protected]
Phone:
919-866-5420
Delivery Format
Online
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
18
intelligent score 90.39
Award
Rankings
#2 The Best Schools
School Information
Smithfield, NC
Graduation Rate: 39%
Admission Rate: 100%
Urbanicity: Rural
School Size: Medium
Award
Delivery Format
Online
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
17-18
Department
Estimated Cost per Credit
Resident: $76
Non-Resident: $268
accreditation
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
more program informationEmail:
[email protected]
Phone:
919-209-2128
Delivery Format
Online
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
17-18
intelligent score 89.91
Award
Rankings
#6 Best Value Schools
School Information
Jamestown, NC
Graduation Rate: 21%
Admission Rate: 100%
Urbanicity: Suburban
School Size: Medium
Award
Delivery Format
Online
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
18
Department
Estimated Cost per Credit
Resident: $76
Non-Resident: $268
accreditation
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
more program informationEmail:
[email protected]
Phone:
336-334-4822
Delivery Format
Online
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
18
intelligent score 89.48
Award
Rankings
#7 Best Value Schools
School Information
Auburn, WA
Graduation Rate: 41%
Admission Rate: 100%
Urbanicity: City
School Size: Medium
Award
Delivery Format
Online
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
54
Department
Estimated Cost per Credit
$107
accreditation
Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
more program informationEmail:
[email protected]
Phone:
253-333-6000
Delivery Format
Online
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
54
intelligent score 89.1
Award
Rankings
School Information
Worcester, MA
Graduation Rate: 29%
Admission Rate: 100%
Urbanicity: City
School Size: Medium
Award
Delivery Format
Online, On-Campus
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
27
Department
Estimated Cost per Credit
$205
accreditation
New England Commission of Higher Education
more program informationEmail:
[email protected]
Phone:
508-853-2300
Delivery Format
Online, On-Campus
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
27
intelligent score 88.69
Award
Rankings
School Information
Asheboro, NC
Graduation Rate: 28%
Admission Rate: 100%
Urbanicity: Town
School Size: Small
Award
Delivery Format
Online, Hybrid
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
18
Department
Estimated Cost per Credit
Resident: $76
Non-Resident: $268
accreditation
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
more program informationEmail:
[email protected]
Phone:
336-633-0200
Delivery Format
Online, Hybrid
Programs
Required Credits to Graduate
18
Discover More Options
What You Should Know About This Degree
Individuals interested in working in medical offices might also consider medical billing or transcription certificates. Another option is an associate degree in healthcare administration. More specific certificate programs, such as one for medical billing, position you to do specific jobs.
It’s important to ensure your time and money is well spent when you’re learning about medical office administration. You can increase your odds of having a positive experience by seeking out schools that are accredited by DOE-recognized organizations such as SACSCOC or NWCCU.
Students may need to pass final exams or complete a final project to receive their certification. Typically, there are no licensing requirements for those who want to work in medical office administration.
What’s Next?
Here are some questions to ask when researching online certificate in medical office administration programs:
- Am I eligible for this program? Most of these programs only require a high school diploma or GED. You may also need to be able to provide documentation of basic math and language competencies or take a test demonstrating them.
- How long does it take to complete this online degree? How long it takes depends on the total number of credits required and how many classes you can take each semester. Most of the programs on our list require 17 or so credits. If all the required classes can be taken in a single semester, you could complete the certificate in around three months. More commonly, you may need to take courses across two semesters, or about ten total months.
When reviewing programs, record information about deadlines and application requirements. Getting paperwork in well before the deadline is typically encouraged.
You can also reach out to each school’s financial aid office to find out more about scholarships, grants, and other financing options.