Self-Paced Medical Assistant Programs Online 2025

There are many self-paced online colleges that let prospective medical assistants get the training they need. Self-paced online medical assistant programs permit medical professionals to complete courses remotely while still getting the essential hands-on training they'd enjoy at traditional in-person schools. We welcome you to explore several ways to take courses and prepare for certification exams without attending on-campus classes.

Self-Paced Online Business Degree Programs

Check out these 10 institutions, which offer convenient, self-paced medical assistant certification programs online at affordable costs. Some of these schools may even have free medical assistant certifications online for qualified candidates.

1. Petra Medical College

Petra Medical College offers a self-paced online certification program for future medical assistants at an affordable $11.63 per certificate hour. The program intends to place graduates in rewarding healthcare roles in the fields of mental health, labor and delivery, pediatrics, and obstetrics and gynecology. It also prepares students to take their choice of six different certification exams, including the Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) examination.

Program cost: $2,325

Program length: Four to six months

Accreditation: Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC)

2. Penn Foster

Penn Foster offers an associate degree option for medical assistants, which you can complete online at your own pace. This program lasts four semesters, requires 22 courses for 60 credits, has one externship, and trains students in everything from medical coding to medical and surgical procedures. It also offers bargain tuition rates as low as $1,199 for the entire program.

Program cost: $1,199

Program length: 11 months

Accreditation: Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC)

3. Phlebotomy Career Training

The private organization, Phlebotomy Career Training, specializes in certifying medical assistants, phlebotomists, pharmacy technicians, and more. It holds seven accreditations to vouch for its reputable approach to fostering hands-on experience combined with interactive, self-paced online learning. Its programs teach students how to take patients' vital signs, abide by Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations, perform injections, manage medical supplies, and other important healthcare tasks.

Program cost: $650 (one comprehensive course)

Program length: Six weeks

Accreditation: National Healthcareer Association (NHA)

4. U.S. Career Institute

The U.S. Career Institute offers a quick and affordable medical assistant program, which you can complete in as little as four months for only $79 per month through monthly payment plans. The admissions process has no waiting period, and allows you to take courses as quickly as you would like and participate in online interaction with qualified instructors. Program contents consist of 27 lessons and quizzes through online modules.

Program cost: $1,439

Program length: Four to seven months

Accreditation: DEAC

5. Texas State University

Texas State University grants medical assistant certifications for aspiring medical professionals ready to work in a hospital, doctor's office, or outpatient clinic. The program does not require previous experience or prerequisite coursework for admissions. It even trains students on the difficult responsibilities involved with working on a healthcare team in fast-paced ambulatory settings.

Program cost: $2,595 to $4,500 (depending on program selection)

Program length: 12 to 24 months

Accreditation: Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP)

6. Mountainland Technical College

Mountainland Technical College (MTECH) prepares students for a variety of professional roles in the healthcare field. Medical assistants can learn the fundamentals at MTECH with specific training on how to read electrocardiograms (EKGs), fill prescriptions accurately, take medical histories, administer injections, and draw blood. The college reports an 88% job placement rate with a typical salary ranging from $35,000 to $38,000 per year.

Program cost: $4,156

Program length: 12 months

Accreditation: Council on Occupational Education (COE)

7. San Francisco State University

San Francisco State University (SFSU) gives students the option of completing a clinical medical assistant certification in-person, online, or through a hybrid of both formats. The program has a flexible pace, with most students completing it within two to three months (including during a single summer session).

Also, if you get behind with coursework, SFSU will give you a six-month extension, allowing you nine additional months to finish course requirements. Applicants must have a high school diploma or general education diploma (GED) before enrollment.

Program cost: $2,599

Program length: Two to three months

Accreditation: CAAHEP

8. California State University - Long Beach

California State University - Long Beach partners with a third-party provider, featuring experienced medical professionals, to offer a clinical medical assistant program for self-paced students. This 14-unit program trains students in areas like phlebotomy, medication administration, and pharmacology. If you enroll in this program, you have the choice of either a hybrid attendance format or a self-paced online course structure.

Program cost: $2,899

Program length: 14 courses, including a 140-hour externship

Accreditation: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)

9. Western Medical Training Center

Western Medical Training Center offers one of the more affordable options on our list for a program you can complete in as little as three months. It prepares medical assistants to sit for the National Center for Competency Testing (NCCT) national certification exam after completing four coursework sections in healthcare procedures and administration.

Program cost: $1,200

Program length: Three months or more

Accreditation: NHA

10. Health Tech Academy

You can pay for this entire program up front for only $1,250 and spend less than half of the normal cost for this online medical assistant program. It focuses on all the essentials for training well-rounded healthcare professionals, including prerequisite courses in anatomy, pharmacology, and clinical procedures. You can complete classes at your own pace and take advantage of e-books and other cost-effective advantages with this program.

Program cost: $1,250 (discounted rate; normally $2,700 with monthly payments)

Program length: 16 weeks

Accreditation: NHA

How We Rank Programs

Here's how we rank online medical assistant training programs. The list includes higher education institutions that possess the following: academic accreditation, a strong reputation, and affordable programs.

• Accreditation: These universities offer accredited online medical assistant courses from review boards, like the NHA.
• Program reputation: This list features reputable programs with credentialed faculty, reliable online platforms, and helpful student services.
• Program cost: These degree programs must offer affordable tuition or provide financial aid to offset higher costs.

FAQs About Self-Paced Medical Assistant Programs

Please refer to the following frequently asked questions (FAQs) to learn more about medical assistant program enrollment. This section explains how to become a CMA, what you can expect to learn, and how to pay for online coursework.

How Do I Become a Certified Medical Assistant?

You can become a CMA after completing an accredited training program and earning CCMA certification from organizations like the NHA. It's important to understand the CCMA exam format. The exam consists of 150 multiple-choice questions, testing candidates on their knowledge of relevant healthcare industry topics, such as:

• medical coding
• medical office technology
• medical records
• pharmacology
• infection control
• medical terminology
• radiology

In order to pass the exam, you must achieve a scaled score of 390 out of 500, equivalent to answering 78% of the 150 questions correctly. It's important to prepare yourself as much as possible if you wish to earn the CCMA certification the first time after completing your coursework.

What Will I Learn in a Self-Paced Medical Assistant Program?

A self-paced medical assistant program will prepare you to assist other medical professionals in a variety of healthcare facilities, such as physicians' offices, hospitals, outpatient clinics, patient-care centers, emergency rooms, and pharmacies. Many programs include opportunities to gain clinical experience in healthcare settings, which you can do locally rather than travel to the university. You may get the chance to do a paid externship, which is similar to an internship, but typically coincides with medical assistant coursework.

What Is the Average Cost of a Self-Paced Medical Assistant Program?

Since program costs vary so much, it's better to consider a tuition range rather than an average. The cost range could be between $1,200 and $5,000, depending on the institution. Our list focuses on affordable options, but you can also offset program costs by obtaining scholarships, grants, and externships.

Earn Your Healthcare Degree

We invite prospective healthcare professionals to use Learn.org to discover everything there is to know about higher education options. Whether you wish to train to become a nurse, doctor, medical assistant, physician assistant, or anything else, our library of online degree resources can help you learn more.