Step Into Healthcare!
Earn Your Medical Assistant Associate Degree or Certificate
Highline offers both a Medical Assistant associate’s degree and certificate.
What is a Medical Assistant? Watch this video to learn.
The certificate program is CAAHEP accredited and is a requirement for the MA AAS degree. The certificate program can be completed in six quarters. The AAS can be completed in eight quarters, including summer quarters.
In this program you will learn the practical skills you need for a rewarding, challenging position in the healthcare field. You will learn to work with physicians to increase productivity in medical offices by performing a wealth of administrative and clinical tasks. Our objective is to prepare medical assistants who are competent in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains to enter the Medical Assistant profession. Our students also gain work experience through a required externship course. This is an unpaid, supervised, 180 hours on the job externship.
Our degree program is cohort-based, which means you will be with the same group of students throughout the program. Our cohorts start in the fall and spring. A part-time option is available for students who cannot attend full-time
The CAAHEP accredited Certificate program and the MA AAS graduates are eligible to sit for the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) certification exam, or three other national exams that meet the requirements of the Washington State Department of health to become a Medical Assistant-Certified.
Agencies may require students to complete a criminal background check prior to being offered an internship or employment.
The Medical Assistant Certificate program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP), upon the recommendation of the Medical Assisting Education Review Board of the American Association of Medical Assistants Endowment (MAERBAAMAE), 9355 – 113th Street N #7709, Seminole, FL 33775, (727) 210-2350.
“Highline College has helped me become a better medical assistant. I am currently working at HealthPoint in Federal Way. It is meant for low-income families. We work one-on-one with each person, making sure their needs are well taken care of. I could not have done this without Highline.
— JAIMIE RICHARDSON, Class of 2023
Program Information
- See Medical Assistant certificate and AAS requirements and learning outcomes.
- Cost of Attendance Tuition, books and fees
- Class schedule
- Program Map
Career Outlook
Demand for Medical Assistants will grow 16%, much faster than average. In greater Seattle/King County, starting pay averages $22-25/hour, which is higher than the national average. This industry also offers flexible hours and scheduling. (U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Sample Employers Include:
Highline College graduates work at HealthPoint, CHI Franciscan, St. Anne’s, Children’s Hospital, UW Neighborhood Clinics, Valley Medical, MultiCare, SeaMar, and other prestigious healthcare clinics.
Highline College graduates in this program have close to 100% job placement after passing the NCCT Exam.
Program Cost:
$9,846 for tuition, plus books and other fees, or about half of what you would pay at a private medical assistant program.
Program Length:
Two years for full-time students. (Full-time is 12 credits or more)
Career Opportunities
- Ambulatory Clinic Practices
- Physician offices
- Urgent Care Clinics
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, demand for Medical Assistants will grow 16%, much faster than average, from 2021-2031.
Already working as a medical assistant? Do you need clock hours (MA Education) to meet the Department of Health standards to get the MA-Certified credential? Check out our MAR to MAC Pathways program, which uses your work experience for you to gain credits/clock hours.
The five-year average for the years 2018 – 2022 for the retention rate is 84.97%.
Outcomes from 2022 Annual Report (ARF) are as follows:
- 2022 Graduate Exam Passage – 54%
- 2022 Graduate Year Job Placement – 32.14%
- 2022 Admissions Cohort Retention – 91.89%