Compare accredited programs, costs, and timelines across the Minneapolis metro to choose the path that fits your life.
Minneapolis sits at the center of one of the country's densest healthcare corridors, with Allina Health, Hennepin Healthcare, HealthPartners, and Mayo Clinic Health System collectively operating dozens of clinics and hospitals across the metro. That concentration means steady demand for medical assistants, but it also means employers vary widely in what they expect: some hire uncertified graduates, while others require the CMA or RMA credential before your first shift.
Local students can choose from CAAHEP- and ABHES-accredited certificate and associate programs at several campuses within commuting distance, plus hybrid options that blend online coursework with in-person labs. The real decision points come down to cost, program length, clinical placement networks, and which certification path a program supports.
Some medical assistant openings in Minneapolis are available to uncertified new graduates, while many hospital and specialty clinic positions ask for the CMA or RMA credential from day one. That contrast, not Minnesota state law, is what shapes the local job search.
The region's healthcare employment is anchored by large integrated systems that hire medical assistants across clinics, urgent care, outpatient surgery, and hospital departments. The employers most likely to show up in local job searches include:
Commuting matters here. St. Paul, Bloomington, Brooklyn Park, Edina, and Maple Grove are all within 20 miles of downtown Minneapolis and add their own steady stream of medical assistant postings. Students who can travel across the metro usually find more shift, specialty, and schedule options than those limited to one neighborhood.
Federal and state wage data for the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington metro area list about 7,900 medical assistants employed and a median hourly wage of $25.08 as of 2026. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 12 percent job growth for medical assistants nationwide from 2024 to 2034, but there is no separate metro-level projection published for this region. Detailed local percentile wage figures are also not available in the same release.
What that means for students: the metro has a large, established medical assistant workforce, and the major systems continuously post openings. But hiring volume can shift by site, season, and specialty, so treat median wage and national outlook as context, not a local guarantee.
Minnesota does not require medical assistants to earn a certification before working. In the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro, though, the major health systems generally prefer or require the CMA or RMA credential for most medical assistant roles. Smaller private practices may still hire uncertified applicants and train them on the job, but the higher-volume employers often build certification into their job requirements or strongly favor candidates who are already credentialed or certification eligible.
That local nuance should shape program choices. Completing an accredited program in Minneapolis or the surrounding metro makes you eligible to sit for the CMA or RMA exam, which lines up better with how Allina Health, Hennepin Healthcare, HealthPartners, M Health Fairview, and Park Nicollet/TRIA actually screen applicants.
Minnesota does not require a medical assistant to hold a state license or certification before working in a clinic or health system1, but delegating providers still control what a medical assistant may legally do.
Minnesota does not have a standalone statewide licensure or scope-of-practice statute for medical assistants. Instead, medical assistants practice under a delegation model.5 A licensed clinician, such as a physician, physician assistant, advanced practice registered nurse, or registered nurse, delegates tasks and remains responsible for the outcome. Supervision may be direct when the provider is on site or indirect when the provider is available by phone, depending on the task and setting.2
Under that framework, medical assistants commonly handle vitals, specimen collection, minor procedure assistance, dressings, routine irrigations, and some intramuscular, subcutaneous, or intradermal injections when trained and supervised. They may not independently diagnose, interpret results, prescribe, start or manage IVs, or insert catheters.3 The Minnesota Department of Health describes medical assistants as unlicensed personnel working under supervision1, and the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice reinforces that delegation limits the role.2
Because Minnesota does not require certification by law, you can technically seek work without the CMA or RMA credential. In practice, many Minneapolis employers prefer or require certification, and the state job classification recognizes Medical Assistant, Certified as an employment category, not a legal mandate.4 Choosing a program that leaves you eligible for a national medical assistant certification is usually the practical path.
The biggest difference between the CMA and RMA credentials is the training pathway required. - CMA (AAMA): Eligibility requires graduation from a medical assisting program accredited by CAAHEP or ABHES. If you want to sit for the cma exam, your Minneapolis-area school must hold one of those accreditations. - RMA (AMT): The American Medical Technologists accepts a broader range of pathways, including accredited programs, military training, or qualifying work experience and education. This flexibility matters if you are weighing a non-accredited program or an apprenticeship route.
Both exams assess clinical and administrative competencies, though the current delivery format and content outline are best confirmed directly with the AAMA or AMT. A CAAHEP- or ABHES-accredited program keeps both credentials open to you, while a program without that accreditation may close the CMA route even if you can still pursue the registered medical assistant certification through another eligibility pathway.
Minnesota also recognizes medical assistant training through registered apprenticeship programs overseen by the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry. These apprenticeships combine paid medical assistant on the job training with related instruction, which can make them feel more like earning while you learn than a traditional unpaid classroom sequence.
Eligibility often starts with a high school diploma or equivalent and the ability to meet a sponsoring employer's requirements. Because current apprenticeship details are not centrally published in one place, you should confirm eligibility, length, and employer sponsors directly with the DLI or the sponsoring employer before you commit. Compared with a certificate or associate program, an apprenticeship may offer earlier income, but the credential pathway depends on whether the apprenticeship aligns with CAAHEP or ABHES standards or feeds into an RMA eligibility route.
Both the CMA (AAMA) and RMA (AMT) are nationally recognized medical assistant credentials, but they differ in how you qualify and how you keep the credential active. Minneapolis students should weigh accreditation pathways before enrolling because CMA eligibility is tied tightly to CAAHEP- or ABHES-accredited programs.
Five Minneapolis-area medical assistant programs currently hold CAAHEP accreditation: Anoka Technical College, Century College, Dakota County Technical College, Hennepin Technical College, and Minnesota West Community and Technical College.1 Rasmussen University's Hennepin/Anoka campus holds ABHES accreditation for its Medical Assisting Diploma.2 Both accreditors matter, but they aren't interchangeable, and knowing the difference protects your time and money before you enroll anywhere.
The Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) reviews medical assisting curricula, medical assistant externship hours, and instructor qualifications against national standards set alongside professional medical organizations. The Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES) performs a similar function but is more commonly seen at private, career-focused, and diploma-granting institutions rather than public community and technical colleges.
For students, the practical difference is smaller than the names suggest. Both are recognized programmatic accreditors whose graduates typically qualify to sit for national certification exams. What matters is that your specific medical assistant program, not just the school as a whole, carries one of these two accreditations. A college can offer other accredited health programs while its medical assisting track sits outside CAAHEP or ABHES entirely.
The Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) credential through the American Association of Medical Assistants requires graduation from a CAAHEP- or ABHES-accredited program. Attend a school without that programmatic accreditation, and you may find yourself locked out of the CMA exam regardless of how strong your coursework was. Some other certifications have more flexible eligibility routes, but CMA is the credential most Minneapolis employers ask for by name, so this isn't a detail to gloss over.
Accreditation status isn't permanent. Programs can lose it, gain it, or hold a provisional Letter of Review status that changes over time. Before applying anywhere in the Minneapolis metro, look up the current listing yourself on CAAHEP.org or ABHES.org1 rather than relying on a school's marketing page or an older printed catalog. A five-minute search now can save you from a very expensive surprise later.
Once you know a program is accredited, the next practical questions are how long it takes, whether you can fit it around a job, and what the day-to-day looks like. Minneapolis-area schools offer several paths, and the right one depends on how quickly you want to start working and how much depth you want in your training.
Certificate and diploma programs are the fastest route into the field. Most run 9 to 12 months of full-time study and focus tightly on the medical assistant clinical skills and administrative skills you need to sit for a national certification exam. You will cover anatomy, medical terminology, phlebotomy, EKG basics, injections, patient intake, and electronic health records, plus a clinical externship at the end.
Associate's degree in medical assisting programs typically take 18 to 24 months and add general education coursework (English, psychology, math) alongside the clinical curriculum. The extra time buys you two things: more clinical practice hours and a credential that transfers more easily if you later want to move into nursing, health information, or another allied health role. If you are confident medical assisting is your long-term career, a certificate gets you earning sooner. If you might want to climb, the associate degree gives you options.
Several Minnesota-serving schools, including Rasmussen University and Herzing University, offer hybrid MA programs where lecture and reading happen online and hands-on labs meet on campus. Fully online medical assistant training is not realistic: you cannot learn to draw blood or perform an EKG through a screen. Expect to complete a clinical externship of roughly 160 to 240 hours in person, at a partnering clinic or hospital, regardless of how much coursework is remote.
Evening, weekend, and part-time medical assistant programs are available at some schools for working adults. Part-time schedules stretch a certificate program to 15 to 18 months but let you keep a paycheck coming in.
Externship placement is where Minneapolis students benefit from location. Schools partner with clinics and hospitals affiliated with major systems like M Health Fairview, Allina Health, HealthPartners, and Hennepin Healthcare, plus outpatient specialty groups across the metro. Living close to these systems means shorter commutes to your externship site and, often, a direct line to a job offer if you perform well during your rotation.
A certificate gets you into the workforce faster, while an associate degree may help with later moves into clinical team lead or medical office manager roles. Decide whether quick entry or broader advancement matters more right now.
CMA eligibility generally requires CAAHEP or ABHES accreditation; some RMA routes may not. If the pairing is wrong, you could graduate and still have extra steps before you can sit for your exam.
Externships often happen at clinics across the Minneapolis metro, including Bloomington, Brooklyn Park, or St. Paul. A long commute during unpaid hours can strain your budget and make it harder to finish on schedule.
Published tuition and average net price can look very different. The net price shown is an institution-wide average after grants and scholarships, not a personal quote; most students pay closer to that figure than to the sticker price. Compare each school's median student debt as a rough signal of how much graduates borrow.
| School | Program | Published Tuition (In-State) | Published Tuition (Out-of-State) | Average Net Price After Aid | Median Student Loan Debt for Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anoka Technical College (Anoka, MN) | Medical Assisting, Associate of Applied Science (AAS) Degree | $6,267 | $6,267 | $16,953 | $11,000 |
| Northwestern Health Sciences University (Bloomington, MN) | Associate of Applied Science in Medical Assisting | $12,015 | $12,015 | $35,887 | $7,500 |
Minneapolis-area medical assistants earned a median hourly wage of $24.33 in 2023, which works out to about $50,600 per year for full-time hours. Federal data does not publish separate 10th and 90th percentile wages for the metro, so the bar below shows the national distribution for context. Program-level earnings for recent Minneapolis medical assistant graduates are not yet available.
Below are the top medical assistant programs serving Minneapolis students, ranked for local fit, hands-on training, and completion outcomes. Both schools fall within a 60-mile commute of central Minneapolis and serve different blends of campus and online learners.
Anoka, MN · $17,000/yr (net price)
Best for: Hands-on learners wanting public technical college training
Anoka Technical College brings a public, CAAHEP-accredited medical assistant track to the north metro. The Associate of Applied Science pairs clinical, lab, and administrative training with a 280-hour externship, and graduates are eligible to sit for the AAMA exam. The college reports an institution-wide graduation rate around 66 percent, with lower published tuition than many private alternatives. The Anoka campus sits about 25 miles northwest of downtown Minneapolis and is a practical commute for north and northwest suburbs.
Bloomington, MN · $36,000/yr
Best for: Working adults needing hybrid online lab coursework
Northwestern Health Sciences University offers a hybrid medical assisting option from its Bloomington campus, about 10 miles south of central Minneapolis. Students can choose a three-trimester diploma or a 20-month Associate of Applied Science, combining online coursework with weekly on-campus labs. The program prepares graduates for the Certified Medical Assistant exam and fits working adults who need a shorter on-campus footprint. Bloomington is convenient for south metro, airport, and Mall of America area commuters.
Choosing a medical assistant program in Minneapolis usually comes down to one practical tradeoff: how much time and money you can commit now versus how much flexibility you want later. A short certificate can get you into a clinic quickly, but an associate degree often leaves more doors open if you later want to move into office management or a nursing bridge program.
The strongest question you can ask an admissions office is where recent students completed their clinical externships. Look for programs that can name ongoing site partnerships, not just a general promise to find something. In Minneapolis, a placement with Allina Health, Fairview Health Services, or Hennepin Healthcare can function like a lengthy job interview. If you perform well, that externship can turn into a direct job offer or a strong local reference. Ask the program how long the externship runs, whether students receive support in scheduling it, and how often placements occur within the Twin Cities metro versus farther out.
Certification preparation should be a normal part of the program, not an add-on you have to figure out after graduation. Ask whether the curriculum aligns with the CMA (AAMA) or RMA exam and whether instructors teach to the exam throughout the program. A published first-time pass rate is a good sign. If a school cannot share one, that does not automatically disqualify it, but it is worth asking why the data is not available and where graduates test.
For career advancement, an associate degree generally offers more upward mobility than a certificate alone. The added general education credits can transfer more easily if you later consider medical office management, healthcare administration, or a nursing bridge program. If you are certain you only want to work as a medical assistant for the next few years, a certificate may be the faster and less expensive choice. If you want options, choose the path that leaves you more room to grow.
This FAQ covers the most common questions about medical assistant training in Minneapolis, including program length, cost, certification, and apprenticeships. Answers are grounded in current Minnesota program details and local employer expectations.
Minneapolis Medical Assistant School's 18-week hybrid program combines online coursework with in-person practice. Anoka Technical College's 33-credit diploma includes a 280-hour externship and can take longer for spring or summer starts.1 Across Minnesota, medical assistant program length typically runs about 10 months for diploma programs and 16 months or more for associate degrees.2
No. Minnesota does not require a state license or certification to work as a medical assistant.3 That said, many Minneapolis-area employers strongly prefer or encourage a national credential. Earning medical assistant certification, such as CMA, RMA, or CCMA status, can improve your job prospects.
Yes, but rarely fully online. Minneapolis Medical Assistant School offers an 18-week hybrid option that combines online work with in-person practice. South Central College offers online CCMA coursework.4 US Career Institute lists a 100% online certificate completed in about 4 months, but it still requires a 160 to 300 hour clinical externship.5 Clinical training generally stays in person.
CMA and RMA are separate national credentials. The CMA is offered by the American Association of Medical Assistants, while the RMA is offered by American Medical Technologists. Some Minneapolis employers also accept the NHA's CCMA. The underlying knowledge is similar, but exam eligibility and maintenance requirements differ, so check which credential your target employer prefers.
Costs range by credential and school. Minneapolis Medical Assistant School's overview lists vocational programs around $2,000 to $5,000, community-college certificates $5,000 to $15,000, and associate degrees $10,000 to $25,000 or more.6 Rasmussen University's medical assisting diploma estimates about $20,591 total, while Minnesota West charges roughly $3,300 to $3,400 per semester.7
Minnesota offers a paid medical assistant apprenticeship through the Medical and Dental Assistant Apprenticeship Program. It is free, full-time, and lasts 12 months, with January starts.89 As of August 2026, applications were closed, with reopening planned for March 2026 for the 2027 cohort.8 Do not confuse this with MNACHC's shorter six-month program, which costs $8,500.9
