Lake Area Technical College · Watertown, South Dakota

Medical Assisting (Diploma) at Lake Area Technical College

DiplomaOn campusHybridCAAHEP-accreditedCMA (AAMA) eligible

What Should You Know About Medical Assisting (Diploma) at Lake Area Technical College?

Medical Assisting (diploma) is a medical assisting diploma at Lake Area Technical College in Watertown, South Dakota, offered on campus and hybrid. It takes 11 months of instruction plus externship. Externship: 255-hour supervised, non-paid externship (MA 240). Cost: $12,034 total. It is CAAHEP-accredited, so graduates are eligible for the CMA (AAMA) exam.

Researched and edited by Taylor Rupe · Updated October 12, 2026

Cost: $12,034published total, 2026
Length: 48 wk11 months of instruction plus externship
Externship: 255 hours

How Medical Assisting (Diploma) Works

Credential: Diploma
Format: On campus and hybrid
Length: 11 months of instruction plus externship
Externship: 255-hour supervised, non-paid externship (MA 240)

Admission and Certification at Lake Area Technical College

Outcomes the school publishes: 100% placement rate (employed within 6 months of graduation)

What Lake Area Technical College's Medical Assisting Diploma Costs

Tuition (school's wording): Total estimated program cost $12,034 (accurate as of 2026): tuition $5,160, state fees $1,733, departmental fee $1,757, campus support fee $1,194, course fees $300, books $500, uniform $200, laptop $1,1902026. Source: lakeareatech.edu, reviewed October 12, 2026.
Published total: $12,034The school's own program total. Books, uniforms and exam fees may be extra.

Work out what the Lake Area Technical College diploma costs you after aid

From lakeareatech.edu, reviewed October 12, 2026. Check start dates, deadlines and current tuition with the school before you apply.

How Medical Assisting (Diploma) Compares

Its published total of $12,034 is below the median of $17,215 across 304 priced diploma programs on this site (64th lowest).
At 48 weeks it is longer than the 40-week median for diploma programs.
Its 255-hour externship compares with a median of 180 hours among diploma programs that state hours.
It is one of 99 CAAHEP- or ABHES-accredited diploma programs on this site.

Is Medical Assisting (Diploma) at Lake Area Technical College Accredited?

Accredited by CAAHEP on the recommendation of MAERB (CAAHEP directory, October 12, 2026), so graduates meet the standard education route for the CMA (AAMA) exam.

How the CMA, RMA, CCMA and NCMA exams differ

Similar Medical Assistant Diplomas Nearby

Diploma programs at local campuses: the same city first, then by how many state borders away, then closest in cost.