Columbia, South Carolina

Southeastern College-Columbia Medical Assistant Programs

CertificateAssociate degreePrivate for-profitABHES-accredited

What Medical Assistant Programs Does Southeastern College-Columbia Offer?

Southeastern College-Columbia in Columbia, South Carolina offers 2 medical assisting programs (certificate and associate degree), taught on campus and hybrid. All are ABHES-accredited, so graduates are eligible for the CMA (AAMA) exam. Programs run 35 weeks and 69 weeks.

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2 Medical Assistant Programs at Southeastern College-Columbia

Southeastern College-Columbia's Programs Side by Side

ProgramCredentialFormatLengthExternshipCost
Certificate in Medical Assisting, Southeastern College-ColumbiaCertificateOn campus and hybrid35 weeksIncluded$12,756per term, 2026-27
Medical Assisting Associate in Applied Science Degree, Southeastern College-ColumbiaAssociate degreeOn campus and hybrid69 weeks$12,756per term, 2026-27

Blank cells: the school's pages don't give that figure.

Certificate in Medical Assisting: The Details

Length
8 months full-time; 15 months part-time
Hours or credits
36.0 semester credit hours (955 instructional clock hours)
Schedule
Day and evening
Externship
Externship course (MEA 190); evening students complete the externship during the day
Also covers
phlebotomy; EKG; injections; laboratory testing
Admission
High school diploma or GED; pass the entrance examination
Tuition (school's wording)
$12,756 tuition per semester for full-time students at South Carolina campuses2026-27. Source: sec.edu, reviewed October 12, 2026.

Certificate in Medical Assisting at Southeastern College-Columbia: full program profileSoutheastern College-Columbia certificate page on sec.edu ↗

Medical Assisting Associate in Applied Science Degree: The Details

Length
16 months full-time; 22 months part-time
Hours or credits
60.0 credit hours (36.0 major, 24.0 general education)
Schedule
Day and evening
Also covers
phlebotomy; EKG; injections; laboratory testing
Admission
High school diploma or GED; pass the entrance examination
Tuition (school's wording)
$12,756 tuition per semester for full-time students at South Carolina campuses2026-27. Source: sec.edu, reviewed October 12, 2026.

Medical Assisting Associate in Applied Science Degree at Southeastern College-Columbia: full program profileSoutheastern College-Columbia associate degree page on sec.edu ↗

From Southeastern College-Columbia's own program, admissions and tuition pages, reviewed October 12, 2026. Tuition changes each year; confirm fees with the school.

How Southeastern College-Columbia Compares

  • Certificate in Medical Assisting runs 35 weeks; the median for certificate programs is 39 weeks.
  • Medical Assisting Associate in Applied Science Degree runs 69 weeks; the median for associate degree programs is 78 weeks.

Medical assistants in South Carolina earn a median of $41,160 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), against $45,690 nationally.

Is Southeastern College-Columbia's Medical Assistant Program Accredited?

Yes. Certificate in Medical Assisting and Medical Assisting Associate in Applied Science Degree are listed by ABHES (directory captured October 12, 2026). Holds ABHES programmatic accreditation for medical assisting (ABHES directory, October 12, 2026), so graduates meet the standard education route for the CMA (AAMA) exam.

What CAAHEP or ABHES accreditation means for the CMA (AAMA)

Medical Assisting Awards at Southeastern College-Columbia

Award levelAwards, 2022-23
Certificates of one to two years26

Federal completions data (IPEDS, CIP 51.0801) count 26 medical assisting awards conferred by Southeastern College-Columbia in 2022-23, 448th of 951 schools on this site. These are credentials awarded, not graduates or job outcomes, and chains report each campus separately.

More Medical Assistant Schools in South Carolina

Southeastern College-Columbia Medical Assisting: Common Questions

Is Southeastern College-Columbia's Medical Assistant Program Accredited?

Yes. Certificate in Medical Assisting and Medical Assisting Associate in Applied Science Degree are listed by ABHES (directory captured October 12, 2026). Holds ABHES programmatic accreditation for medical assisting (ABHES directory, October 12, 2026), so graduates meet the standard education route for the CMA (AAMA) exam.

How Much Does Southeastern College-Columbia's Medical Assistant Program Cost?

Certificate in Medical Assisting: $12,756 tuition per semester for full-time students at South Carolina campuses (2026-27). Medical Assisting Associate in Applied Science Degree: $12,756 tuition per semester for full-time students at South Carolina campuses (2026-27).

How Long Is Southeastern College-Columbia's Medical Assistant Program?

Certificate in Medical Assisting: 8 months full-time; 15 months part-time (36.0 semester credit hours (955 instructional clock hours)). Medical Assisting Associate in Applied Science Degree: 16 months full-time; 22 months part-time (60.0 credit hours (36.0 major, 24.0 general education)).

Does Southeastern College-Columbia Include an Externship?

Yes. Certificate in Medical Assisting: Externship course (MEA 190); evening students complete the externship during the day.

What Do You Need to Apply to Southeastern College-Columbia?

Certificate in Medical Assisting: High school diploma or GED; pass the entrance examination. Medical Assisting Associate in Applied Science Degree: High school diploma or GED; pass the entrance examination.

Compare With Programs Like These

Sources

  1. sec.edu: Certificate in Medical Assisting program page, reviewed October 12, 2026
  2. ABHES, directory of programmatically accredited programs, captured October 12, 2026
  3. U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS completions 2022-23, CIP 51.0801 (medical/clinical assistant)
  4. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025: Medical Assistants, South Carolina

Every program on this site was checked on the school's own website in October 2026. Accreditation comes only from the CAAHEP and ABHES directories (captured October 12, 2026), never from a school's own wording, and school size from U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS) completions. Sponsored listings are labeled as ads and never change which programs we list or how we rank them. How we verify programs