Medical Assistant Program at Kirkwood Community College

✔️ Page Updated: December 26th, 2025 | Current for 2026, learn more about our data 🛈

For students in Cedar Rapids, Kirkwood Community College offers a highly-rated 4.2 Medical Assisting Diploma, featuring an 80% CMA exam passage rate and a historically established CAAHEP accreditation dating back to 1972.

This page provides up-to-date program costs, graduation and employment data, accreditation details, contact information, and interactive resources – including Google Reviews, Maps, and Campus Videos – to help you evaluate whether Kirkwood is the right medical assisting school for you.

CMA AAMA: Medical Assistant Program Overview at KCC

The Medical Assisting program at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, offers a comprehensive and historically established path into the healthcare field. First accredited in 1972, this highly recognized program prepares multi-skilled professionals to manage both administrative and clinical duties effectively in ambulatory care settings.

Program Structure and Academics

• The primary offering is a one-year Medical Assisting Diploma, requiring 44 credit hours.
• Students also have the option to pursue an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree (63 credit hours) by completing additional courses.
• The curriculum culminates in a required externship experienced within Kirkwood’s seven-county service area.
• A core admission requirement is completing the Basic Anatomy & Physiology course with a grade of C- or better.

Cost and Career Outlook

• The estimated total cost for the diploma program is $14,991 for the 2025–26 academic year.
• Financial barriers may be eased by potential eligibility for the Kibbie Grant, which can cover half of the tuition costs.
• The program boasts a strong five-year average exam passage rate of 80% for the Certified Medical Assistant exam.
• Graduates typically enter careers as Medical Assistants or Medical Records Specialists, though most employers require certification shortly after hiring.

Contact Information

For more details or specific questions about the program standards and requirements, you can directly contact Program Director Kendra Krause:

• Email: kendra.krause@kirkwood.edu
• Phone: 319-398-5564

KCC’s Medical Assistant Program Data

Our Data

Our Medical Assistant Program Data is carefully researched and curated from the following government and higher education organizations.

• CAAHEP (Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs) – CAAHEP is the largest programmatic accreditor for health sciences education and the official medical assisting program accreditor for the National CMA (AAMA) Certification Exam.
• IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) – A comprehensive database of U.S. colleges and universities.
• Peterson’s Database – Includes detailed college information and their Distance Learning Licensed Data Set.
• College Scorecard – A U.S. Department of Education tool offering key statistics on college costs, graduation rates, and student outcomes.
• NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) – The primary federal source for data and analysis on education in the U.S. such as cost of tuition. Our data shows average cost of tuition and fees for Public 2 year institutions per state.
• BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) – May 2024 Occupational Outlook Handbook Medical Assistants Data for Salary and Employment. Our data shows the mean annual salary and the total number of employed MAs per state.

• View All Medical Assistant Programs
• View Online Medical Assisting Programs
• View Medical Assistant Schools in Iowa