✔️ Page Updated: December 26th, 2025 | Current for 2026, learn more about our data 🛈
For students in the Merrimack Valley, the CAAHEP-accredited Medical Assistant Certificate at NECC provides a highly-rated (4.2) program with flexible options and a strong 91.84% retention rate over 32 credit hours.
This page provides up-to-date program costs, graduation and employment data, accreditation details, contact information, and interactive resources – including a Google map, student reviews, and official campus videos – to help you quickly evaluate whether NECC is the right medical assisting school for you.
CMA AAMA: Medical Assistant Program Overview at NECC
The Medical Assistant Certificate program at Northern Essex Community College (NECC) provides a robust entry point into the growing local healthcare field. This accredited certificate requires a minimum of 32 credit hours and prepares graduates for the national certification exam given by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). Students can choose between a traditional face-to-face day option or a flexible hybrid evening program featuring required lab sessions at the Lawrence Campus, making it accessible for those in the Merrimack Valley region.
Program Curriculum and Outcomes
The curriculum is comprehensive, covering core subjects like Medical Terminology, Clinical Laboratory Procedures, Medical Office Administration, and hands-on skills such as EKG and surgical assisting, which culminates in a crucial Medical Assisting Practicum.
Program Details
- Job prospects for graduates are excellent, driven by industry expansion, and they are qualified to work in various outpatient settings.
- Tuition for in-state health for-credit courses is $346 per credit for the 2024-2025 academic year.
- Successfully completing the certificate also provides a direct transfer pathway to NECC’s Associate Degree in General Studies: Health Specialization, enabling continuous educational advancement.
- The program’s strong five-year retention rate, recorded at 91.84% (2019–2023), underscores its commitment to student achievement.
NECC’s Medical Assistant Program Data
⭐ Google Rating: 4.2
💲 Program Cost: $12,110
🎓 Graduation Rate: N/A
👩🎓 Student Outcomes: View
📊 Program Data: View
Physical Address
414 Common Street
Lawrence, MA 01840
Phone Number: 978-655-5878
Website Address: necc.mass.edu
Program Contact: ccharest@necc.mass.edu
CMA Program Director: Cheryl Charest MS, CCMA, CPT
Program Accreditation: CAAHEP
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 Massachusetts
