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Health Sciences & Nursing programs at U.S. community colleges

Two-year nursing, allied health, and medical assisting programs that lead directly to in-demand clinical careers. This guide explains how the credential is structured at the two-year level, what to look for when comparing programs across institutions, and which community colleges in our federal-data index report the highest enrollment in this field.

What the credential covers

Programs in Health Sciences & Nursing at U.S. community colleges are typically offered as Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degrees designed for direct entry into the field, as Associate of Science (AS) or Associate of Arts (AA) tracks designed to transfer toward a bachelor's degree, and as shorter occupational certificates that stack into a full degree. Credit-hour requirements vary by state and by program, but most associate programs are sized at roughly sixty semester credit hours of coursework, completable in two academic years of full-time study or longer at part-time pace. Certificate programs are typically twelve to thirty credit hours and finish within a single academic year.

The federal Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) tracks Health Sciences & Nursing as a distinct family, which is what allows DegreeMapper to report the share of credentials each community college awards in this area. The percentages on each college profile reflect the fraction of total credentials awarded in the most recent reporting year that fell into this CIP family — a useful proxy for how seriously the institution invests in the program.

What to look for when comparing programs

For occupational tracks, the critical questions are accreditation of the program itself (separate from institutional accreditation), clinical or apprenticeship placement availability, pass rates on the licensing exam where one exists, and employer relationships in the local labor market. For transfer tracks, the critical questions are articulation agreements with specific four-year institutions, course-by-course credit equivalencies, and whether the program participates in any statewide transfer guarantee.

Cost is rarely the deciding factor among community colleges within a state, because published tuition tends to fall within a narrow band. Cost does matter when comparing community-college pathways against four-year alternatives: starting at a community college and transferring typically reduces total degree cost by tens of thousands of dollars, even after accounting for any credit loss in transfer.

Top community colleges enrolling in Health Sciences & Nursing

The thirty community colleges below report the highest share of credentials awarded in Health Sciences & Nursing, drawn from the federal College Scorecard. A high share is not by itself a quality signal — it indicates focus and scale, which usually translate into more program options, more clinical or lab capacity, and stronger employer pipelines for that field.

  1. Baptist Health College Little RockLittle Rock, AR100%
  2. Jefferson Regional School of NursingPine Bluff, AR100%
  3. Casa Loma College-Los AngelesSherman Oaks, CA100%
  4. Los Angeles County College of Nursing and Allied HealthLos Angeles, CA100%
  5. Carrington College-BoiseBoise, ID100%
  6. St Luke's CollegeSioux City, IA100%
  7. Maine College of Health ProfessionsLewiston, ME100%
  8. Laboure College of HealthcareMilton, MA100%
  9. Lawrence Memorial Hospital School of NursingMedford, MA100%
  10. St Joseph School of NursingNashua, NH100%
  11. Eastwick College-RamseyRamsey, NJ100%
  12. Arnot Ogden Medical CenterElmira, NY100%
  13. St Paul's School of Nursing-QueensRego Park, NY100%
  14. Cochran School of NursingYonkers, NY100%
  15. Pomeroy College of Nursing at Crouse HospitalEast Syracuse, NY100%
  16. Belanger School of NursingSchenectady, NY100%
  17. Helene Fuld College of NursingNew York, NY100%
  18. Mandl School-The College of Allied HealthNew York, NY100%
  19. St. Peter's Hospital College of NursingAlbany, NY100%
  20. Montefiore School of NursingMount Vernon, NY100%
  21. St. Joseph's College of NursingSyracuse, NY100%
  22. Samaritan Hospital School of NursingTroy, NY100%
  23. Saint Elizabeth College of NursingUtica, NY100%
  24. St Paul's School of Nursing-Staten IslandStaten Island, NY100%
  25. Swedish Institute a College of Health SciencesNew York, NY100%
  26. Good Samaritan College of Nursing and Health ScienceCincinnati, OH100%
  27. Professional Skills InstituteMaumee, OH100%
  28. University of Pittsburgh-TitusvilleTitusville, PA100%
  29. Baptist Health System School of Health ProfessionsSan Antonio, TX100%
  30. Centra CollegeLynchburg, VA100%