Diploma in Nursing Programs in the USA: Top 20

1 Diploma Pitt Titusville - Nursing

U University of Pittsburgh-Titusville

• DeliveryOn campus
• Study modeFull time
• Duration2 years
• StartsFall, Spring
• Research citations34,908,078

A nursing diploma at the University of Pittsburgh's Titusville campus. You learn patient care, nursing ethics and clinical practice, with classroom teaching and hospital work together.

Hospital-based diploma nursing is the oldest form of American nurse training and is now rare.

Jobs graduates go into

• Clinical Nurse Specialist

Full programme details →

2 Diploma Nursing

CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College

• DeliveryOn campus
• Study modeFull time
• Duration2 years
• StartsFall, Spring
• Research citations4,302,690

A two-year nursing course at a community college in lower Manhattan. Teaching mixes classroom study with supervised practice in hospitals and clinics.

This level of nursing qualification prepares you to sit the licensing exam for registered nurses, which is the step that lets you work as a nurse.

Jobs graduates go into

• Clinical Nurse Specialist

Full programme details →

3 Diploma Nursing

CUNY Bronx Community College

• DeliveryOn campus
• Study modeFull time
• Duration2 years
• StartsFall, Spring
• Research citations4,302,690

Nursing at CUNY Bronx Community College, covering patient care, medical terminology and healthcare ethics, with clinical placements alongside.

Nursing places at community colleges are limited by how many clinical placements the college can arrange, so admission is usually separate from college admission.

Full programme details →

4 Diploma Nursing

C CUNY Queensborough Community College

• DeliveryOn campus
• Study modeFull time
• Duration2 years
• StartsFall, Spring
• Research citations4,302,690

Nursing at Queensborough Community College, in Queens, New York. The course builds the knowledge and clinical skills needed to start work as a nurse.

Three colleges from the same New York system teach this qualification, and the main differences between them are location and where students are placed for clinical work.

Full programme details →

5 Advanced Certificate in Nursing

SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University

• DeliveryOn campus
• Study modeFull time
• Duration2 years
• StartsFall, Spring
• Research citations2,004,020

An advanced certificate in nursing at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, for people already in nursing who want to add to their qualifications.

The word advanced means earlier nursing study or a licence is usually expected, so this is not a way into the profession from scratch.

Jobs graduates go into

• Clinical Nurse Specialist

Full programme details →

6 Nursing, Associate of Applied Science

P Prince William Sound College

• DeliveryOn campus
• Study modeFull time
• Duration2 years
• StartsFall, Spring
• Research citations843,924

An Associate of Applied Science in nursing at Prince William Sound College, in Alaska. Classroom teaching and clinical practice run together over the two years.

Rural Alaskan nursing is distinctive: placements are in small community health settings rather than large hospitals. One thing to note — part of the description held here belongs to a different college's programme.

Jobs graduates go into

• Clinical Nurse Specialist

Full programme details →

7 Associate of Applied Science in Nursing

Eastern Kentucky University

• DeliveryOn campus
• Study modeFull time
• Duration2 years
• StartsFall, Spring
• Research citations114,284

Eastern Kentucky awards this applied nursing degree through a university rather than a community college.

That matters later: continuing to a bachelor's at the same institution is usually simpler than transferring from a college.

The course covers nursing practice in both theory and placement, which is the combination any licensure route requires.

Jobs graduates go into

• Clinical Nurse Specialist

Full programme details →

8 Diploma Nursing

University of the District of Columbia

• DeliveryOn campus
• Study modeFull time
• Duration2 years
• StartsFall, Spring
• Research citations100,824

A nursing course at the University of the District of Columbia, in Washington. Classroom teaching and practical work are combined so students learn to give good patient care.

Nursing licences in the District are granted by its own board of nursing, which sets its own rules.

Full programme details →

9 Associate in Nursing

C Columbia College (MO)

• DeliveryOn campus
• Study modeFull time
• Duration1 year
• StartsFall, Spring
• Research citations78,884

An associate degree in nursing at Columbia College, in Missouri. The course covers nursing theory, patient care procedures and clinical practice.

It is listed at one year, which is unusually short for a nursing qualification of this kind. That often means the course is designed for people who already hold a healthcare credential.

Jobs graduates go into

• Clinical Research Coordinator

Full programme details →

10 Diploma Practical Nursing

Mississippi Delta Community College

• DeliveryOn campus
• Study modeFull time
• Duration3 semesters
• Research citations57,317

Practical nursing at Mississippi Delta Community College, described as a three-semester programme that prepares graduates for entry-level nursing work in a range of healthcare settings.

Practical nursing leads to a different licence from registered nursing, with a narrower range of duties. Many colleges run bridge courses that take licensed practical nurses on towards registered nurse training.

Full programme details →

11 Diploma Certified Nursing Assistant

Roxbury Community College

• DeliveryOn campus
• Study modeFull time
• Duration2 years
• StartsFall, Spring
• Research citations30,878

A certified nursing assistant course at Roxbury Community College, in Boston. You learn the practical skills needed to give patient care in hospitals, care homes and clinics.

A nursing assistant works under supervision and holds a state certificate rather than a nursing licence. It is the quickest way into healthcare work. The length shown here is two years, which is far longer than this training usually takes.

Jobs graduates go into

• Certified Nursing Assistant

Full programme details →

12 Associate of Science in Nursing

L Lincoln Memorial University

• DeliveryOn campus
• Study modeFull time
• Duration2 years
• StartsFall, Spring
• Research citations27,332

An Associate of Science in nursing at Lincoln Memorial University, in Tennessee. The course covers anatomy, physiology, pharmacology and patient care.

This is a private university, so the cost will be higher than at a community college teaching towards the same licence.

Full programme details →

13 Diploma Nursing

D Danville Community College

• DeliveryOn campus
• Study modeFull time
• Duration1 year
• StartsFall, Spring
• Research citations17,761

A foundation nursing programme at Danville Community College, in Virginia, listed at one year. Teaching covers nursing theory and the practical skills used in patient care.

The word foundation usually means a preparatory stage rather than a full nursing qualification, so the next step after it is worth looking up on the college's own page.

Full programme details →

14 Diploma Nursing

Minnesota West Community and Technical College

• DeliveryOn campus
• Study modeFull time
• Duration2 years
• StartsFall, Spring
• Research citations15,477

Nursing at Minnesota West Community and Technical College. The course gives the knowledge and clinical skills needed for nursing work, across classroom and placement.

Technical colleges often run both practical nursing and registered nurse training, sometimes under similar names.

Full programme details →

15 Diploma Nursing

Arizona Western College

• DeliveryOn campus
• Study modeFull time
• Duration2 years
• StartsFall, Spring
• Research citations13,414

Nursing at Arizona Western College, covering the fundamentals of nursing and patient care across different healthcare settings.

In a border region, clinical placements often include community and rural health services that larger urban programmes cannot offer.

Full programme details →

16 Associate in Applied Science in Nursing

Excelsior University

• DeliveryOn campus
• Study modeFull time
• Research citations13,324

An online Associate in Applied Science in nursing at Excelsior University, designed for licensed practical nurses, paramedics and military medical personnel.

It includes supervised clinical placements alongside nursing theory. This is a bridge qualification: it turns existing clinical experience into registered nurse preparation rather than starting from the beginning.

Full programme details →

17 Associate Degree in Nursing

West Coast University

• DeliveryOn campus
• Study modeFull time
• Duration2 years
• StartsFall, Spring
• Research citations10,666

West Coast University is a private institution built around the health professions, and this degree prepares students for entry-level nursing roles.

Biological sciences, health assessment and nursing practice make up the content, with assessment skills taught early.

Health-focused institutions generally hold long-standing hospital partnerships, and in nursing the quality of those placement agreements decides a great deal.

Jobs graduates go into

• Clinical Nurse Specialist

Full programme details →

18 Diploma Certified Nursing Assistant

Onondaga Community College

• DeliveryOn campus
• Study modeFull time
• Duration5 weeks
• StartsFall, Spring
• Research citations9,509

Onondaga's certified nursing assistant course runs five weeks, and that length tells you exactly what it is.

This is short training for a supervised care role, not a nursing licence, and the curriculum covers the core clinical skills patient care needs.

It remains the fastest and cheapest way into paid healthcare work, with clinic and hospital support roles named as destinations.

Jobs graduates go into

• Certified Nursing Assistant
• Medical Assistant in Clinics
• Healthcare Support Roles in Hospitals

Full programme details →

19 Associate of Science in Nursing Asn From Georgia Board of Nursing

Savannah Technical College

• DeliveryOn campus
• Study modeFull time
• StartsJanuary
• Research citations8,920

An Associate of Science in Nursing at Savannah Technical College, in Georgia. The college states that graduates can sit the national nursing licence examination.

Admission is competitive and based on specified core courses. Applicants from inside Georgia and those with a Georgia military connection are considered first. The start is January.

Entry requirements, as the university states them

• A competitive selection process that includes requirements of specific core courses
• Priority selection is given to in-state students and those with a Georgia military affiliation

Full programme details →

20 Diploma Nursing, AS

K Keiser University

• DeliveryOn campus
• Study modeFull time
• Duration1 year
• StartsFall, Spring
• Research citations8,683

Nursing at Keiser University, covering patient assessment, clinical skills and evidence-based practice, with professional nursing ideas such as health promotion and disease prevention.

One year is short for a nursing associate degree, so the university's own page is the place to see which licence it leads to.

Full programme details →