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Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Missouri

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2023 Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Missouri

22 Colleges
$57,601 Avg Salary
$21,889 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Nursing Associate Degree School for You

Nursing is the most popular major in Missouri with 6,840 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.

It's not easy to decide which healthcare program to enroll in when you have so many options available. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

The Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Missouri ranking is one of many tools that Healthcare Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 22 schools in Missouri to see which associate degree programs were the most popular for healthcare students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Nursing program at each school on the list.

The following schools top our list of the Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Colleges.

#1

Saint Louis Community College

Saint Louis, MO

Our 2023 rankings named Saint Louis Community College the most popular school in Missouri for nursing students working on their associate degree. Saint Louis Community College is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Saint Louis.

Women make up 86% of the nursing majors at the school.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Saint Louis Community College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $19,692.

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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Southwest Baptist University is a great place for nursing students working on their associate degree. Southwest Baptist University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Bolivar.

Of the 133 students majoring in nursing at Southwest Baptist University, 10% are male and 90% are female.

Nursing majors at Southwest Baptist University take out an average of $31,891 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read full report on Nursing at Southwest Baptist University

#3

Crowder College

Neosho, MO

Out of the 22 schools in Missouri that were part of this year’s ranking, Crowder College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Crowder College is a small public school located in the distant town of Neosho.

Women make up 88% of the nursing majors at the school.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Crowder College accumulate an average of around $17,349 in student debt.

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The in-demand associate degree programs at Metropolitan Community College - Kansas City helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular nursing schools in Missouri. Located in the city of Kansas City, MCC is a public college with a large student population.

About 89% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 11% are male.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at MCC accumulate an average of around $25,257 in student debt.

Read full report on Nursing at Metropolitan Community College - Kansas City

Out of the 22 schools in Missouri that were part of this year’s ranking, North Central Missouri College landed the # 5 spot on the list. NCMC is a small public school located in the town of Trenton.

About 91% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 9% are male.

On average, nursing graduates from NCMC take out $24,833 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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#6

St Charles Community College

Cottleville, MO

St Charles Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for nursing students to get a associate degree. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the suburb of Cottleville, SCC is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Women make up 93% of the nursing majors at the school.

Nursing majors at SCC take out an average of $21,767 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read More…

#7

Cox College

Springfield, MO

Cox College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Missouri ranking. Located in the midsize city of Springfield, Cox College is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

Of the 79 students majoring in nursing at Cox College, 8% are male and 92% are female.

Nursing majors at Cox College take out an average of $35,894 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read More…

#8

Three Rivers College

Poplar Bluff, MO

Three Rivers College ranked #8 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Missouri list. Located in the town of Poplar Bluff, Three Rivers College is a public school with a small student population.

Women make up 90% of the nursing majors at the school.

Nursing majors at Three Rivers College take out an average of $19,529 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read More…

#9

Columbia College

Columbia, MO

With a ranking of #9, Columbia College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the midsize city of Columbia, Columbia College Missouri is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

About 90% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 10% are male.

On average, nursing graduates from Columbia College Missouri take out $31,440 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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Ozarks Technical Community College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree nursing programs. OTC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Springfield.

Women make up 91% of the nursing majors at the school.

Nursing majors at OTC take out an average of $27,409 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read More…

Best Nursing Colleges in the Plains States Region

Explore all the Most Popular Nursing Schools in the Plains States Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Minnesota 14,890
Iowa 2,966
Nebraska 1,908
Kansas 2,633
South Dakota 1,022
North Dakota 976

Nursing is one of 30 different types of healthcare programs to choose from.

Nursing Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Registered Nursing 266,651
Family Practice Nurse/Nursing 16,104
Nursing Administration 9,838
Nursing Practice 7,992
Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 5,092
Nursing Science 4,600
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing 2,287
Adult Health Nurse/Nursing 2,021
Nurse Anesthetist 1,936
Public Health/Community Nurse/Nursing 1,883
Critical Care Nursing 773
Geriatric Nurse/Nursing 563
School Nursing 553
Nurse Midwife/Nursing Midwifery 509
Clinical Nurse Leader 444
Clinical Nurse Specialist 419
Perioperative/Operating Room and Surgical Nurse/Nursing 331
Maternal/Child Health and Neonatal Nurse/Nursing 181
Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing 57
Emergency Room/Trauma Nursing 53
Palliative Care Nursing 14
Forensic Nursing 14

Related Major Annual Graduates
Health & Medical Administrative Services 89,359
Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services 84,492
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants 84,274
Allied Health Professions 82,308
Public Health 40,596

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 22 schools only.

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Aleksahgabrielle.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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