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Best Health Professions Associate Degree Schools in California

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2023 Best Health Professions Associate Degree Schools in California

99 Colleges
$43,116 Avg Salary
$21,919 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Health Professions Associate Degree School for You

In 2020-2021, health professions students earned 54,872 degrees and certificates from a California school, making the subject the 2nd in the state.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Health Professions Associate Degree Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 99 schools in California to see which associate degree programs offered the best educational experiences for students. The factors used to develop this ranking include those related to how in-demand the school is, the overall quality of the school, and post-graduation wages, and more.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Health Professions Associate Degree Schools in California

The colleges and universities below are the best for health professions majors pursuing a associate degree.

Top 15% Best Health Professions Associate Degree Schools

#1

Unitek College

Fremont, CA

Our 2023 rankings named Unitek College the best school in California for health professions students working on their associate degree. Located in the large suburb of Fremont, Unitek College is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

Full Health Professions at Unitek College Report

The excellent associate degree programs at Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best health professions schools in California. Located in the city of San Mateo, Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

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#3

Stanbridge University

Irvine, CA

Out of the 99 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanbridge University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Stanbridge is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Irvine.

Full Health Professions at Stanbridge University Report

#4

Loma Linda University

Loma Linda, CA

Out of the 99 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Loma Linda University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the suburb of Loma Linda, Loma Linda University is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

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#6

Merced College

Merced, CA

With a ranking of #6, Merced College did quite well on this year’s best schools for health professions students working on their associate degree. Merced Community College District is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Merced.

Full Health Professions at Merced College Report

#7

Casa Loma College

Van Nuys, CA

Casa Loma College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for health professions students to get a associate degree. It came in at #7 on the list. Casa Loma College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Van Nuys.

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West Hills College-Lemoore ranked #8 on this year’s Best Health Professions Associate Degree Schools in California list. West Hills College-Lemoore is a small public school located in the rural area of Lemoore.

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#9

Canada College

Redwood City, CA

With a ranking of #9, Canada College did quite well on this year’s best schools for health professions students working on their associate degree. Located in the suburb of Redwood City, Canada College is a public school with a small student population.

Read full report on Health Professions at Canada College

#10

Mendocino College

Ukiah, CA

Mendocino College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Health Professions Associate Degree Schools in California list. Located in the rural area of Ukiah, Mendocino College is a public school with a small student population.

Read full report on Health Professions at Mendocino College

#11

CBD College

Los Angeles, CA

CBD College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Health Professions Associate Degree Schools in California ranking. Community Based Education and Development is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.

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#12

Foothill College

Los Altos Hills, CA

With a ranking of #12, Foothill College did quite well on this year’s best schools for health professions students working on their associate degree. Located in the large suburb of Los Altos Hills, Foothill College is a public college with a large student population.

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#13

Cuesta College

San Luis Obispo, CA

Cuesta College ranked #13 on this year’s Best Health Professions Associate Degree Schools in California list. Cuesta College is a moderately-sized public school located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo.

Full Health Professions at Cuesta College Report

#14

Pacific Union College

Angwin, CA

Pacific Union College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Health Professions Associate Degree Schools in California ranking. Located in the rural area of Angwin, PUC is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

Full Health Professions at Pacific Union College Report

Additional Noteworthy Schools

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Health Professions Associate Degree Schools in California award.

Rank College Location
15 Santa Barbara City College Santa Barbara, CA
16 Mount Saint Mary’s University Los Angeles, CA
17 San Joaquin Delta College Stockton, CA
18 Cabrillo College Aptos, CA
19 Butte College Oroville, CA

Best Health Professions Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Health Professions Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 10,021
Oregon 5,865
Hawaii 1,126
Nevada 4,207
Alaska 578

Health Professions Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Nursing 322,592
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
Health Sciences & Services 35,945
Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions 29,833
Mental & Social Health Services 29,053
Medicine 28,629
Dental Support Services 26,399
Communication Sciences 22,298
Pharmacy/Pharmaceutical Sciences 20,393
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science 18,901
Somatic Bodywork & Therapeutic Services 10,751
Health/Medical Prep Programs 9,210
Other Health Professions 7,984
Dentistry 6,770
Dietetics & Clinical Nutrition Services 6,158
Bioethics/Medical Ethics 5,115
Alternative Medicine & Systems 3,564
Chiropractic 2,658
Health Aids/Attendants/Orderlies 2,374
Medical Illustration & Informatics 2,089
Optometry 1,822
Advanced Dentistry & Oral Sciences 1,775
Ophthalmic & Optometric Support Services 960
Medical Science 909
Movement & Mind-Body Therapies 294
Alternative Medical Support Services 227
Energy & Biologically Based Therapies 68

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • 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).

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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