by our College Data Analytics TeamFor its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 135 schools in the Southwest Region to determine which ones were the best for health professions students pursuing a associate degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 21,746 associate degrees in health professions during the 2022-2023 academic year.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Your choice of health professions for getting your associate degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To account for this we include a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a collection of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their associate degree from the school. After all, your associate degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for health professions students working on their associate degree.
The health professions school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Health Professions Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region.
The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing an associate degree in health professions. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
Eastern Arizona College is a great choice for students pursuing an associate degree in health professions. Located in the town of Thatcher, Eastern Arizona College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a associate in health professions from Eastern Arizona College
Every student pursuing a degree in an associate degree in health professions needs to check out El Centro College. Located in the city of Dallas, El Centro College is a public college with a fairly large student population.More information about a associate in health professions from El Centro College
South Texas College is a good option for students pursuing an associate degree in health professions. Located in the city of McAllen, South Texas College is a public college with a fairly large student population.More information about a associate in health professions from South Texas College
Any student who is interested in an associate degree in health professions has to take a look at Tarrant County College District. Located in the large city of Fort Worth, Tarrant County College is a public college with a fairly large student population.More information about a associate in health professions from Tarrant County College District
Located in the large city of Phoenix, GateWay Community College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a associate in health professions from GateWay Community College
Located in the midsize city of The Woodlands, North Harris Montgomery is a public college with a very large student population.More information about a associate in health professions from Lone Star College System
Located in the city of Phoenix, UOPX - Arizona is a private for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a associate in health professions from University of Phoenix - Arizona
Located in the remote town of Lufkin, AC is a public college with a small student population.More information about a associate in health professions from Angelina College
Located in the medium-sized city of Pasadena, San Jacinto College is a public college with a very large student population.More information about a associate in health professions from San Jacinto Community College
CNM is a fairly large public college located in the city of Albuquerque.More information about a associate in health professions from Central New Mexico Community College
Located in the town of Stephenville, Tarleton is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a associate in health professions from Tarleton State University
Houston Community College is a very large public college located in the city of Houston.More information about a associate in health professions from Houston Community College
Located in the large city of Austin, Austin Community College District is a public college with a very large student population.More information about a associate in health professions from Austin Community College District
Located in the city of Corpus Christi, DMC is a public college with a medium-sized student population.More information about a associate in health professions from Del Mar College
Weatherford College is a moderately-sized public college located in the town of Weatherford.More information about a associate in health professions from Weatherford College
Located in the rural area of Holbrook, NPC is a public college with a small student population.More information about a associate in health professions from Northland Pioneer College
Phoenix College is a large public college located in the city of Phoenix.More information about a associate in health professions from Phoenix College
Located in the city of Tulsa, Tulsa Community College is a public college with a large student population.More information about a associate in health professions from Tulsa Community College
Located in the medium-sized city of Amarillo, Amarillo College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.More information about a associate in health professions from Amarillo College
St Philip's College is a large public college located in the large city of San Antonio.More information about a associate in health professions from St Philip’s College
OCCC is a fairly large public college located in the large city of Oklahoma City.More information about a associate in health professions from Oklahoma City Community College
Located in the rural area of Kingman, MCC is a public college with a small student population.More information about a associate in health professions from Mohave Community College
Glendale Community College is a large public college located in the large suburb of Glendale.More information about a associate in health professions from Glendale Community College
Galveston College is a small public college located in the small city of Galveston.More information about a associate in health professions from Galveston College
San Antonio College is a fairly large public college located in the city of San Antonio.More information about a associate in health professions from San Antonio College
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 the Southwest Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 28 | Central Texas College | Killeen, TX |
| 29 | Alvin Community College | Alvin, TX |
| 30 | Temple College | Temple, TX |
| 31 | Collin County Community College District | McKinney, TX |
| 32 | McLennan Community College | Waco, TX |
| 33 | Murray State College | Tishomingo, OK |
| 34 | Tyler Junior College | Tyler, TX |
| 35 | San Juan College | Farmington, NM |
| 36 | Connors State College | Warner, OK |
| 37 | Navarro College | Corsicana, TX |
| 38 | Parker University | Dallas, TX |
| 39 | Yavapai College | Prescott, AZ |
| 40 | Grayson College | Denison, TX |
| 41 | Lee College | Baytown, TX |
| 42 | South University, Austin | Round Rock, TX |
| 43 | Texas State Technical College | Waco, TX |
| 44 | College of the Mainland | Texas City, TX |
| 45 | Laredo College | Laredo, TX |
Explore the best health professions schools for a specific state in the Southwest Region .
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | 38 | 12,915 |
| Oklahoma | 37 | 2,779 |
| Arizona | 36 | 4,082 |
| New Mexico | 35 | 1,603 |
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Nursing | 10,117 |
| Allied Health Professions | 4,140 |
| Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services | 2,002 |
| Health & Medical Administrative Services | 1,530 |
| Health Sciences & Services | 1,280 |
| Dental Support Services | 754 |
| Health/Medical Prep Programs | 685 |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science | 416 |
| Mental & Social Health Services | 365 |
| Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants | 308 |