Ranked #5 in popularity, allied health professions is one of the most sought-after associate degree programs in the nation. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.
College Factual reviewed 92 schools in the Far Western US Region to determine which ones were the best for associate degree seekers in the field of allied health professions. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 5,216 associate degrees in allied health professions during the 2022-2023 academic year.
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Choosing a Great Allied Health Professions School for Your Associate Degree
Your choice of allied health professions for getting your associate degree school matters. Important measures of a quality allied health program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
Overall Quality Is a Must
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To take this into account we consider a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a host of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
Average Early-Career Salaries
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.
Other Factors We Consider
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Major Focus - How much a school focuses on allied health professions students vs. other majors.
Major Demand - The number of allied health professions students who choose to seek a associate degree at the school.
Educational Resources - How many resources are allocated to students. These resources may include educational expenditures per student, number of students per instructor, and graduation rate among other things.
Student Debt - How much debt allied health professions students go into to obtain their associate degree and how well they are able to pay back that debt.
Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized allied health professions related body.
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for allied health professions students working on their associate degree.
More Ways to Rank Allied Health Professions Schools
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Allied Health Professions Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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Take your associate degree in an allied health field to the next level with this specialized transfer friendly online bachelor of science from Southern New Hampshire University.
Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Allied Health Professions in the Far Western US Region
The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing an associate degree in allied 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.
18 Top Far Western US Region Schools for an Associate in Allied Health
Loma Linda University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting an associate degree in allied health professions. Loma Linda University is a small private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Loma Linda.
Those allied health professions students who get their associate degree from Loma Linda University earn $8,912 more than the standard allied health grad.
San Joaquin Valley College-Rancho Cordova is a good choice for students interested in an associate degree in allied health professions. is a small private for-profit college located in the small city of Rancho Cordova.
Associate recipients from the allied health professions major at San Joaquin Valley College-Rancho Cordova make $7,732 more than the typical college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
Foothill College is a good decision for individuals pursuing an associate degree in allied health professions. Foothill College is a fairly large public college located in the suburb of Los Altos Hills.
Allied Health Professions associate degree recipients from Foothill College receive an earnings boost of about $45,389 over the typical income of allied health professions majors.
Located in the midsize city of Bellevue, BC is a public college with a large student population.
Allied Health Professions associate degree recipients from Bellevue College earn a boost of around $18,218 over the average income of allied health professions majors.
Orange Coast College is a fairly large public college located in the medium-sized city of Costa Mesa.
Associate recipients from the allied health professions degree program at Orange Coast College get $6,825 above the average college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.
is a fairly small private for-profit college located in the large city of Bakersfield.
Those allied health professions students who get their associate degree from San Joaquin Valley College-Bakersfield earn $7,732 more than the typical allied health grad.
Canada College is a moderately-sized public college located in the suburb of Redwood City.
Those allied health professions students who get their associate degree from Canada College receive $45,032 more than the standard allied health student.
Located in the midsize city of Temecula, is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
Associate recipients from the allied health professions degree program at San Joaquin Valley College-Temecula get $7,732 more than the average college grad in this field shortly after graduation.
Located in the large city of Honolulu, Kapiolani CC is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
Allied Health Professions associate degree recipients from Kapiolani Community College get an earnings boost of around $23,852 above the average earnings of allied health professions majors.
Located in the medium-sized city of Ontario, is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
Allied Health Professions associate degree recipients from San Joaquin Valley College-Ontario earn a boost of approximately $7,732 above the average income of allied health professions graduates.
Located in the large city of Las Vegas, CSN is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Associate recipients from the allied health professions program at College of Southern Nevada get $3,317 above the typical graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
Mt. SAC is a fairly large public college located in the suburb of Walnut.
Those allied health professions students who get their associate degree from Mt. San Antonio College make $26,473 more than the typical allied health grad.
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Honorable Mentions
Here are some additional great schools for Allied Health Professions students in the Far Western US Region that almost earned our Best Allied Health Professions Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region award.
The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
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.
Your choice of allied health professions for getting your associate degree school matters. Important measures of a quality allied health program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
