2025 Best Respiratory Care Therapy Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

If you pursue a associate degree in respiratory care therapy, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #31 most popular program in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 21 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Respiratory Care Therapy Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 331 associate degrees in respiratory care therapy during the 2022-2023 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

• Best Associate Degree Schools List

Choosing a Great Respiratory Care Therapy School for Your Associate Degree

Your choice of respiratory care therapy for getting your associate degree school matters. Important measures of a quality respiratory care therapy/therapist program can vary widely even among the top schools. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

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 combination of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

• Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to respiratory care therapy students as compared to other majors.
• Major Demand - The number of respiratory care therapy 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.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized respiratory care therapy related body.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for respiratory care therapy students working on their associate degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Respiratory Care Therapy Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Respiratory Care Therapy in the Plains States Region

Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for respiratory care therapy students seeking a an associate degree.

10 Top Plains States Region Schools for an Associate in Respiratory Care Therapy/Therapist

1

Nebraska Methodist College of Nursing & Allied Health
Omaha, NE

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

8 Annual Graduates

It's difficult to beat Nebraska Methodist College of Nursing & Allied Health if you want to pursue an associate degree in respiratory care therapy. Nebraska Methodist College is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large city of Omaha.More information about a associate in respiratory care therapy from Nebraska Methodist College of Nursing & Allied Health

2

Washburn University
Topeka, KS

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

13 Annual Graduates

Washburn University is a great decision for students interested in an associate degree in respiratory care therapy. Washburn University is a medium-sized public university located in the medium-sized city of Topeka.More information about a associate in respiratory care therapy from Washburn University

3

Southeast Community College Area
Lincoln, NE

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

21 Annual Graduates

Any student who is interested in an associate degree in respiratory care therapy has to take a look at Southeast Community College Area. Southeast Community College is a moderately-sized public college located in the city of Lincoln.More information about a associate in respiratory care therapy from Southeast Community College Area

4

Hutchinson Community College
Hutchinson, KS

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

14 Annual Graduates

Hutchinson Community College is one of the best schools in the country for getting an associate degree in respiratory care therapy. Hutchinson Community College is a small public college located in the distant town of Hutchinson.More information about a associate in respiratory care therapy from Hutchinson Community College

5

Lake Superior College
Duluth, MN

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

14 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Duluth, LSC is a public college with a small student population.More information about a associate in respiratory care therapy from Lake Superior College

6

Kirkwood Community College
Cedar Rapids, IA

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

17 Annual Graduates

Kirkwood Community College is a fairly large public college located in the medium-sized city of Cedar Rapids.More information about a associate in respiratory care therapy from Kirkwood Community College

7

Johnson County Community College
Overland Park, KS

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

8 Annual Graduates

JCCC is a large public college located in the midsize city of Overland Park.More information about a associate in respiratory care therapy from Johnson County Community College

8

Saint Louis Community College
Bridgeton, MO

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

14 Annual Graduates

Located in the large suburb of Bridgeton, Saint Louis Community College is a public college with a large student population.More information about a associate in respiratory care therapy from Saint Louis Community College

9

Saint Paul College
Saint Paul, MN

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

18 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Saint Paul, Saint Paul College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a associate in respiratory care therapy from Saint Paul College

10

St Luke's College
Sioux City, IA

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

8 Annual Graduates

Located in the small city of Sioux City, St Luke's College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.More information about a associate in respiratory care therapy from St Luke’s College

Best Respiratory Care Therapy Colleges by State

Explore the best respiratory care therapy colleges for a specific state in the Plains States Region .

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
Minnesota	299	33
Kansas	275	96
Missouri	210	88
Iowa	200	52
Nebraska	163	52
South Dakota	148	16

View All Rankings >

Rankings in Majors Related to Respiratory Care Therapy/Therapist

Respiratory Care Therapy is one of 23 different types of Allied Health Professions programs to choose from.

Most Popular Related Majors

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Radiologic Technology	490
Surgical Technology	428
Emergency Medical Technology/Technician (EMT Paramedic)	334
Medical Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiation Therapy	168
Diagnostic Medical Sonography/Sonographer and Ultrasound Technician	107
Cardiovascular Technology/Technologist	38
Athletic Training	23
Electroneurodiagnostic/Electroencephalographic Technology/Technologist	19
Hearing Instrument Specialist	7
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Technology	5

Notes and References

• 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.
• 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.