Located about ten miles east of downtown Los Angeles, East Los Angeles College costs less than $400 per semester for a full-time student who is a California resident. East Los Angeles College offers an associate degree in respiratory therapy. For a full-time student, it is a two-year program consisting of a "theory year" and a "clinical year," in which students accompany pulmonary physicians on hospital rounds and work one-on-one with practicing respiratory therapists.
Los Angeles Valley College is a two-year public college nestled in San Fernando Valley. It offers an associate degree program in respiratory therapy. The program has several accreditations and includes both basic classes, such as chemistry and microbiology, and a clinical internship. This college is a low-cost option for students who wish to complete the basic requirements here before transferring to a four-year university.
It takes about 17 months for students to earn their associate of science degree in respiratory therapy from Concorde. Students learn skills in areas, such as chest physiotherapy, trauma, CPR and pulmonary function testing. Program costs vary with each session. The North Hollywood campus of Concorde Career College is about 20 minutes from downtown Los Angeles.
Operating since 1985, Platt College offers programs in design, paralegal and medical areas in two campuses in Southern California. The Alhambra Campus is minutes off the 10 and 710 freeways at Fremont Avenue in Los Angeles. Upon successful completion of coursework and a clinical externship, students are awarded an associate of science degree in respiratory therapy.