Community College of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania State School of Nursing, Thomas Jefferson University and Aria Health School of Nursing offer associate degrees to potential nurses seeking two-year programs. These require less time and money than four-year bachelor's programs. Be aware that certain specialities require four-year degrees while others accept associate degrees.
Although nurses need only to complete shorter licensed practical nurse (LPN) programs, many nurses opt to obtain bachelor's degrees to make themselves more credentialed. Philadelphia offers a few four-year bachelor's programs in nursing science. Major programs can be found at Villanova and Temple universities, the University of Pennsylvania, La Salle, Holy Family and Drexel universities.
Home to numerous hospitals and research programs, Philadelphia offers plenty of graduate program options in nursing science. The list of master's programs includes Philadelphia University, University of Pennsylvania, Temple University, Pennsylvania State School of Nursing, Drexel University, Holy Family University, La Salle University and Nazareth Hospital. In addition, the University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania State School of Nursing, Thomas Jefferson University and Drexel University offer doctoral programs in nursing science.
Despite an abundance of undergraduate and graduate programs in nursing, some nurses seek other more specialized programs to train for a particular field. Among specialized training programs in Philadelphia are Thomas Jefferson University (direct-entry M.S. in nursing), Pennsylvania State School of Nursing (interdisciplinary PhD), Drexel University (psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner) and Philadelphia University (midwifery). Such specialized programs help nurses qualify for specific jobs in these fields.