An Diploma/Certificate in Practical Nursing will prepare you for a career in the medical field as a Licensed practical nurses (LPNs) or licensed vocational nurses (LVNs). Typically, LPNs and LVNs work in healthcare facilities such as hospitals, nursing homes, extended care facilities physicians offices and private homes. Most work full time. Licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and licensed vocational nurses (LVNs) spend much of their time on their feet while setting up equipment and providing help for patients.

Degree Benefits:

  • Median pay in 2020 for Licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and licensed vocational nurses (LVNs) was $23.47 per hour backing out to $48,820 per year. Projected growth from 2020 to 2030 is 9%.*
  • Use the OnlineSchoolOptions.com search widget to find Online and Campus schools that offer Diploma/Certificate in Practical Nursing.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses, on the Internet at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/licensed-practical-and-licensed-vocational-nurses.htm (visited March 24, 2022).

Find an online bachelor's or master's degree:

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

You can complete a Diploma/Certificate in Practical Nursing degree online in approximately two years, if not less. Also, if you are taking courses online, you may be able to integrate academic learning with real-world, experiential learning. Once you have completed an associate's degree, you might seek out employment with an engineering firm. You might be able to work on isolated projects and then take time after those projects to complete more courses. In this way, you will prolong the time it takes to graduate, but you will accrue invaluable experience along the way.

Before choosing a major there are some important facts you should know about.


Before you enroll in a college, make sure that they have the major you are considering. For Practical Nursing, many universities have whole departments devoted to the subject. If that is the case, then make sure they have the specific branch of Practical Nursing that interests you. If you are starting out at a community college, they may not have a specific degree for Practical Nursing, but they may offer the right math and science courses you will need as prerequisites. Investigate how well your community college work will synch with your later work in a university before registering.


This is a very important question to ask yourself. Your major should play a big part in the schools you are considering. Not every college may offer the major of your choice, so doing your homework is the first step of the selection process.

The two most prominent types of Diploma/Certificate levels in Practical Nursing are: Bachelor of Arts degree (BA degree) and a Bachelor of Science degree (BS degree). A BA degree normally requires pupils to take fewer concentration courses as well as to focus more on discovering about Practical Nursing. These students have a little bit more flexibility when it pertains to customizing their education to meet their occupation objectives as well as goals.


The Diploma/Certificate degree in Practical Nursing, on the other hand, is much less concentrated on exploration and even more targeted to a specific focus. Diploma/Certificate students, usually, focus specifically on the area of their major and have a tendency to be more career focused. Bachelor's degrees in the clinical field, for example, are most likely to be a Bachelor of Science degree. You can find some sample classes for a Diploma/Certificate in Practical Nursing below:

  • Nursing Informatics Training and Education
  • Essentials in Clinical Simulations Across the Health Professions
  • Practical nursing concepts
  • Biology
  • Adult care
  • Child health nursing
  • Practical nursing management
  • Psychology
  • Child Psychology
  • First Aid at Work

The graduation rate is an important piece of information. It measures the performance of the entire student body, and it is a good predictor of the experience each applicant can expect. Time is money when it comes to an education in Practical Nursing. The longer time for completion means more tuition and fee payments. Each year in addition to the expected two years, adds about 25% to the total costs of a Practical Nursing degree. The longer it takes to graduate also means the less time a student is in the workforce earning an income from their Diploma/Certificate in Practical Nursing investment.


National statistics measure on-time degree completion using two-year and three-year marks. Private schools across the US and for all majors have a range of 53% on-time graduation and 65.6% within three years. In these schools, students can expect to finish on time if they attend full time and within three years with some part-time attendance. Public schools show a 35% on-time rate at two years and 59% at the three-year mark. Students at these schools must plan carefully to ensure that they can complete the requirements for on-time graduation.

A two-year degree in Practical Nursing is an investment into your future. The cost of tuition can vary widely depending on the academic excellence of the university and the specific field of study chosen. You can expect tuition for a bachelor's degree in Practical Nursing to cost anywhere from $8,000-$72,000 per year. The cost of tuition for online degrees is typically the same cost as on-campus. When talking about costs, it is important to factor in textbooks, technology, as well as room and board, as those costs are separate from tuition. These are average college tuition costs and does not include financial aid. It is important for each and every student to seek out financial aid options to help pay for their college tuition.


The cost of your education is worth every penny, because it is an investment in your future. You may feel that you are investing too much money in a degree but remember that it will all come back to you. Once you get the career that you've been aiming for, you will be to pay off your student loans and live a better life.

We recommend that students make a specific inquiry about job placement assistance programs at any school they consider for a Diploma/Certificate in Practical Nursing degree program. Advanced institutions incorporate career planning into the two or four-year course of study for a bachelor's or master's degree in Practical Nursing. The school may host job fairs, business community awareness communications, and host interviews for employers from across the region.


The school of Practical Nursing, college, or university is a broad community of alumni, business sponsors, and corporate partners. Both new and established schools often have extensive local, regional, and national networks. The overall resources of the Practical Nursing school and the larger schools can potentially assist in producing high levels of job opportunities and hires for recent graduates.


Some schools pair students with advisers, career counselors, and job coaches at various stages of their academic careers. Observers can see the results in annual satisfaction surveys, and the numbers of students that get interviews and offers of employment.