Best Nursing Instructor programs in Colorado, ranked by enrollment
Demonstrate and teach patient care in classroom and clinical units to nursing students.
27 schools in Colorado run programs that feed this job, graduating 3,292 people a year. The job pays a median of $82,530 in Colorado across about 1,350 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Colorado that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
8 programs in Colorado that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Colorado (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Colorado page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 51.3801In Colorado → | 3,136 | 95.3% | 27 | $71,623 | $25,750 |
| 2 | CIP 51.3805In Colorado → | 68 | 2.1% | 4 | $71,623 | $25,750 |
| 3 | CIP 51.3810In Colorado → | 24 | 0.7% | 3 | $71,623 | $25,750 |
| 4 | CIP 51.3808In Colorado → | 20 | 0.6% | 1 | $71,623 | $25,750 |
| 5 | CIP 51.3818In Colorado → | 20 | 0.6% | 2 | $71,623 | $25,750 |
| 6 | CIP 51.3806In Colorado → | 16 | 0.5% | 1 | $71,623 | $25,750 |
| 7 | CIP 51.3203In Colorado → | 4 | 0.1% | 1 | $99,851 | $21,475 |
| 8 | CIP 51.3816In Colorado → | 4 | 0.1% | 1 | $71,623 | $25,750 |
Top 25 schools in Colorado
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 22 of the 27 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denver College of Nursing Denver, CO Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 431 | Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse | $76,161 | — | — | — |
| 2 | University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus Denver, CO Public · 1 feeder programs | 352 | Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse | $75,503 | 46% | — | 75% |
| 3 | Colorado Technical University - Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, CO Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 316 | Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse | $87,579 | 19% | $16,966 | — |
| 4 | Regis University Denver, CO Private not-for-profit · 6 feeder programs | 272 | Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse | $76,736 | 61% | $22,407 | 86% |
| 5 | Pikes Peak State College Colorado Springs, CO Public · 1 feeder programs | 234 | Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse | $72,869 | 21% | — | — |
| 6 | University of Colorado Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, CO Public · 2 feeder programs | 219 | Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse | $71,864 | 47% | — | 97% |
| 7 | Front Range Community College Westminster, CO Public · 1 feeder programs | 183 | Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse | $76,014 | 35% | — | — |
| 8 | University of Northern Colorado Greeley, CO Public · 4 feeder programs | 162 | Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse | $74,308 | 51% | — | 86% |
| 9 | Colorado Mesa University Grand Junction, CO Public · 2 feeder programs | 157 | Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse | $69,631 | 41% | — | 82% |
| 10 | Pueblo Community College Pueblo, CO Public · 1 feeder programs | 148 | Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse | $72,520 | 31% | — | — |
| 11 | Colorado State University Pueblo Pueblo, CO Public · 3 feeder programs | 147 | Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse | $71,714 | 40% | — | 95% |
| 12 | Arapahoe Community College Littleton, CO Public · 1 feeder programs | 118 | Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse | $73,926 | 29% | — | — |
| 13 | Metropolitan State University of Denver Denver, CO Public · 1 feeder programs | 83 | Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse | $77,333 | 32% | — | 99% |
| 14 | Colorado Christian University Lakewood, CO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 74 | Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse | $71,388 | 64% | $23,447 | — |
| 15 | Colorado Mountain College Glenwood Springs, CO Public · 1 feeder programs | 68 | Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse | $68,039 | 27% | — | — |
| 16 | Trinidad State College Trinidad, CO Public · 1 feeder programs | 53 | Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse | $66,009 | 55% | — | — |
| 17 | Community College of Aurora Aurora, CO Public · 1 feeder programs | 50 | Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse | — | 33% | — | — |
| 18 | Otero College La Junta, CO Public · 1 feeder programs | 42 | Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse | $74,179 | 38% | — | — |
| 19 | Morgan Community College Fort Morgan, CO Public · 1 feeder programs | 40 | Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse | $76,759 | 45% | — | — |
| 20 | Concorde Career College - Aurora Aurora, CO Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 36 | Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse | $70,663 | 64% | $18,015 | 90% |
| 21 | Aims Community College Greeley, CO Public · 1 feeder programs | 32 | Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse | — | 40% | — | — |
| 22 | Adams State University Alamosa, CO Public · 1 feeder programs | 17 | Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse | $70,926 | 39% | — | — |
| 23 | Lamar Community College Lamar, CO Public · 1 feeder programs | 16 | Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse | — | 55% | — | — |
| 24 | Colorado Northwestern Community College Rangely, CO Public · 1 feeder programs | 15 | Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse | $70,087 | 34% | — | — |
| 25 | Arizona College of Nursing - Aurora Aurora, CO Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 11 | Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse | — | — | — | 100% |
All 27 schools in Colorado
Every school in Colorado with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver College of Nursing | Denver | Private for-profit | 431 | 1 |
| University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus | Denver | Public | 352 | 1 |
| Colorado Technical University - Colorado Springs | Colorado Springs | Private for-profit | 316 | 2 |
| Regis University | Denver | Private not-for-profit | 272 | 6 |
| Pikes Peak State College | Colorado Springs | Public | 234 | 1 |
| University of Colorado Colorado Springs | Colorado Springs | Public | 219 | 2 |
| Front Range Community College | Westminster | Public | 183 | 1 |
| University of Northern Colorado | Greeley | Public | 162 | 4 |
| Colorado Mesa University | Grand Junction | Public | 157 | 2 |
| Pueblo Community College | Pueblo | Public | 148 | 1 |
| Colorado State University Pueblo | Pueblo | Public | 147 | 3 |
| Arapahoe Community College | Littleton | Public | 118 | 1 |
| Metropolitan State University of Denver | Denver | Public | 83 | 1 |
| Colorado Christian University | Lakewood | Private not-for-profit | 74 | 1 |
| Colorado Mountain College | Glenwood Springs | Public | 68 | 1 |
What nursing instructors and teachers, postsecondary earn in Colorado
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $80,250. Colorado pays above the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Colorado
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary page.
How to become a Nursing Instructor
Job zone 5 of 5 · SVP 8.0 and above- Typical entry education
- Doctoral or professional degree
- Work experience needed
- Less than 5 years
Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Colorado
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 23 majors mapped to Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary23 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 51.3203Nursing Education
- 51.3801Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse
- 51.3803Adult Health Nurse/Nursing
- 51.3804Nurse Anesthetist
- 51.3805Family Practice Nurse/Nursing
- 51.3806Maternal/Child Health and Neonatal Nurse/Nursing
- 51.3807Nurse Midwife/Nursing Midwifery
- 51.3808Nursing Science
- 51.3809Pediatric Nurse/Nursing
- 51.3810Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing
- 51.3811Public Health/Community Nurse/Nursing
- 51.3812Perioperative/Operating Room and Surgical Nurse/Nursing
- 51.3813Clinical Nurse Specialist
- 51.3814Critical Care Nursing
- 51.3815Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing
- 51.3816Emergency Room/Trauma Nursing
- 51.3818Nursing Practice
- 51.3819Palliative Care Nursing
- 51.3820Clinical Nurse Leader
- 51.3821Geriatric Nurse/Nursing
- 51.3822Women's Health Nurse/Nursing
- 51.3824Forensic Nursing
- 51.3899Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing, Other
Common questions
Answers for people weighing nursing instructors and teachers, postsecondary programs in Colorado.
What degree do you need to become a Nursing Instructor?+
Doctoral or professional degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse, which awarded 3,136 degrees in Colorado in 2024-25, 95.3% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Nursing Instructor?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 8 programs to this occupation. The largest are Registered Nursing, Health Professions Education. Together they graduate about 3,292 people a year in Colorado.
How much do nursing instructors and teachers, postsecondary earn in Colorado?+
The median is $82,530 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 2.8% above the U.S. median of $80,250. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for nursing instructors and teachers, postsecondary growing?+
BLS projects a +16.8% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, much faster than average, with roughly 8,600 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Colorado?+
27 institutions in Colorado reported graduates from at least one of the 8 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do nursing instructors and teachers, postsecondary work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Professor, Nursing Professor, Nursing Instructor, Assistant Professor among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 25-1072.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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