Practical Nursing Major Guide: Overview and RoEDU™ Opportunities 2025

The Practical Nursing major builds core foundations in this discipline and prepares students with practical, career-relevant skills. Use RoEDU™ to find programs that match your goals.

Within Medical, students often explore key subfields and specializations that provide targeted expertise.

Graduates translate classroom knowledge into real-world impact across sectors through hands-on projects and internships.

As part of Medical, this major connects to diverse, high-demand fields and interdisciplinary pathways.

Salary Outlook

Entry-level salary
$39,668

Typical starting pay soon after graduation.

Mid-career salary (10y)
$62,718

Estimated after a decade of experience.

Experienced salary (20y)
$84,288

Seasoned professionals at ~20 years.

Weighted median over last 5 years
CAGR 6.1%

CAGR (compound annual growth rate) summarizes average yearly change across the observed period.

Estimated lifetime earnings

40 years, present value
$1,586,720

Employment-weighted across mapped SOCs; entry ≈ 85% of median; historical CAGR shown for last 5y; projections capped at 3% CAGR; lifetime is 40-year present value at 3% discount.

Career Opportunities & Salaries

Data from Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024) • Median wages, employment, and growth projections

OccupationMedian WageTotal JobsGrowth RateEducation
Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses
SOC: 29-2061
Occupation: Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses
$62,340
632,430
N/A
N/A
Nursing Assistants
SOC: 31-1131
Occupation: Nursing Assistants
$39,530
1,388,430
N/A
N/A

Historical Career Trends (2020-2024)

Historical data from Bureau of Labor Statistics (2020-2024) • Salary trends and employment growth over 5 years

Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses

27.7%
5-Year Growth
YearMedian WageEmployment
2024$62,340632,430
2023$59,730630,250
2022$54,620632,020
2021$48,070641,240
2020$48,820676,440

Nursing Assistants

28.1%
5-Year Growth
YearMedian WageEmployment
2024$39,5301,388,430
2023$38,2001,351,760
2022$35,7601,310,090
2021$30,3101,314,830
2020$30,8501,371,050

Colleges offering Practical Nursing

Shasta College

RoEdu™

999

Net Price

$8k

Earnings

$75k

Montana Technological University

RoEdu™

999

Net Price

$16k

Earnings

$64k

Maine College of Health Professions

RoEdu™

999

Net Price

$22k

Earnings

$64k

Trocaire College

RoEdu™

999

Net Price

$22k

Earnings

$62k

National University

RoEdu™

999

Net Price

$29k

Earnings

$67k