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Critical Care Nurse Education Requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a critical care nurse. Critical care nurses usually study nursing, nursing science, or business. 49% of critical care nurses hold a bachelor's degree, and 32% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 7,484 real critical care nurse resumes to see exactly what critical care nurse education sections show.
The most common colleges for critical care nurses are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online critical care nurse courses to help get the education required to be a critical care nurse.
There are certain critical care nurse certifications that you should consider. These critical care nurse certifications include Basic Life Support for Healthcare and Public Safety (BLS) and Trauma Nursing Core Course (TNCC).
What education do you need to become a critical care nurse?
What degree do you need to be a critical care nurse?
- Bachelor's, 49%
- Associate, 32%
- Master's, 10%
- Diploma, 6%
- Other Degrees, 3%
What should I major in to become a critical care nurse?
- Nursing, 82%
- Nursing Science, 3%
- Business, 2%
- Psychology, 2%
- Other Majors, 11%
Most common colleges for critical care nurses
Critical Care Nurse Common College  | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 14.35% |
| Walden University | 7.73% |
| Grand Canyon University | 6.18% |
| New York University | 5.52% |
| St. Petersburg College | 5.08% |
Best majors for critical care nurses
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nursing | 81.6% |
| 2 | Nursing Science | 3.4% |
| 3 | Business | 1.8% |
| 4 | Psychology | 1.7% |
| 5 | Biology | 1.7% |
Best colleges for critical care nurses
The best colleges for critical care nurses are University of Rochester, University of Tulsa, and Vanderbilt University.
A critical care nurse with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for critical care nurses. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become critical care nurses.
1. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-State Tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-State Tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
3. Yale University
New Haven, CT • Private
In-State Tuition
$53,430
Enrollment
5,963
4. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-State Tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
5. Georgetown University
Washington, DC • Private
In-State Tuition
$54,104
Enrollment
7,089
20 best online courses for critical care nurses
Advertising Disclosure
1. Trauma Emergencies and Care
Welcome to Trauma Emergencies and Care. In this course, you will learn about some of the mechanics and physics of trauma on the human body, and how this can cause injury. You will continue to expand your new vocabulary with medical terminology, and learn how to describe the different injuries you may see. You will also learn about the trauma system itself- and when it is important to transport patients to a trauma center. Then we will dive into specific injuries based on what part of the body...
2. Palliative Care Always Capstone Course
The Palliative Care Always Capstone course is designed to let you test your knowledge about palliative and help others understand the value of palliative care, while showing your creative side. In this course, you will impact community awareness about palliative care, promote self-care and wellness, show-off your communication skills in a virtual environment, and finish the course off by proving your thoughts on ways to offer psychosocial support to a patient and family...
3. Providing Trauma-Informed Care
Exploring psychological trauma and how to provide care and compassion to trauma survivors...
4. Home Health Aide, Nurse Aide, Caregiver Certification Course
Become A Certified Home Health Aide, Personal Care Aide, Nurse Aide/ Caregiver At The End Of This Course. Enroll Now!!...
5. Introduction to Integrative Nursing
This course is designed for nurses who are drawn to practice in a different way – nurses who value whole-person care and know that the essence of nursing practice is truly caring and healing. You will learn about the principles and practices of Integrative Nursing and how you can be a healing presence to all you serve. Then, you will do an integrative assessment and apply the principles of Integrative Nursing to improve symptom management and overall patient outcomes. Finally, you will explore...
6. Emergency Care: Pregnancy, Infants, and Children
Welcome to the final course of lectures in your quest to master EMT basics. In this course, we will cover some of the highest-stress patient populations: pregnant patients and kids, also known as pediatrics. To wrap up your EMT knowledge we will end this course with information about hazmat situations, extricating patients from tight spots and finally how you write a note about your patient care. You will learn to ensure it communicates what your assessment of the patient was, what...
7. Self-Care Life Coach Certification (Boundary Setting)
Empower Your Life Coach Your Clients to Develop Self-Care, Self-Love, Boundary Setting and How to Say No...
8. Coping Skills and Self-Care for Mental Health
Essential skills to manage intense emotions and develop a self-care practice to promote mental health...
9. Health After Cancer: Cancer Survivorship for Primary Care
This course presents basic principles of cancer survivorship to primary-care physicians. Developed by a team of experts in caring for cancer survivors, and narrated by a primary-care physician, this course provides practical tips and tools that can be easily integrated into medical practice. You will learn about the complex physical and psychosocial needs and concerns of the growing number of cancer survivors, along with the key role that primary care physicians have in guiding these patients...
10. Traditional herbal medicine in supportive cancer care: From alternative to integrative
Please join us for an exciting and innovative journey, examining one of the most important and often overlooked aspects of the oncology setting: Traditional Herbal Medicine in Supportive Cancer Care. This course is presented with short lectures offering a wide range of issues related to the principles and practice of herbal medicine in cancer care. The course includes interviews with leading world experts from the field of Integrative Oncology, from the U.S. and Canada, as well as Europe, the...
Top 10 most affordable universities for critical care nurses
The most affordable schools for critical care nurses are SUNY Farmingdale, brigham young university, and hunter college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for critical care nurses are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for critical care nurses.
1. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$8,306
Cost of Attendance
16,091
2. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-State Tuition
$5,620
Cost of Attendance
18,136
3. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$7,182
Cost of Attendance
13,998
4. Clayton State University
Morrow, GA • Private
In-State Tuition
$5,419
Cost of Attendance
17,697
5. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-State Tuition
$9,992
Cost of Attendance
22,430
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for critical care nurses
The hardest universities for critical care nurses to get into are University of Rochester, University of Tulsa, and Vanderbilt University.
Some great schools for critical care nurses are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for critical care nurses based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. University of Rochester
Rochester, NY • Private
Admissions Rate
29%
SAT Average
1,422
2. University of Tulsa
Tulsa, OK • Private
Admissions Rate
41%
SAT Average
1,321
3. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions Rate
10%
SAT Average
1,514
4. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
Admissions Rate
40%
SAT Average
1,376
5. Clemson University
Clemson, SC • Private
Admissions Rate
47%
SAT Average
1,337
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for critical care nurses
The easiest schools for critical care nurses to get into are AdventHealth University, nyack college, and d'youville college.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a critical care nurse without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for critical care nurses.
A
1. AdventHealth University
Orlando, FL • Private
Admissions Rate
87%
SAT Average
1,016
2. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions Rate
98%
SAT Average
999
3. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions Rate
100%
SAT Average
1,072
4. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions Rate
99%
SAT Average
1,008
5. Saint Joseph's College of Maine
Standish, ME • Private
Admissions Rate
84%
SAT Average
1,069
Average critical care nurse salary by education level
| Critical Care Nurse education level | Critical Care Nurse salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $100,568 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $87,305 |
| Doctorate Degree | $91,671 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $72,878 |
Critical Care Nurse Education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common healthcare practitioner and technical questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025