A new report released on Mar. 25 examines trends in health-related degree completion across North Carolina’s public higher education systems, focusing on both the University of North Carolina (UNC) System and the state’s community colleges.
The analysis uses data from the Common Follow-up System to shed light on how many students are graduating with degrees in Health Professions, Registered Nursing, and Health Sciences. This information is important for understanding North Carolina’s ability to meet growing healthcare needs as its population ages.
According to the report, the number of students earning a bachelor’s degree in Health Professions and Related Programs at UNC institutions more than tripled between 2003 and 2021, peaking at 5,062 graduates—12 percent of all UNC System bachelor’s graduates that year. Registered Nursing was identified as the largest major within this group. The number of bachelor’s degree graduates in Registered Nursing rose from fewer than 1,000 in 2003 to a high of 2,750 in 2019 before declining slightly to about 2,400 by 2023. Despite recent decreases, overall growth over two decades remains significant.
At North Carolina community colleges, associate’s degree completions in Health Sciences doubled between 2003 and 2023. Nursing consistently represented between forty and fifty percent of these majors during this period. The peak for associate’s degrees occurred in 2021 with over five thousand Health Sciences graduates and nearly twenty-four hundred Nursing graduates. However, while absolute numbers increased since the early years tracked by the study, their share among all associate’s degrees declined due to large increases in College Transfer and General Education program graduations—from just under three thousand students in those fields combined back in 2003 up to more than sixteen thousand by last year.
The report concludes that both university- and community college-based programs play complementary roles preparing workers for healthcare jobs across North Carolina. It also notes that interest surged during periods like the early COVID-19 pandemic when demand for healthcare workers was especially high.
While there have been some recent declines among health-related program recipients at both levels of higher education since their respective peaks around or after the pandemic onset, graduate numbers remain much higher compared to two decades ago—highlighting continued student interest as well as ongoing workforce needs shaped by demographic changes.
