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Senior licensed practical nurse education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a senior licensed practical nurse. Senior licensed practical nurses usually study nursing, nursing assistants, or business. 35% of senior licensed practical nurses hold a diploma, and 31% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 572 real senior licensed practical nurse resumes to see exactly what senior licensed practical nurse education sections show.

The most common colleges for senior licensed practical nurses are the Chipola College and the Chipola College.

There are also many online senior licensed practical nurse courses to help get the education required to be a senior licensed practical nurse.

There are certain senior licensed practical nurse certifications that you should consider. These senior licensed practical nurse certifications include Certified in Executive Nursing Practice (CENP) and Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA).

What education do you need to become a senior licensed practical nurse?

What degree do you need to be a senior licensed practical nurse?

The most common degree for senior licensed practical nurses is diploma, with 35% of senior licensed practical nurses earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 31% and associate degree degree at 16%.
  • Diploma, 35%
  • Associate, 31%
  • Bachelor's, 16%
  • High School Diploma, 6%
  • Other Degrees, 12%

What should I major in to become a senior licensed practical nurse?

You should major in nursing to become a senior licensed practical nurse. 69% of senior licensed practical nurses major in nursing. Other common majors for a senior licensed practical nurse include nursing assistants and business.

Most common colleges for senior licensed practical nurses

Senior licensed practical nurses often get their degrees at Chipola College, Excelsior College, and Gulf Coast State College. Here are the most common colleges for senior licensed practical nurses in the US based on their resumes.
Senior licensed practical nurse common collegePercentages
Chipola College13.95%
Excelsior College9.30%
Gulf Coast State College6.98%
Galen College of Nursing6.98%
University of Virginia6.98%

Best majors for senior licensed practical nurses

Best colleges for senior licensed practical nurses

The best colleges for senior licensed practical nurses are Emory University, New York University, and Vanderbilt University.

A senior licensed practical 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 senior licensed practical 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 senior licensed practical nurses.

1. Emory University

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,306

Enrollment

6,975

2. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Enrollment

9,394

3. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

4. Maria College of Albany

Albany, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$15,140

Enrollment

876

5. Clarkson College

Omaha, NE • Private

In-state tuition

$13,392

Enrollment

646

6. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Ponce

Mercedita, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$5,914

Enrollment

4,155

7. SUNY at Buffalo

Buffalo, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,099

Enrollment

21,404

8. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Arecibo

Arecibo, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$5,872

Enrollment

3,553

9. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Bayamon

Bayamon, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$5,940

Enrollment

4,169

10. Vermont Technical College

Randolph, VT • Private

In-state tuition

$15,108

Enrollment

1,350

20 best online courses for senior licensed practical nurses

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1. Introduction to Integrative Nursing

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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...

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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...

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Master Dosage Calculations in 5 Hours Without Memorizing Any Formulas and Pass the NCLEX or PTCB Exam...

5. Trauma Emergencies and Care

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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...

6. Medical Emergencies: Airway, Breathing, and Circulation

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In this course, you will develop the knowledge and skills to assess and stabilize certain types of patients for transport. By the end of this course, you will be able to: 1) assess a basic medical patient 2) describe general pharmacologic principles and the skills associated with medication administration, 3) explain airway physiology, the assessment of the airway and available interventions for airway management, 4) identify, assess and formulate a plan to stabilize a patient with a...

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Introduction to the meaning of various roots, terms and combining forms that are components of medical words...

8. Prehospital care of acute stroke and patient selection for endovascular treatment using the RACE scale

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Acute stroke is a time-dependent medical emergency. In acute ischemic stroke, the first objective is to restore brain flow using sistemic thrombolytic treatment and, in patients with large vessel occlusion, by endovascular treatment. In hemorrhagic stroke there are also specific treatments that can improve the clinical outcome. The sooner the initiation of all these therapies the higher the clinical benefit. Thus, the organization of Stroke Code systems coordinated between emergency medical...

9. Emergency Care: Pregnancy, Infants, and Children

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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...

10. Nursing Informatics Leadership Theory and Practice

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“By the end of this Course, you will be able to…” • Evaluate effective leadership styles for leadership in nursing informatics in clinical or academic contexts to improve leadership success. • Discover core values that support effective nursing informatics leadership in academic and clinical contexts to inform development of a personal leadership mission statement. • Discover competing values and polarities related to knowledge leadership and management to promote successful leadership...

11. COVID-19 Training for Healthcare Workers

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COVID-19 is rapidly spreading across the globe and all providers must be prepared to recognize, stabilize and treat patients with novel coronavirus infection. Following completion of this short course physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals will have a unified, evidenced-based approach to saving the lives of patients with COVID-19, including those who are critically ill. Learning modules are broken into short videos presented in a richly illustrated and compelling manner. The...

12. Medical Emergencies: CPR, Toxicology, and Wilderness

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In this course, you will develop the knowledge and skills to assess and stabilize certain types of patients for transport. By the end of this course, you will be able to: (1) Identify the signs and symptoms associated with a patient in shock, to describe the major categories of shock, to assess a patient with signs of shock and formulate a plan for treatment to stabilize the patient for transport, (2) Identify a patient in cardiac arrest and to describe the components of high performance CPR...

13. Health for All Through Primary Health Care

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This course explores why primary health care is central for achieving Health for All. It provides examples of how primary health care has been instrumental in approaching this goal in selected populations and how the principles of primary health care can guide future policies and actions. Two of the most inspiring, least understood, and most often derided terms in global health discourse are “Health for All” and “Primary Health Care.” In this course, we will explore these terms in the context...

14. Traditional herbal medicine in supportive cancer care: From alternative to integrative

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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...

15. Nursing Informatics Leaders

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In this course, we explore the AMIA Nursing Informatics History Project. By the end of the module, you will understand the resources available that will be used in this course to learn about the first hand experiences, future vision, and lessons learned in becoming a nursing informatics pioneer. Course Objectives: • Explore the history of technology and its relationship to the beginning of nursing informatics to understand historical context and evolution of the specialty • Discover the AMIA...

16. Palliative Care Always Capstone Course

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17. Health Care Delivery in Healthcare Organizations

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18. Addiction Treatment: Clinical Skills for Healthcare Providers

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19. Value-Based Care: Managing Processes to Improve Outcomes

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COURSE 3 of 7. This course is designed to introduce you to critical office-based processes that a value-based practice must manage in the drive towards improved patient outcomes. In Module 2, we’ll focus on office-based and clinical patient-based supporting functions. At every level in healthcare, guidelines, processes, and functions exist to improve outcomes, and following a consistent process will return the best effect. Refine your understanding of value and learn strategies to provide real...

20. Strategies for Senior Housing Communities during COVID-19

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Top 10 most affordable universities for senior licensed practical nurses

The most affordable schools for senior licensed practical nurses are SUNY Farmingdale, dickinson state university, and maine college of health professions.

If the best universities for senior licensed practical 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 senior licensed practical nurses.

1. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

2. Dickinson State University

Dickinson, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$6,768

Cost of attendance

15,506

3. Maine College of Health Professions

Lewiston, ME • Private

In-state tuition

$12,245

Cost of attendance

18,826

4. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

5. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

6. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Arecibo

Arecibo, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$5,872

Cost of attendance

13,476

7. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Ponce

Mercedita, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$5,914

Cost of attendance

13,564

8. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Bayamon

Bayamon, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$5,940

Cost of attendance

13,508

9. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Barranquitas

Barranquitas, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$5,902

Cost of attendance

13,479

10. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Aguadilla

Aguadilla, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$5,902

Cost of attendance

13,284

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for senior licensed practical nurses

The hardest universities for senior licensed practical nurses to get into are Emory University, New York University, and Vanderbilt University.

Some great schools for senior licensed practical 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 senior licensed practical 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. Emory University

Atlanta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,449

2. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

3. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

4. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,422

5. University of Tulsa

Tulsa, OK • Private

Admissions rate

41%

SAT average

1,321

6. SUNY at Buffalo

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

56%

SAT average

1,250

7. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

8. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

9. Clemson University

Clemson, SC • Private

Admissions rate

47%

SAT average

1,337

10. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for senior licensed practical nurses

The easiest schools for senior licensed practical nurses to get into are Barry University, adventhealth university, and holy names university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a senior licensed practical 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 senior licensed practical nurses.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. AdventHealth University

Orlando, FL • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,016

3. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

4. Pennsylvania State University - Shenango

Sharon, PA • Private

Admissions rate

75%

SAT average

989

5. Pennsylvania State University - Fayette (The Eberly Campus)

Lemont Furnace, PA • Private

Admissions rate

80%

SAT average

1,067

6. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

7. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

8. Washington Adventist Hospital

Takoma Park, MD • Private

Admissions rate

52%

SAT average

958

9. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

10. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

Average senior licensed practical nurse salary by education level

According to our data, senior licensed practical nurses with a Bachelor's degree earn the highest average salary, at $56,156 annually. Senior licensed practical nurses with a Associate degree earn an average annual salary of $55,647.
Senior licensed practical nurse education levelSenior licensed practical nurse salary
High School Diploma or Less$54,254
Bachelor's Degree$56,156
Some College/ Associate Degree$55,647

Senior licensed practical nurse education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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