Respiratory Care Bachelor's Degree

This bachelor’s degree offers students a greater ability to advance to management and leadership roles within the profession, to become advanced caregivers, to conduct health related research, and to become educators in the field. Increasingly, Respiratory Care Practitioners are taking on responsibilities, formerly conducted by physicians, requiring a greater level of critical thinking and analytical skills.

A minimum of 28 units of upper division major course work builds upon the lower division major course work. The degree also includes a minimum of 12 units of upper division general education courses in alignment with California State University guidelines.

Students will complete coursework through a capstone project developed in collaboration with faculty and community members and are aligned with student area of interest.

Students can apply through the Respiratory Care Online Application.

Skyline College also offers an associate degree in Respiratory Care.

Career Outlook

Most Respiratory Care Practitioners participate in three phases of patient care: diagnosis, treatment and patient management. While many RCPs work in hospitals, some work in nursing care facilities or travel to patients’ homes. With the higher expectation in degree attainment, practitioners will seek more opportunities in leadership roles as well as outside the acute care environment.

Demand for respiratory therapists is high, and employment is expected to grow 19% over the next decade according to the U.S. Department of Labor thanks in part to a growing aging population. Bachelor’s degree preparation provides opportunities for advancement in Respiratory Care areas and increases in salary compensation. partly due to a growing aging population. In California, respiratory therapists make an average of $96,150 per year according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Bachelor's Degree in Respiratory Care – Skyline College

Minimum Credits Required: 120.0

Completion of 120 semester units including upper and lower division general education course work in alignment with the California State University General Education (CSU-GE) Breadth requirements and 76.5 major semester units in Respiratory Care.

• Completion of lower division major coursework (or equivalent) to Skyline College CoARC accredited Associate of Science (AS) Degree in Respiratory Care: (48.5 units)
  • Please note: Coursework completed at another educational institution will need to be evaluated for equivalency

• General Education Requirements:
  • Lower division semester unit pattern (30 units)
    • Area A – English Language Communication and Critical Thinking
    • Area B – Scientific Inquiry and Quantitative Reasoning
    • Area C – Arts and Humanities
    • Area D – Social Sciences
    • Area E – Lifelong Learning
    • Area F – Ethnic Studies

• Upper division Major Coursework in Respiratory Care (28 units):
  • Advanced Cardiopulmonary Respiratory Care (3 units)
  • Sleep Medicine and Respiratory Care (3 units)
  • Advanced Respiratory Case Management (3 units)
  • Principals of Health Education (3 units)
  • Health Care Research Design and Methodology (3 units)
  • Respiratory Care Leadership and Management I (3 units)
  • Respiratory Care Leadership and Management II (3 units)
  • Advanced Neonatal/Pediatric Respiratory Care (3 units)
  • Respiratory Care Capstone Project (4 units)

• Upper Division General Education (12 units):
  • Health Communication (3 units)
  • Public Health Policy (3 units)
  • Multicultural Human Relations (3 units)
  • Intersectionality and Citizenship (3 units)

 Please Note: Above are the lists of courses you need to take to complete your degree. Requirements above should be used as a guide only. Current students should consult with the Counseling Department for their specific requirements based on their catalog rights.

Program Goal

To provide graduates of entry into respiratory care professional practice degree programs with additional knowledge, skills, and attributes in leadership, management, education, research, and/or advanced clinical practice that will enable them to meet their current professional goals and prepare them for practice as advance degree respiratory therapists.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of degree requirements, students will be able to:

• Demonstrate the ability to evaluate, assess and apply interventions in areas of respiratory care including sleep medicine, neonatal and pediatric care, adult critical care, and respiratory case management.
• Demonstrate the use of evidence-based-practice and respiratory driven protocols which enhance the critical thinking of the RCP and provide safe patient care.
• Develop and apply transformational leadership principles in healthcare that foster an environment of inclusion in decision making. Employing effective strategies to address various business aspects of healthcare particularly value efficacy and continuous quality improvement.
• Develop and apply effective professional oral and written communication skills and tools that empower autonomy to be an effective member of the healthcare team.