Respiratory therapists have a minimum of an associate degree from an accredited respiratory therapy education program. The Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC) is the organization that accredits schools of respiratory therapy and they maintain a listing of accredited respiratory therapist programs on their website

To access a current list of accredited respiratory therapist programs, go to the CoARC website. There you may select: (1) a list of 100-level and 200-level programs ( entry level or advanced level respiratory therapist programs) (2) a list of 300-level (evening or domestic satellite) programs or (3) a list of 400-level polysomnography add-on programs

For your convenience, the AARC maintains this separate list of baccalaureate and masters level programs, that are also accredited by CoARC. Note: Although every attempt will be made to keep this list current, the status of these programs is not continuously updated. Therefore, the current accreditation status of these programs should always be verified using the CoARC website.

The Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC) is the organization responsible for the accreditation for the respiratory therapy educational programs. The educational programs listed here offer respiratory therapy as a major field of study. Information is provided for each program and contains access to the program and program director contact information, and current accreditation status.

Be sure the program you choose is accredited. To find out why this is important, view the brief video entitled “Spotlight on Accreditation” provided by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP). To assure that you can legally practice respiratory therapy after graduation you should enroll only in an accredited program.

Although the accreditation status of each program is constantly updated, accreditation status can be verified by contacting:

Committee on Accreditation
for Respiratory Care
1248 Harwood Road
Bedford, Tx 76021-4244
817-283-2835

“Spotlight on Accreditation” was produced by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs and may not be copied or used for commercial purposes. All rights are reserved by CAAHEP. For more information go to www.caahep.org.