Staff Reports | Community Updates
Maricopa Community Colleges is preparing to confer degrees and certificates to more than 20,000 students this spring, with 20,866 graduates projected across its 10 colleges.
The system, which educates more Arizona residents than any other college or university in the state, continues to expand access to higher education, with its graduates making a significant impact across some of the region’s most critical industries.
“Graduation is a celebration of perseverance, resilience, opportunity, and transformation,” said Dr. Steven R. Gonzales, chancellor of Maricopa Community Colleges, in a prepared statement. “We are incredibly proud of each graduate as they step into the next phase of their lives. We know many of our students will move into impactful careers throughout the Valley, making invaluable contributions to our local communities.”
This milestone reflects Maricopa Community Colleges’ commitment to ensuring higher education remains affordable and accessible for all students. The accomplishments of this year’s graduating class also highlight the hard work and dedication of the system’s more than 10,000 faculty and staff in creating supportive learning environments that promote academic excellence.
By the numbers
For more than a century, Maricopa Community Colleges have transformed students’ educational experiences. Today, their graduation ceremonies celebrate achievements at every level—bachelor’s degrees, associate degrees, certificates, and microcredentials.
•3,467 Health Sciences Graduates—As Arizona’s most extensive integrated healthcare system, Maricopa Community Colleges offers over 70 Health Sciences programs at its colleges and skill centers. Each year, more than 8,000 students enroll in healthcare programs.
•2,516 Business, Entrepreneurialism, and Management Graduates—Business remains one of the most in-demand fields of study nationwide, with 75% of Gen Z wanting to launch their own business, and 93% already taking at least one step toward business ownership. Maricopa Community Colleges has added two business-focused bachelor’s degrees—Business Administration-Accounting and Business Administration-Management—to its lineup of Business and Entrepreneurial Studies programs.
•2,372 Behavioral Science and Human Services Graduates—By 2030, Arizona will need at least 2,419 behavioral health professionals to enter the workforce. The system has seen tremendous success in its Bachelor of Science in Behavioral Sciences program, with 1,325 students enrolled and 2,626 students entering.
•1,929 Nursing Graduates—The state currently ranks in the top five states experiencing the most severe nursing shortage. Across its 10 colleges, the system educates nearly one-third of Arizona’s nurses, producing the highest number in the state. In 2024, the system introduced a Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN-BSN).
•5 Programs with Conferred Bachelor’s Degrees—This year, the system has up to 100 students across six colleges who will receive bachelor’s degrees in Behavioral Science, Early Childhood Education-Dual Language, Elementary Education and Special Education, Information Technology, and Public Safety Administration.
In fall 2023, Maricopa Community Colleges launched seven highly anticipated four-year bachelor’s degrees. Last year, Maricopa Community Colleges became the first community college system in Arizona to confer bachelor’s degrees. Today, over 5,350 students are enrolled in one of eight degree programs. This fall, the system will welcome students into three additional bachelor’s degree programs — artificial intelligence and machine learning, and two business-focused programs.
