Learning in Gilbert
Well-educated residents abound. An estimated 49.8 percent of people (25+) in Gilbert have at least a bachelor’s degree (versus 36.8 percent across the United States). The median age is only thirty-four, and nearly a third of the residents are between the ages of twenty-five and forty-four—an ideal talent pool for growing companies.
In addition to its first-rate K-12 system, higher education has a growing presence here. A university building constructed in the downtown Heritage District is currently home to Park University and the University of Arizona. Park University is a private liberal arts university offering both undergraduate and graduate degree programs, while the University of Arizona operates its Bachelor of Science in Nursing and its Master of Science for Entry to the Profession of Nursing (MEPN) from the university building. The Arizona State University Polytechnic Campus, meanwhile, is sited near the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. Gilbert also offers an excellent community college system. Chandler-Gilbert Community College currently educates over 17,000 students annually, with programs in pharmacy technology, nursing, biomedical research technology, and solar installation, to name a few.
Education
Excellence in education is essential for Gilbert’s strategic growth and of integral importance to the community’s workforce development. As a result, the Gilbert Office of Economic Development works to align educational curriculum with Gilbert’s industry needs to provide for tomorrow’s workforce.
Gilbert’s dense volume of educated residents boasts one of the highest concentrations of graduate and professional degrees among competing western U.S. cities, with 49.8% of residents holding a bachelor’s degree or higher, which outpaces the national average of 36.8%.
Source: 2024 Community Profile for the Town of Gilbert from ESRI Business Analyst
Arizona Higher Education
Opportunities in higher education and training are vital components of any organization’s success. Gilbert is home to two higher education institutions, Park University and the University of Arizona, and is located in close proximity to Arizona State University’s Polytechnic campus and Chandler-Gilbert Community College. There are also over 60 other colleges, universities, and technical schools within a 30-minute commute, providing multiple opportunities to establish a workforce with the appropriate skill set to advance your organization’s productivity.
The community also works closely with these higher education institutions to identify workforce-related educational programming specific to the needs of local businesses.
In 2023, three school districts that are located in Gilbert were named Top School Districts in Arizona; Chandler Unified School District (#1), Gilbert Public School District (#8), and Higley Unified School District (#11). Students attending public school in Gilbert average better scores on the SAT and ACT than its state and national counterparts.
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Park University
Park University’s Gilbert Campus serves traditional and non-traditional students looking to start or advance their career and to provide them with affordable and convenient educational programs. Programs are offered at the undergraduate and graduate level, as well as offering accelerated adult-learning options.
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University of Arizona
The University of Arizona College of Nursing in Gilbert is a regional location that offers two accelerated 15–17-month hybrid nursing programs that trains students for the fast-growing occupation in the nursing field.
The Bachelor of Science in Nursing Integrative Health (BSN-IH) emphasis is the nation’s first BSN degree program with an emphasis in Integrative Health. The integrative health emphasis is integrated into the curriculum to produce nurses who are not only equipped to care for others but also to practice self-care, ensuring their longevity and success in the healthcare field. Nursing students will complete their first two years at a partner community college to earn their associate’s degree and transfer to the U of A at the Gilbert location to earn their bachelor’s degree and become a registered nurse. The BSN-IH degree is an accelerated hybrid 15-17-month program that trains students with community clinical experts in all specialty areas and includes 1000+ clinical and simulation hours.
The Master of Science in Nursing – Entry to the Profession of Nursing (MS-MEPN) program in Gilbert is designed for students holding university degrees in other fields who want to become registered nurses. In this program, students will train with community clinical experts in all specialty areas and includes 1,300+ clinical and simulation hours. This is an accelerated hybrid 15-month program that retrains students for the nursing field.
Both U of A College of Nursing Gilbert programs offer 3 starts per year including Spring, Summer, Fall and are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, the Arizona State Board of Nursing, and affiliated with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing and the Western Institute of Nursing. Please see additional details and tour registration here.
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Arizona State University Polytechnic Campus
Arizona State University (ASU) is a tier-one research university with over 250 majors for undergraduate students, as well as over 100 graduate, professional and doctoral programs. The University hosts one of the largest student populations in the United States with over 82,000 students across four campuses. The curriculum at ASU’s Polytechnic Campus focuses on engineering, aviation, math, science, technology, entrepreneurship, and management. The campus is home to more than 40 degree programs with approximately 10,000 students. The 600-acre campus is adjacent to the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, one of the fastest growing commercial airports in the nation offering hands-on aviation and defense education.
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Chandler-Gilbert Community College
Providing higher education in the Phoenix southeast valley since 1985, Chandler-Gilbert Community College (CGCC) serves more than 17,000 students annually and offers transferability to four-year degree programs.
CGCC is a leader in producing a qualified workforce through its 37 associate’s degree programs that include biomedical research technology, nursing, law enforcement, pharmacy technology, and solar installation. In addition, CGCC offers strategic educational programming in aviation, information technologies, teacher education, engineering, automated manufacturing systems, electric utility, and crime and intelligence analysis. As part of the larger Maricopa Community Colleges system, CGCC has two campuses serving Gilbert including the Williams Campus shared with Arizona State University, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, and an Air Force research laboratory.
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A. T. Still University
A. T. Still University (ATSU) is a private health sciences university offering advanced medical degrees through the School of Osteopathic Medicine; School of Dentistry and Oral Health; and the School of Health Sciences. ATSU has over 1,000 students enrolled in Arizona pursuing one of 13 masters and doctorate degrees including a doctor of dental medicine (DMD), doctorate of Audiology (Au.D) and Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.). ATSU is one of three medical schools in Arizona and the only dental school in the state.