Associate of Applied Science│2 Years│Full-Time Only │68 Credits│Fond du Lac Campus│Eligible for Financial Aid
WI Median Salary for Recent Graduates: $54,044
Respiratory Therapy Program
Become a respiratory therapist in under three years with an associate degree from Moraine Park Technical College. The Respiratory Therapy program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care.
Respiratory therapists work as part of a health care team to evaluate, treat and manage patients of all ages with respiratory and other cardiopulmonary disorders.
Respiratory therapists see patients with diseases, infections and viruses of the cardiopulmonary system, such as lung cancer, asthma, emphysema, bronchitis and pneumonia. Common respiratory care includes managing mechanical ventilation life support systems, assessing the cardiopulmonary status of patients, drawing blood samples, performing blood gas analysis and pulmonary function testing, initiating ordered respiratory care, evaluating and monitoring patients’ responses to such care and modifying the prescribed respiratory therapy and cardiopulmonary procedures.
Respiratory therapists also provide patient, family and community education, and participate in life support activities as required. Upon graduation, Moraine Park Respiratory Therapy students are qualified for admission to the entry-level and advanced practitioner examinations to become a registered respiratory therapist.
What You’ll Learn
Moraine Park Respiratory Therapy program students gain hands-on experience in applying respiratory therapy concepts to patient care situations, demonstrating technical proficiency required to fulfill the role of a respiratory therapist and practice respiratory therapy according to established professional and ethical standards.
Accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care, Moraine Park’s Respiratory Therapy program (CoARC #2004441) awards an Associate of Applied Science degree, and is offered at the Fond du Lac Campus. CoARC accredits respiratory therapy education programs in the United States. To achieve this end, it utilizes an ‘outcomes based’ process. Programmatic outcomes are performance indicators that reflect the extent to which the educational goals of the program are achieved and by which program effectiveness is documented.
- 1 Outcomes data from the 2024 Annual Report of Current Status has been posted on the CoARC website.
Career opportunities for people with respiratory therapy degrees include, but aren’t limited to, the following:
- Respiratory Therapist
- Respiratory Care Practitioner
- Respiratory Care Therapist
- Staff Therapist
- Pulmonary Rehabilitation Therapist
- Perinatal/Pediatric Therapist
- Pulmonary Function Technologist/Therapist
- Sleep Disorder Center Technician
- Nursing Home Therapist
- Respiratory Care Educator
- Pulmonary Case Navigator
- Home Care Therapist/Manager
- Acute Care Respiratory Therapist
Median Salary for Recent Graduates: $58,496
Moraine Park’s admissions starts with the online application. The admissions steps and financial aid process can take 4-5 weeks for some programs, so plan ahead.
View and begin standard admissions steps.
This program also requires:
- Health Requirements
- Criminal Background Check
Core Intent Form Details: Students are provisionally accepted to the Respiratory Therapy Program in “pre-core” status. Before students are able to begin core program classes, the Core Intent Form must be submitted. Students applying after April 1, 2025 will no longer follow a petition process.
Note: Space for this program may be limited. Please review our waitlist system before applying.
If you have any questions or need help with the process, please contact us at admissions@morainepark.edu OR 920-924-3200, TTY/VP:Use Relay VRS.
Several factors influence the total cost of your degree, including enrollment fees, the number of credits required, textbooks and equipment. Financial aid can assist with those costs.
The following estimated costs for completing this degree are based on the 2023-24 academic year and are subject to change. For further details, please visit the estimated cost of attendance page.
$12,151.60
Current tuition and fees
Coming Soon
Textbooks*
*Based on new books, rental, electronic, and used options may be available.
Additional Program Costs:
Uniform
- PRE-CORE: BLS – $25
- ACLS – $70
- CORE: Stethescope – $160
- CORE: Watch w/ second hand – $25
- CORE: Scrubs (top & bottom) 2 sets/Royal Blue – $60
- CORE: Long sleeve lab coat (white) OPTIONAL – $20
- CORE: MPTC patch – $20
- CORE: ID Badge – $15
Equipment
- Calculator – $15
- CORE: Cengage unlimited subscription- semester long – $180
- CORE: Trajecys subscription (12 mth) – $115
- CORE: Parking pass for Froedtert Health – $5
State Licensure Disclosure:
Moraine Park’s Respiratory Therapy program prepares students to obtain the educational requirements for licensure to be employed/practice in the state of Wisconsin. No determination has been made if the curriculum matches the educational requirements for preparation, examinations, or licensure for other states. Visit the Accreditation page for more details about accreditation.
Licensing Organization:
American Association of Respiratory Care
Clinical evaluation of competencies is the exit assessment graduation requirement for the program.
Respiratory Therapy Student Voices
"I liked having instructors who took the time to get to know you and your goals, not only professionally but personally. They truly had your back and did everything in their power to help you succeed." - Ashley Aden
