Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants at Gordon Cooper Technology Center

Gordon Cooper Technology Center's practical nursing program produces first-year earnings of $47,573—higher than both the Oklahoma median ($44,594) and the national benchmark ($44,134). While these earnings figures come from actual graduate outcomes, the debt estimate of $11,640 is based on comparable certificate programs across Oklahoma's tech centers, as the graduate cohort here was too small for the DOE to publish debt data.

The debt-to-earnings picture looks manageable at 0.24, meaning graduates would owe roughly three months' salary. That's a reasonable investment for entering healthcare, especially given that the estimated debt matches the state median for similar programs. The concern is the earnings flatness—graduates actually earn slightly less four years out ($47,035) than in their first year. This stagnation is unusual in nursing and suggests the LPN role may have limited advancement potential without additional credentials.

The program performs solidly compared to other Oklahoma tech centers, landing in the middle tier rather than at the top. With estimated debt lower than the national median ($14,803) and earnings above typical benchmarks, this represents a viable path into nursing. Just understand that the salary you see at graduation is likely what you'll still be earning several years later, so career growth may require pursuing an RN credential down the line.