Respiratory Therapy Program

Home / Academic Programs / Respiratory Therapy
Delivery Options:
Hybrid, OneMSU
Degree Type:
Associate of Applied Science Degree
Program Length Once Accepted To Program:
4 Semesters

Why Pursue Respiratory Therapy?

Respiratory care is a healthcare specialty that offers a set of unique challenges in prevention, treatment, management and rehabilitation of people with lung problems. Respiratory therapists work side by side with physicians, nurses and others on the healthcare team to treat patients from newborns to senior citizens. As part of the OneMSU Network, Great Falls College’ program is available to students in Great Falls, Billings, Bozeman, Kalispell and surrounding areas. Coursework is completed online and labs and clinicals are completed in-person at medical centers across Montana.

Graduates are prepared to:

  • Administer treatments using advanced medical equipment for patients with lung disorders like asthma, emphysema, pneumonia and bronchitis.
  • Work as a member of the critical care team in laboratories, rehabilitation, and home care settings.
  • Demonstrate, excellent judgment, assessment and communication skills.
  • Use problem-solving and creative thinking in their practice.
  • Develop critical thinking and analytical skills for data collection and organization.
  • Implement logical actions based on data analysis.
  • Assist anesthesiologist in monitoring patients’ breathing during surgery.
  • Diagnose and treat sleep disorders, such as apnea.
  • Provide emergency care, first responders to lung injuries from fires or other disasters.
  • Conduct smoking, cessation classes and help patients quit tobacco.

How To Apply To The Respiratory Therapy Program

  • Step 1

    Step 1: Complete all prerequisites with at least a C- grade and be in good academic standing with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0.

  • Step 2

    Step 2: Collect official transcripts if all prerequisites were not taken at Great Falls College

  • Step 3

    Step 3: Be admitted to Great Falls College and have a complete admissions file before applying to the program.

    1. New to Great Falls College? Apply here
    2. Continuing student at Great Falls College? Your admissions file is already complete.
  • Step 4

    Step 4: Submit the program application (instructions in application).

    Application opens March 3 (delayed from Feb. 14) and application packets are accepted on an ongoing basis but must be dropped off or postmarked on or before May 16 to meet the priority deadline to get into the Respiratory Therapy program for the upcoming semester. Only complete application packets will be processed, so do not send items separately.

Types of courses

AHRC 152 Respiratory Care
AHRC 180 Ventilator Management
AHRC 251 Hemodynamic Monitoring
AHRC 281 Respiratory Law and Ethics

Career Opportunities

Respiratory therapy lab in Billings

Additional Program Information

  • Application Deadlines

    Program admission process

    The Respiratory Therapist program admissions committee reviews application packets and uses established admissions criteria to rank applicants for admission. Criteria for selection emphasize academic performance in prerequisite coursework and previous education.

    The priority deadline for applications to the Respiratory Therapist program is May 12, 2023. Completed program application packets may be hand-delivered to Health Science Program Assistant at the college or mailed to the college.

    Contact Information
    Health Science Administrative Assistant
    Room R227
    406.771.4350

    Mailing Address
    Respiratory Therapy Program Admissions Committee
    Attention: Respiratory Therapy Program
    Great Falls College MSU
    2100 16th Avenue South
    Great Falls, MT 59405

    Please send all application items as a completed packet. Items sent separately and at random are easily lost or misfiled. We are not responsible for any late, lost or misfiled information. Please only send required documentation as other supplemental items will be discarded.

    Priority Application Due Date: May 17, 2024

    It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that all requirements are met by the established deadline. Deadlines, guidelines, and policies apply equally to all students; thus, there can be no exceptions.

    Great Falls College MSU’s Respiratory Therapist program does not maintain a waiting list. Applicants must reapply each year.

  • Certification/Accreditation

    Information about Great Falls College’s Respiratory Therapist Program is posted on the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC) website: https://coarc.com/students/programmatic-outcomes-data/. You can see information about our program by selecting interactive map of CoARC program data and then Great Falls from the map. Graduate job placement and credentialing success as well as program attrition data for all CoARC accredited program is also posted at this site. Click on Outcomes data from the Annual Report of Current Status. Programs are listed by state.

    The Great Falls College Respiratory Therapy Program, CoARC # 200327, Associate of Applied Science degree, in Great Falls, Montana, is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (www.coarc.com).

    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.

    The Board of Respiratory Care Practitioners:

    The Board of Respiratory Care Practitioners are the licensing authority for the State of Montana.

    Professional Association

    The American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) encourages students and graduates to become members and participate in national and state meetings. The AARC’s aim is to foster professional growth, encourage research, and provide services and representation to its members. Further information may be obtained from the national office.

  • Earn Your Bachelor's Degree

    Great Falls College’s Respiratory Therapist program has teamed up with Boise State University to help you seamlessly finish up your bachelor’s of science degree in Respiratory Therapy after you complete your degree at Great Falls College.

    There are some things you will want to know about degree advancement early in your time with us here at MSU so please visit the Boise State Degree Advancement Program for information about what you can do now to take the first step towards your BSRT degree and then schedule a meeting with your program faculty to discuss this important next step.

  • Curriculum Map & Assessment Plan

    Respiratory Therapy Program Assessment Plan: Outcomes, curriculum map, and plan are under review AY 21-22. Annual report will be submitted in May 2023.

Get to Know the Respiratory Therapy Faculty

Laura James

RT Faculty/Clinical Coordinator

Melissa Wells, M.Ed., RRT, RCP

Respiratory Therapy Program Director

Respiratory Therapy Program In The News

Wells named respiratory therapy program director

Wells named respiratory therapy program director

Wells will replace Leonard Bates who is retiring after starting program in 1981

Leonard Bates

Leonard Bates, respiratory therapy program director is retiring from Great Falls College

College seeks replacement for man who started the program…
Be an expert! Be a Respiratory Therapist!

Be an expert! Be a Respiratory Therapist!

Deadline to register for classes to get prerequisites is Jan. 6…

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