High-paying jobs drive enrollment

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Jefferson College of Health and Sciences is located in Roanoke, Virginia.

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Bonnie V. Winston

Published: October 8, 2008

One school boosting Virginia’s numbers in higher education is Jefferson College of Health Sciences.

Located in Roanoke, the private school offers associate, bachelor’s and master’s degrees in 15 health-care disciplines.

Enrollment at the school has taken off in recent years – from just more than 600 students in 2002 to more than 1,000 full-time students in 2008. School officials attribute this chiefly to the overwhelming demand in the health-care field for trained professionals and the salaries they can command.

“In tough economic times, JCHS graduates entering the health-care profession report starting salaries between $50,000 and $80,000 per year,” according to Mark Lambert, the school’s coordinator of communications and college relations.

“Forty percent of our grads reported making more than $50,000 a year as a starting salary,” Lambert said.

New this fall are master of science degrees in occupational therapy and physician assistant. The school also anticipates adding a new bachelor of science degree in emergency health services and fire technology.

– Bonnie V. Winston