Higher Education

Located on 600 acres adjacent to Mesa Gateway Airport, ASU Polytechnic is a major higher education and innovation asset in Mesa. The campus offers 95 undergraduate degrees and 45 graduate degrees and serves more than 6,700 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students, helping strengthen the city’s long-term talent pipeline.

Partnerships and Innovation Assets
ASU Polytechnic is known for hands-on learning, industry partnerships, and interdisciplinary collaboration. The campus supports student, faculty and industry engagement through advanced aviation training facilities, engineering and manufacturing research space, and innovation infrastructure tied to high-growth sectors. Further reinforcing Mesa’s advanced manufacturing ecosystem, ASU Polytechnic is home to the School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks, where education and research focus on manufacturing, robotics, artificial intelligence, and systems engineering. 

Aerospace / Aviation / Manufacturing Assets

• Ottosen Air Traffic Control Simulation Laboratory provides students with hands-on training in a highly specialized aviation environment.
• Del E. Webb High Altitude Training Chamber supports advanced aviation education through real-world altitude and physiological training.
• Additive Manufacturing Center is the largest university research and development facility for additive manufacturing in the Southwest.
• ISTB 12 serves as a collaborative hub for manufacturing engineering and robotics, bringing together students, faculty and industry partners.

Healthcare / Biosciences Assets

• Arizona Center for Algae Technology and Innovation (AzCATI) advances research in renewable energy, biofuels, bioproducts and wastewater treatment.
• Applied algae research and commercialization efforts help position ASU Polytechnic as a contributor to bioscience and sustainability innovation.
• Biotechnology workforce preparation supports the development of future scientists, engineers, and technical talent.
• Algae Testbed Public-Private Partnership (ATP3) helps accelerate the research, development, and commercialization of algae-based technologies.

Established in 1892, A.T. Still University (ATSU) began as the founding institution of osteopathic healthcare and has evolved into a leading health sciences university with three campuses, seven schools, and online programs. ATSU’s Arizona School of Health Sciences moved to Mesa during the 1999–2000 academic year and has since helped prepare healthcare professionals through the university’s whole-person healthcare approach. The school also offers an innovative 56-seat virtual anatomy lab that is available to students and the community alike. Presented in a virtual setting, the lab offers the anatomy practicum without actual cadaver dissection. The technology was the first of its kind for any medical school in Arizona and allows users to study anatomy in a highly visual, 3-D environment.

For more than 135 years, Benedictine University has provided students with a private, faith-based education rooted in Catholic and Benedictine tradition. At its Mesa campus, students benefit from a values-based academic experience that emphasizes critical thinking, problem-solving, and preparation for meaningful careers and lives of purpose. Current undergraduate offerings in Mesa include programs such as Accounting, Entrepreneurship, Management and Organizational Behavior, Computer Science, Criminology, and Criminal Justice.

Northern Arizona University (NAU) provides Mesa-area students with access to an accredited, high-quality university education through NAU at Mesa Community College. NAU offers affordable bachelor’s degree pathways, including 90/30 options that allow students to complete up to 90 credits at the community college level before transferring to NAU. Current offerings at NAU at Mesa Community College include programs in Education, Strategic Leadership, and Applied Human Behavior, as well as concurrent enrollment pathways in Nursing and Dental Hygiene. NAU’s education programs are accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), and NAU is the only state university in Arizona with education programs holding that accreditation.

NAU also operates the Mesa Workforce Development Center in downtown Mesa, which provides high-quality education and training for the hospitality industry. The center offers degree, certificate, non-credit, and professional development programs and is committed to excellence, inclusivity, innovation, collaboration, accountability, and lifelong learning.

Alverno College is a private, Catholic, Franciscan college based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with a nursing education center in Mesa, Arizona. The Mesa campus offers a Direct Entry Master of Science in Nursing program accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. Designed for students who already hold a bachelor’s degree in a non-nursing field, the full-time 18- to 20-month program prepares graduates to sit for the NCLEX-RN and awards both a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Master of Science in Nursing.

Mesa Community College (MCC) is a key workforce and talent asset for Mesa, serving students at its Southern and Dobson and Red Mountain campuses, as well as its Downtown Center. As one of the 10 colleges in Maricopa Community Colleges, the largest community college system in the nation, MCC provides employers with access to a strong pipeline of skilled talent through a broad range of degree and certificate programs, transfer pathways, and workforce-oriented training. The college also offers more than 500 online classes leading to 20 online degrees and certificates, along with customized noncredit training for businesses. Students benefit from comprehensive support services including academic advising, tutoring, career planning, financial aid, testing, and counseling. Chandler-Gilbert Community College, which also has a Mesa location, further strengthens the city’s higher education and workforce development ecosystem.

Chandler-Gilbert Community College (CGCC) is an important higher education and workforce asset for Mesa and the broader Southeast Valley, with locations in Chandler, Mesa, and Sun Lakes. Its Williams Campus near Mesa Gateway Airport supports regional talent development through university-transfer coursework and career-focused programs such as Aviation, Nursing, Fire Science, and Electric Utility Technology. CGCC also partners with the University of North Dakota to provide flight-training opportunities connected to the Williams Campus, creating a direct pathway for students to pursue advanced aviation education and careers. As one of the 10 colleges in Maricopa Community Colleges, the largest community college system in the nation, CGCC strengthens Mesa’s workforce pipeline and higher education ecosystem.

Mesa is also home to these private, for-profit colleges and universities.

• Arizona College
• Carrington College
• Pima Medical Institute
• CAE Phoenix Aviation Academy
• Jersey College