KMTC Nursing Courses & Entry Requirements
If you’re weighing your options for KMTC nursing courses, this page lays out every one of them side by side — certificate, diploma and higher diploma — with the exact entry grades, duration and campuses from KMTC’s own Academic Programmes booklet.
Quick answer
KMTC’s Department of Nursing offers nursing training at three levels. There’s one certificate course (Community Health Nursing), five diploma courses (including the well-known Kenya Registered Nursing, KRN), and ten higher diploma specialities for nurses who already hold a diploma and want to specialise further, in areas like Critical Care, Anaesthesia and Psychiatric Nursing. Most diploma-level KMTC nursing courses need a mean grade of C, while the certificate accepts a C-.
On this page
Certificate in nursing
There’s only one certificate-level nursing course at KMTC, and it’s the lowest entry point into nursing training at the college.
| Programme | Duration | Offered at | Entry requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate in Community Health Nursing | 2 years | Selected Campuses | Mean Grade C-, C- in English or Kiswahili and Biology/Biological Sciences. D+ in any one of: Physics/Physical Sciences, Chemistry or Mathematics. |
Full C- eligibility across all KMTC courses is covered on our C- courses page.
Diploma nursing courses
Four of the five diploma nursing courses share the same entry requirement. Health Counselling is the odd one out, with a lighter Biology requirement.
| Programme | Duration | Offered at | Entry requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diploma in Community Health Nursing | 3 years | Selected Campuses | Mean Grade C, C in English or Kiswahili and Biology/Biological Sciences. C- in any one of: Chemistry, Physics/Physical Sciences or Mathematics. |
| Diploma in Kenya Registered Nursing and Midwifery | 3 years | Selected Campuses | Same as above. |
| Diploma in Registered Nursing Mental Health & Psychiatry | 3 years | Selected Campuses | Same as above. |
| Diploma in Kenya Registered Nursing (KRN) | 3 years | Selected Campuses | Same as above. |
| Diploma in Health Counselling | 3 years | Selected Campuses | Mean grade C, C in English or Kiswahili and D+ in Biology/Biological Sciences. C- in any one of: Religious Studies or History. |
The full KRN diploma is what most people mean when they ask about “KMTC nursing” — it’s the standard route into registered nursing practice in Kenya.
Higher diploma nursing specialities
These are for nurses who already hold a diploma and want to specialise. All ten share the same entry route: a Diploma in KRN, KRCHN, KRNM or KRNMHP, or a BScN, registration with the Nursing Council of Kenya (NCK) with a valid practicing license, and one year of post-licensing experience.
| Speciality | Duration | Offered at |
|---|---|---|
| Kenya Registered Nurse Anaesthesia | 2 years | Kisii, Mombasa |
| Critical Care Nursing | 2 years | Nairobi, Thika, Kilifi, Machakos |
| Paediatric Nursing | 2 years | Kisumu |
| Psychiatric Nursing | 2 years | Mathari |
| Ophthalmic Nursing | 2 years | Nairobi |
| Nephrology Nursing | 2 years | Nairobi, Nakuru, Embu |
| Palliative Care Nursing | 2 years | Nairobi |
| Perioperative Nursing | 2 years | Nairobi |
| Oncology Nursing | 2 years | Mosoriot |
| Family Health Nursing | 2 years | Nairobi, Gatundu, Thika, Nyeri, Nakuru (Distance Learning) |
Upgrading from certificate to diploma
If you already hold a nursing certificate, KMTC runs two upgrading routes to a diploma, both through distance learning.
| Course | Entry requirements | Duration | Intake | Campus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diploma in Community Health Nursing (Distance Learning) | Certificate in Community Health Nursing (KECN). NCK registration. 2 years post-graduation experience. | 2 years | March | Embu, Kitui, Kisii, Eldoret, Meru, Garissa, Muranga, Nakuru, Mombasa, Lodwar, Kisumu |
| Diploma in Community Health Nursing (Distance Learning) | Same as above. | 2 years | September | Kitale, Kapkatet, Embu, Kitui, Kabarnet |
| Diploma in Community Health Nursing – EN/EM | Certificate in Enrolled Nurse and Certificate in Enrolled Midwifery. NCK registration. 2 years post-graduation experience. | 2 years | September | Nyeri |
Which KMTC nursing course fits your grade
A mean grade of C- gets you into the Certificate in Community Health Nursing. Step up to a C, with the right subject grades, and every diploma nursing course opens up, including the full KRN programme. If you already hold a nursing diploma, the higher diploma specialities are about experience and NCK registration, not KCSE grades.
See every KMTC course open at C- →