Cannabis programs at US colleges and universities: A national inventory of accredited, credit‐bearing offerings

Abstract Cannabis ( Cannabis sativa L.) legalization has expanded across the United States, increasing demand for trained professionals across agriculture, healthcare, business, and public policy. No standardized national inventory of accredited, credit‐bearing cannabis programs existed at the time of this study. This study aimed to compile a national inventory of accredited, credit‐bearing cannabis programs and apply a Classification of Instructional Programs–like framework to support analysis of disciplinary distribution and credential structure. Using a state‐by‐state search of institutional catalogs restricted to 3362 regionally accredited US colleges and universities, this study compiled a dataset of 980 courses across 67 institutions in 23 states, representing approximately 2% of the eligible institutional search pool. Program distribution is geographically uneven, with Illinois, Colorado, and California accounting for the largest concentrations. Disciplinary emphasis is led by agriculture, followed by multidisciplinary offerings, business, and health professions. Certificate‐level credentials predominate; bachelor's and graduate‐level pathways remain limited. Required credit hours are consistent within credential types across states, suggesting informal convergence toward field‐wide norms. Importantly, some academic institutions are partnering with private‐sector organizations to develop cannabis‐related courses, wherein the programs are formally housed within the university, but portions of the instructional content are delivered by external providers—an emerging model that adds nuance to how cannabis education is being implemented across higher education. However, these academic‐private models were not included in this study. This inventory provides a replicable baseline for monitoring curricular growth, supporting workforce planning, and informing policy in both the cannabis and hemp ( Cannabis sativa L.) sectors.