diff --git a/doc/build/changelog/unreleased_13/4460.rst b/doc/build/changelog/unreleased_13/4460.rst
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..52ae7430449
--- /dev/null
+++ b/doc/build/changelog/unreleased_13/4460.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+.. change::
+   :tags: change, tests
+   :tickets: 4460
+
+   The test system has removed support for Nose, which is unmaintained for
+   several years and is producing warnings under Python 3. The test suite is
+   currently standardized on Pytest.  Pull request courtesy Parth Shandilya.
diff --git a/lib/sqlalchemy/testing/plugin/bootstrap.py b/lib/sqlalchemy/testing/plugin/bootstrap.py
index 2230ae2a860..a95c947e200 100644
--- a/lib/sqlalchemy/testing/plugin/bootstrap.py
+++ b/lib/sqlalchemy/testing/plugin/bootstrap.py
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 """
-Bootstrapper for nose/pytest plugins.
+Bootstrapper for test framework plugins.
 
 The entire rationale for this system is to get the modules in plugin/
 imported without importing all of the supporting library, so that we can
@@ -41,8 +41,5 @@ def load_file_as_module(name):
 if to_bootstrap == "pytest":
     sys.modules["sqla_plugin_base"] = load_file_as_module("plugin_base")
     sys.modules["sqla_pytestplugin"] = load_file_as_module("pytestplugin")
-elif to_bootstrap == "nose":
-    sys.modules["sqla_plugin_base"] = load_file_as_module("plugin_base")
-    sys.modules["sqla_noseplugin"] = load_file_as_module("noseplugin")
 else:
     raise Exception("unknown bootstrap: %s" % to_bootstrap)  # noqa
diff --git a/lib/sqlalchemy/testing/plugin/noseplugin.py b/lib/sqlalchemy/testing/plugin/noseplugin.py
deleted file mode 100644
index 05c62f79140..00000000000
--- a/lib/sqlalchemy/testing/plugin/noseplugin.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,113 +0,0 @@
-# plugin/noseplugin.py
-# Copyright (C) 2005-2019 the SQLAlchemy authors and contributors
-# <see AUTHORS file>
-#
-# This module is part of SQLAlchemy and is released under
-# the MIT License: http://www.opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.php
-
-"""Enhance nose with extra options and behaviors for running SQLAlchemy tests.
-
-Must be run via ./sqla_nose.py so that it is imported in the expected
-way (e.g. as a package-less import).
-
-"""
-
-try:
-    # installed by bootstrap.py
-    import sqla_plugin_base as plugin_base
-except ImportError:
-    # assume we're a package, use traditional import
-    from . import plugin_base
-
-
-import os
-import sys
-
-import nose
-from nose.plugins import Plugin
-
-
-fixtures = None
-
-py3k = sys.version_info >= (3, 0)
-
-
-class NoseSQLAlchemy(Plugin):
-    enabled = True
-
-    name = "sqla_testing"
-    score = 100
-
-    def options(self, parser, env=os.environ):
-        Plugin.options(self, parser, env)
-        opt = parser.add_option
-
-        def make_option(name, **kw):
-            callback_ = kw.pop("callback", None) or kw.pop(
-                "zeroarg_callback", None
-            )
-            if callback_:
-
-                def wrap_(option, opt_str, value, parser):
-                    callback_(opt_str, value, parser)
-
-                kw["callback"] = wrap_
-            opt(name, **kw)
-
-        plugin_base.setup_options(make_option)
-        plugin_base.read_config()
-
-    def configure(self, options, conf):
-        super(NoseSQLAlchemy, self).configure(options, conf)
-        plugin_base.pre_begin(options)
-
-        plugin_base.set_coverage_flag(options.enable_plugin_coverage)
-
-        plugin_base.set_skip_test(nose.SkipTest)
-
-    def begin(self):
-        global fixtures
-        from sqlalchemy.testing import fixtures  # noqa
-
-        plugin_base.post_begin()
-
-    def describeTest(self, test):
-        return ""
-
-    def wantFunction(self, fn):
-        return False
-
-    def wantMethod(self, fn):
-        if py3k:
-            if not hasattr(fn.__self__, "cls"):
-                return False
-            cls = fn.__self__.cls
-        else:
-            cls = fn.im_class
-        return plugin_base.want_method(cls, fn)
-
-    def wantClass(self, cls):
-        return plugin_base.want_class(cls)
-
-    def beforeTest(self, test):
-        if not hasattr(test.test, "cls"):
-            return
-        plugin_base.before_test(
-            test,
-            test.test.cls.__module__,
-            test.test.cls,
-            test.test.method.__name__,
-        )
-
-    def afterTest(self, test):
-        plugin_base.after_test(test)
-
-    def startContext(self, ctx):
-        if not isinstance(ctx, type) or not issubclass(ctx, fixtures.TestBase):
-            return
-        plugin_base.start_test_class(ctx)
-
-    def stopContext(self, ctx):
-        if not isinstance(ctx, type) or not issubclass(ctx, fixtures.TestBase):
-            return
-        plugin_base.stop_test_class(ctx)
diff --git a/lib/sqlalchemy/testing/plugin/plugin_base.py b/lib/sqlalchemy/testing/plugin/plugin_base.py
index 9c9e311428d..ef44a5906bc 100644
--- a/lib/sqlalchemy/testing/plugin/plugin_base.py
+++ b/lib/sqlalchemy/testing/plugin/plugin_base.py
@@ -8,8 +8,9 @@
 """Testing extensions.
 
 this module is designed to work as a testing-framework-agnostic library,
-so that we can continue to support nose and also begin adding new
-functionality via py.test.
+created so that multiple test frameworks can be supported at once
+(mostly so that we can migrate to new ones). The current target
+is py.test.
 
 """
 
@@ -244,8 +245,7 @@ def post_begin():
     for fn in post_configure:
         fn(options, file_config)
 
-    # late imports, has to happen after config as well
-    # as nose plugins like coverage
+    # late imports, has to happen after config.
     global util, fixtures, engines, exclusions, assertions
     global warnings, profiling, config, testing
     from sqlalchemy import testing  # noqa
@@ -575,7 +575,7 @@ def _setup_engine(cls):
 
 def before_test(test, test_module_name, test_class, test_name):
 
-    # like a nose id, e.g.:
+    # format looks like:
     # "test.aaa_profiling.test_compiler.CompileTest.test_update_whereclause"
 
     name = getattr(test_class, "_sa_orig_cls_name", test_class.__name__)
diff --git a/lib/sqlalchemy/testing/runner.py b/lib/sqlalchemy/testing/runner.py
deleted file mode 100644
index ac5ff40c4bc..00000000000
--- a/lib/sqlalchemy/testing/runner.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,50 +0,0 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env python
-# testing/runner.py
-# Copyright (C) 2005-2019 the SQLAlchemy authors and contributors
-# <see AUTHORS file>
-#
-# This module is part of SQLAlchemy and is released under
-# the MIT License: http://www.opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.php
-"""
-Nose test runner module.
-
-This script is a front-end to "nosetests" which
-installs SQLAlchemy's testing plugin into the local environment.
-
-The script is intended to be used by third-party dialects and extensions
-that run within SQLAlchemy's testing framework.    The runner can
-be invoked via::
-
-    python -m sqlalchemy.testing.runner
-
-The script is then essentially the same as the "nosetests" script, including
-all of the usual Nose options.   The test environment requires that a
-setup.cfg is locally present including various required options.
-
-Note that when using this runner, Nose's "coverage" plugin will not be
-able to provide coverage for SQLAlchemy itself, since SQLAlchemy is
-imported into sys.modules before coverage is started.   The special
-script sqla_nose.py is provided as a top-level script which loads the
-plugin in a special (somewhat hacky) way so that coverage against
-SQLAlchemy itself is possible.
-
-"""
-
-import nose
-
-from .plugin.noseplugin import NoseSQLAlchemy
-
-
-def main():
-    nose.main(addplugins=[NoseSQLAlchemy()])
-
-
-def setup_py_test():
-    """Runner to use for the 'test_suite' entry of your setup.py.
-
-    Prevents any name clash shenanigans from the command line
-    argument "test" that the "setup.py test" command sends
-    to nose.
-
-    """
-    nose.main(addplugins=[NoseSQLAlchemy()], argv=["runner"])
diff --git a/setup.cfg b/setup.cfg
index 6d75087b858..580f3b357b3 100644
--- a/setup.cfg
+++ b/setup.cfg
@@ -4,12 +4,6 @@ tag_build = dev
 [metadata]
 license_file = LICENSE
 
-[nosetests]
-with-sqla_testing = true
-exclude = ^examples
-first-package-wins = true
-where = test
-
 [tool:pytest]
 addopts= --tb native -v -r sfxX --maxfail=25 -p no:warnings -p no:logging
 python_files=test/*test_*.py
diff --git a/sqla_nose.py b/sqla_nose.py
deleted file mode 100755
index f5d548ad29e..00000000000
--- a/sqla_nose.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,36 +0,0 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env python
-"""
-nose runner script.
-
-This script is a front-end to "nosetests" which
-installs SQLAlchemy's testing plugin into the local environment.
-
-"""
-import os
-import sys
-
-import nose
-
-
-if not sys.flags.no_user_site:
-    sys.path.insert(
-        0,
-        os.path.join(os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__)), 'lib')
-    )
-
-
-# use bootstrapping so that test plugins are loaded
-# without touching the main library before coverage starts
-bootstrap_file = os.path.join(
-    os.path.dirname(__file__), "lib", "sqlalchemy",
-    "testing", "plugin", "bootstrap.py"
-)
-
-with open(bootstrap_file) as f:
-    code = compile(f.read(), "bootstrap.py", 'exec')
-    to_bootstrap = "nose"
-    exec(code, globals(), locals())
-
-
-from noseplugin import NoseSQLAlchemy  # noqa
-nose.main(addplugins=[NoseSQLAlchemy()])