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2023 Best Value Construction Trades Associate Degree Schools
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Construction Trades Associate Degree School for You
With 40,802 degrees and certificates handed out in 2021-2022, construction trades is the #6 most popular major in the United States.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which trade school program is right for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Trade College Search has created its Best Value Construction Trades Associate Degree Schools ranking. This report analyzed 68 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best value associate degree programs for construction trades students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 10 Best Construction Trades Associate Degree Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Southeast Community College Area the best value school in the United States for construction trades students working on their associate degree. Southeast Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the large city of Lincoln.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Southeast Community College are $3,864 a year.
Southeast Community College excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Construction Trades Associate Degree Trade Schools list.
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Out of the 68 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, North Hennepin Community College landed the # 2 spot on the list. North Hennepin Community College is a small public school located in the large suburb of Brooklyn Park.
North Hennepin Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,050 in tuition and fees each year.
Read full report on Construction Trades at North Hennepin Community College
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Western Technical College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Construction Trades Associate Degree Schools list. Western Technical College is a small public school located in the small city of La Crosse.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Western Technical College are $6,788 per year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Western Technical College also is in the top 10% of our Best Construction Trades Associate Degree Trade Schools ranking.
Full Construction Trades at Western Technical College Report
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The excellent associate degree programs at Rochester Community and Technical College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best value construction trades schools in the United States. Rochester Community and Technical College is a small public school located in the midsize city of Rochester.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Rochester Community and Technical College are $5,670 per year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Rochester Community and Technical College also is in the top 10% of our Best Construction Trades Associate Degree Trade Schools ranking.
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Out of the 68 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Northeast Community College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the town of Norfolk, Northeast is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Northeast are $5,130 per year.
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Raritan Valley Community College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree construction trades programs. RVCC is a medium-sized public school located in the rural area of Branchburg.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at RVCC are $7,296 a year.
RVCC excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Construction Trades Associate Degree Trade Schools list.
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With a ranking of #7, Ivy Tech Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for construction trades students working on their associate degree. Located in the large city of Indianapolis, Ivy Tech Community College is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Ivy Tech Community College are $8,927 per year.
Ivy Tech Community College also claimed a spot on our Best Construction Trades Associate Degree Trade Schools list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.
Read full report on Construction Trades at Ivy Tech Community College
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Metropolitan Community College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree construction trades programs. MCC is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Omaha.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at MCC are $4,815 a year.
Full Construction Trades at Metropolitan Community College Report
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With a ranking of #9, Northwest Iowa Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for construction trades students working on their associate degree. Northwest Iowa Community College is a small public school located in the rural area of Sheldon.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Northwest Iowa Community College are $7,170 per year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Northwest Iowa Community College also is in the top 15% of our Best Construction Trades Associate Degree Trade Schools ranking.
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Ridgewater College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Construction Trades Associate Degree Schools list. Located in the remote town of Willmar, Ridgewater College is a public school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Ridgewater College are $6,114 a year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Ridgewater College also is in the top 15% of our Best Construction Trades Associate Degree Trade Schools ranking.
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These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Value Construction Trades Associate Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | St Cloud Technical and Community College | Saint Cloud, MN |
| 12 | Lake Area Technical Institute | Watertown, SD |
| 13 | Brookdale Community College | Lincroft, NJ |
Construction Trades by Region
View the Best Value Construction Trades Associate Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Other U.S. Territories |
| Great Lakes |
Majors Related to Construction Trades
Construction Trades Majors to Study
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Electrical & Power Transmission Installers | 26,459 |
| Building Management & Inspection | 5,269 |
| Carpentry | 3,899 |
| Plumbing & Water Supply | 2,888 |
| Construction | 1,813 |
| Masonry | 284 |
| Other Construction | 190 |
Most Popular Majors Related to Construction Trades
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Personal & Culinary Services | 149,352 |
| Mechanic & Repair Technologies | 105,741 |
| Precision Production | 55,411 |
| Transportation & Materials Moving | 33,306 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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