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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.
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2023 Best Value Construction Trades Associate Degree Schools in the United States
The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for construction trades majors pursuing a associate degree.
Top 10 Best Construction Trades Associate Degree Schools
Our analysis found Southeast Community College Area to be the best value school for construction trades students who want to pursue a associate degree in the United States. Southeast Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the large city of Lincoln.
Southeast Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $3,864 in tuition and fees each year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Southeast Community College also is in the top 15% of our Best Construction Trades Associate Degree Trade Schools ranking.
Read full report on Construction Trades at Southeast Community College Area
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means North Hennepin Community College is a great value for construction trades students working on their associate degree. North Hennepin Community College is a small public school located in the large suburb of Brooklyn Park.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at North Hennepin Community College are $5,050 per year.
Full Construction Trades at North Hennepin Community College Report
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 city of La Crosse.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Western Technical College are $6,788 a 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.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Rochester Community and Technical College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Construction Trades Associate Degree Schools list. Rochester Community and Technical College is a small public school located in the midsize city of Rochester.
Rochester Community and Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,670 in tuition and fees each year.
Rochester Community and Technical College excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Construction Trades Associate Degree Trade Schools list.
Read full report on Construction Trades at Rochester Community and Technical College
A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Northeast Community College is a great value for construction trades students working on their associate degree. Located in the town of Norfolk, Northeast is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Northeast are $5,130 a year.
Read full report on Construction Trades at Northeast Community College
Raritan Valley Community College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Construction Trades Associate Degree Schools ranking. RVCC is a moderately-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.
In addition to its great value ranking, RVCC is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Construction Trades Associate Degree Trade Schools list.
Full Construction Trades at Raritan Valley Community College Report
Ivy Tech Community College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Construction Trades Associate Degree Schools ranking. Located in the city of Indianapolis, Ivy Tech Community College is a public school with a very large student population.
Ivy Tech Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $8,927 in tuition and fees each year.
In addition to its great value ranking, Ivy Tech Community College is in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Construction Trades Associate Degree Trade Schools list.
With a ranking of #8, Metropolitan Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for construction trades students working on their associate degree. MCC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Omaha.
MCC undergraduate students pay an average of $4,815 in tuition and fees each year.
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.
Northwest Iowa Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $7,170 in tuition and fees each 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.
Full Construction Trades at Northwest Iowa Community College Report
Ridgewater College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for construction trades students to get a associate degree. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the remote town of Willmar, Ridgewater College is a public college with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Ridgewater College are $6,114 per 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.
Additional Noteworthy Schools
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.