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Best Value Construction Trades Basic Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region

2023 Best Value Construction Trades Basic Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

13 Colleges
$7,983 Avg Tuition & Fees*

Finding the Best Construction Trades Basic Certificate 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.

With all the trade school programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best 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.

The Best Value Construction Trades Basic Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region ranking is one of many tools that Trade College Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 13 schools in the Plains States Region to see which basic certificate programs offered the best value experiences for construction trades students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. 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.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

Top 10 Best Construction Trades Basic Certificate Schools

#1

North Hennepin Community College

Brooklyn Park, MN

Our analysis found North Hennepin Community College to be the best value school for construction trades students who want to pursue a basic certificate in the Plains States Region . North Hennepin Community College is a small public school located in the suburb of Brooklyn Park.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at North Hennepin Community College are $5,050 a year.

North Hennepin Community College did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our Best Construction Trades Basic Certificate Trade Schools in the Plains States Region list.

Full Construction Trades at North Hennepin Community College Report

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Western Iowa Tech Community College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Construction Trades Basic Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the city of Sioux City, Western Iowa Tech Community College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Western Iowa Tech Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,946 in tuition and fees each year.

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Out of the 13 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Mitchell Technical College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Mitchell Tech is a small public school located in the rural area of Mitchell.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Mitchell Tech are $7,524 per year.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Washburn Institute of Technology. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Construction Trades Basic Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. Washburn Tech is a small public school located in the city of Topeka.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Washburn Tech are $8,640 a year.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Metropolitan Community College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Construction Trades Basic Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. MCC is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Omaha.

MCC undergraduate students pay an average of $4,815 in tuition and fees each year.

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Anoka Technical College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Construction Trades Basic Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the large suburb of Anoka, Anoka Technical College is a public college with a small student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Anoka Technical College are $6,075 per year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Anoka Technical College also is in the top 10% of our Best Construction Trades Basic Certificate Trade Schools in the Plains States Region ranking.

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#7

Lake Superior College

Duluth, MN

With a ranking of #7, Lake Superior College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for construction trades students working on their basic certificate. LSC is a small public school located in the small city of Duluth.

LSC undergraduate students pay an average of $6,404 in tuition and fees each year.

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#8

Saint Paul College

Saint Paul, MN

With a ranking of #8, Saint Paul College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for construction trades students working on their basic certificate. Located in the city of Saint Paul, Saint Paul College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Saint Paul College are $6,318 per year.

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Manhattan Area Technical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for construction trades students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the small city of Manhattan, MATC is a public school with a fairly small student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at MATC are $8,400 per year.

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Minnesota West Community and Technical College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate construction trades programs. Minnesota West is a small public school located in the town of Granite Falls.

Minnesota West undergraduate students pay an average of $12,332 in tuition and fees each year.

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Best Construction Trades Colleges by State

Explore the best construction trades colleges for a specific state in the Plains States region.

State Degrees Awarded
Kansas 605
Minnesota 1,185
Iowa 402
South Dakota 250
North Dakota 99
Missouri 295
Nebraska 412

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

Majors Similar 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 13 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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