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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.

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

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Construction Trades Basic Certificate Colleges.

Top 10 Best Construction Trades Basic Certificate Schools

#1

North Hennepin Community College

Brooklyn Park, MN

Our 2023 rankings named North Hennepin Community College the best value school in the Plains States Region for construction trades students working on their basic certificate. North Hennepin Community College is a small public school located in the large 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 also made our Best Construction Trades Basic Certificate Trade Schools in the Plains States Region list, coming in at #2.

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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Western Iowa Tech Community College is a great value for construction trades students working on their basic certificate. Located in the small city of Sioux City, Western Iowa Tech Community College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Western Iowa Tech Community College are $4,946 a year.

Full Construction Trades at Western Iowa Tech Community College Report

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Mitchell Technical College is a great value for construction trades students working on their basic certificate. 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.

Full Construction Trades at Mitchell Technical College Report

The excellent basic certificate programs at Washburn Institute of Technology helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best value construction trades schools in the Plains States Region . Washburn Tech is a small public school located in the medium-sized 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.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at MCC are $4,815 a year.

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Anoka Technical College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate construction trades programs. Located in the large suburb of Anoka, Anoka Technical College is a public school with a small student population.

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

Anoka Technical College excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Construction Trades Basic Certificate Trade Schools in the Plains States Region list.

Read full report on Construction Trades at Anoka Technical College

#7

Lake Superior College

Duluth, MN

Lake Superior College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Construction Trades Basic Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. 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

Saint Paul College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Construction Trades Basic Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the city of Saint Paul, Saint Paul College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Saint Paul College undergraduate students pay an average of $6,318 in tuition and fees each year.

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Manhattan Area Technical College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Construction Trades Basic Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the 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.

Read full report on Construction Trades at Manhattan Area Technical College

Minnesota West Community and Technical College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Construction Trades Basic Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. Minnesota West is a small public school located in the remote town of Granite Falls.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Minnesota West are $12,332 a year.

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Best Construction Trades Colleges by State

Explore the best construction trades schools 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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