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Best Value Engineering Technologies Basic Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region

2023 Best Value Engineering Technologies Basic Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

21 Colleges
$12,028 Avg Tuition & Fees*

Finding the Best Engineering Technologies Basic Certificate School for You

With 84,036 degrees and certificates handed out in 2021-2022, engineering technologies is the #4 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. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Trade College Search has developed this Best Value Engineering Technologies Basic Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 21 schools in the Plains States Region to see which basic certificate programs offered the best value experiences for engineering tech students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

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 Engineering Technologies Basic Certificate Schools

#1

Bismarck State College

Bismarck, ND

Our analysis found Bismarck State College to be the best value school for engineering technologies students who want to pursue a basic certificate in the Plains States Region . Located in the small city of Bismarck, BSC is a public school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at BSC are $7,227 a year.

BSC also made our Best Engineering Technologies Basic Certificate Trade Schools in the Plains States Region list, coming in at #1.

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Out of the 21 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Northeast Community College landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the remote town of Norfolk, Northeast is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Northeast are $5,130 a year.

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The excellent basic certificate programs at Western Iowa Tech Community College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value engineering technologies schools in the Plains States Region . Located in the small city of Sioux City, Western Iowa Tech Community College is a public college with a moderately-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.

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#4

Ridgewater College

Willmar, MN

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Ridgewater College is a great value for engineering technologies students working on their basic certificate. Located in the 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.

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#5

Hennepin Technical College

Brooklyn Park, MN

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Hennepin Technical College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Engineering Technologies Basic Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the suburb of Brooklyn Park, Hennepin Technical College is a public college with a small student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Hennepin Technical College are $5,881 per year.

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With a ranking of #6, Anoka Technical College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for engineering technologies students working on their basic certificate. Located in the suburb of Anoka, Anoka Technical College is a public college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Anoka Technical College are $6,075 a year.

Anoka Technical College also claimed a spot on our Best Engineering Technologies Basic Certificate Trade Schools in the Plains States Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.

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#7

South Central College

North Mankato, MN

South Central College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for engineering technologies students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the suburb of North Mankato, South Central College is a public school with a small student population.

South Central College undergraduate students pay an average of $6,146 in tuition and fees each year.

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#8

Central Community College

Grand Island, NE

Central Community College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate engineering technologies programs. Located in the city of Grand Island, Central Community College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Central Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,710 in tuition and fees each year.

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#9

Kirkwood Community College

Cedar Rapids, IA

Kirkwood Community College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Technologies Basic Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. Kirkwood Community College is a fairly large public school located in the city of Cedar Rapids.

Kirkwood Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $7,604 in tuition and fees each year.

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#10

Ranken Technical College

Saint Louis, MO

Ranken Technical College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate engineering technologies programs. Located in the city of Saint Louis, Ranken Technical College is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Ranken Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $16,960 in tuition and fees each year.

Ranken Technical College also claimed a spot on our Best Engineering Technologies Basic Certificate Trade Schools in the Plains States Region list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.

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Best Engineering Technologies Colleges by State

Explore the best engineering technologies schools for a specific state in the Plains States region.

State Degrees Awarded
Kansas 1,256
Minnesota 1,288
Iowa 942
South Dakota 231
North Dakota 443
Missouri 1,641
Nebraska 423

Engineering Tech Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Industrial Production Technology 11,288
Electromechanical Engineering Technology 10,780
Environmental Control Technology 9,376
Drafting & Design Engineering Technology 8,822
Electronics Engineering Technology 8,347
Engineering-Related Fields 6,553
Mechanical Engineering Technology 6,205
Construction Engineering Technology 4,299
General Engineering Technology 3,841
Quality Control Technology 3,720
Computer Engineering Technology 3,509
Engineering Technology (Other) 1,907
Energy Systems Technologies 1,277
Architectural Engineering Technology 1,239
Civil Engineering Technology 1,155
Engineering-Related Technologies 969
Mining & Petroleum Technology 410
Nuclear Engineering Technology 235
Nanotechnology 104

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 21 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).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to KUKA Systems GmbH.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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