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Best Value Precision Metal Working Associate Degree Schools in South Dakota

2023 Best Value Precision Metal Working Associate Degree Schools in South Dakota

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

2 Colleges
$7,526 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$39,468 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Precision Metal Working Associate Degree School for You

In 2021-2022, precision metal working students earned 106 degrees and certificates from a South Dakota school, making the subject the 10th in the state.

There are so many trade school programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Trade College Search has developed this Best Value Precision Metal Working Associate Degree Schools in South Dakota ranking. Our analysis looked at 2 schools in South Dakota to see which associate degree programs offered the best value experiences for precision metal working students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

2023 Best Value Precision Metal Working Associate Degree Schools in South Dakota

Check out the precision metal working associate degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Best South Dakota Schools for Affordable Quality for an Associate in Precision Metal Working

Our 2023 rankings named Lake Area Technical Institute the best value school in South Dakota for precision metal working students working on their associate degree. Located in the town of Watertown, LATI is a public school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at LATI are $6,718 a year. The average amount in student loans that precision metal working majors at LATI take out while working on their Associate Degree is $10,719.

LATI also took the #1 spot in our Best Precision Metal Working Associate Degree Trade Schools in South Dakota rankings.

Full Precision Metal Working at Lake Area Technical Institute Report

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Western Dakota Technical Institute is a great value for precision metal working students working on their associate degree. Located in the rural area of Rapid City, Western Dakota Tech is a public school with a small student population.

Western Dakota Tech undergraduate students pay an average of $8,333 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Precision Metal Working at Western Dakota Technical Institute Report

Best Value Precision Metal Working Colleges in the Plains States Region

Explore all the Best Value Precision Metal Working Schools in the Plains States Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Kansas 1,056
Missouri 604
Minnesota 948
Iowa 737
North Dakota 185
Nebraska 453

Precision Metal Working is one of 5 different types of trade school programs to choose from.

Precision Metal Working Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Welding Technology/Welder 46,029
Machine Tool Technology/Machinist 3,181
Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) Machinist Technology/CNC Machinist 2,275
Machine Shop Technology/Assistant 1,588
Tool & Die Technology/Technician 541
Metal Fabricator 413
Sheet Metal Technology/Sheetworking 319
Ironworking/Ironworker 226
Other Precision Metal Working 218

Majors Similar to Precision Metal Working

Related Major Annual Graduates
Woodworking 435
Other Precision Production 67
Leatherworking & Upholstery 46
Precision Production Trades 44
Boilermaking 29

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 2 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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