2023 Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in Maryland
It's not easy to decide which trade school program to enroll in when you have so many options available. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Trade College Search has created its Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in Maryland ranking. This report analyzed 12 schools in Maryland to see which ones offered the best associate degree programs for trade school students.
View our full ranking methodology.
Featured schools near , edit
Top Trade Associate Degree Schools in Maryland
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found Baltimore City Community College to be the best school for trade school students who want to pursue a associate degree in Maryland. Located in Baltimore, Maryland, the small public school handed out 385 associate degree awards in 2021-2022.
In-state students pay an average of $3,314 in tuition and fees if they attend Baltimore City Community College full time. Out-of-state students pay an average of $7,394.
Online courses are available at Baltimore City Community College, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In 2020-2021 about 100% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Howard Community College. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in Maryland list. HCC is a public institution located in Columbia, Maryland. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1,273 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at HCC is $7,704. Out-of-state students pay an average of $9,459. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $16,875 in student loans.
Some students may be able to take online classes at HCC. During the 2020-2021 year, about 60% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Anne Arundel Community College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in Maryland list. AACC is a fairly large public school situated in Arnold, Maryland. It awarded 1,570 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Students from Maryland who attend AACC full time pay an average of $9,230 in tuition and fees. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $13,760. Associate Degree recipients from AACC accumulate an average of $13,044 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
One thing to take note of is that AACC does offer online classes in some areas. In fact, around 82% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Prince George’s Community College. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in Maryland list. Located in Largo, Maryland, the fairly large public school handed out 1,354 associate degree awards in 2021-2022.
Full-time students from Maryland pay an average of $6,194 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend PGCC. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $8,642. Associate Degree recipients from PGCC accumulate an average of $13,531 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
PGCC does offer online classes for certain degree levels. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 83% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
Out of the 12 schools in Maryland that were part of this year’s ranking, Community College of Baltimore County landed the # 5 spot on the list. CCBC is a public institution located in Baltimore, Maryland. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 1,813 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Full-time students from Maryland pay an average of $6,918 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend CCBC. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $10,062. On average, associate degree students take out $16,045 in loans while pursuing their degree.
CCBC does have options available for those who want to take online classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 68% took at least some of their classes online.
With a ranking of #6, Chesapeake College did quite well on this year’s best schools for trade school students working on their associate degree. Chesapeake College is located in Wye Mills, Maryland and has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 212 associate degrees to qualified students.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Chesapeake College is $6,344. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $8,504.
Chesapeake College does have options available for those who want to take online classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. In fact, around 76% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Wor-Wic Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for trade school students to get an associate degree. It came in at #7 on the list. Wor-Wic Community College is a public institution located in Salisbury, Maryland. The school has a small population, and it awarded 291 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Full-time students from Maryland pay an average of $6,720 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend Wor-Wic Community College. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $8,280. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $9,988 in student loans.
Online courses are available at Wor-Wic Community College, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In fact, around 61% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #8, Frederick Community College did quite well on this year’s best schools for trade school students working on their associate degree. Frederick, Maryland is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associate degrees to 806 students in 2021-2022.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Frederick Community College is $7,444. Out-of-state students pay an average of $9,844. Associate Degree recipients from Frederick Community College accumulate an average of $9,315 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Frederick Community College does have options available for those who want to take online classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. In fact, around 58% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #9, Hagerstown Community College did quite well on this year’s best schools for trade school students working on their associate degree. HCC is located in Hagerstown, Maryland and has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 599 associate degrees to qualified students.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at HCC is $6,390. Out-of-state students pay an average of $8,190. On average, associate degree students take out $14,414 in loans while pursuing their degree.
HCC does offer online classes for certain degree levels. In 2020-2021 about 81% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Montgomery College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in Maryland ranking. This fairly large public school is located in Rockville, Maryland, and it awarded 2,778 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Montgomery College is $10,254. Out-of-state students pay an average of $14,061. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $12,263 in student loans.
One thing to take note of is that Montgomery College does offer online classes in some areas. In fact, around 32% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
College of Southern Maryland came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in Maryland ranking. CSM is a small public school situated in La Plata, Maryland. It awarded 910 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Students from Maryland who attend CSM full time pay an average of $7,200 in tuition and fees. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $9,240. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $11,500 in student loans.
Some students may be able to take online classes at CSM. In 2020-2021 about 91% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
With a ranking of #12, Allegany College of Maryland did quite well on this year’s best schools for trade school students working on their associate degree. Allegany College of Maryland is a public institution located in Cumberland, Maryland. The school has a small population, and it awarded 468 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Students from Maryland who attend Allegany College of Maryland full time pay an average of $8,720 in tuition and fees. Out-of-state students pay an average of $11,060. On average, associate degree students take out $17,028 in loans while pursuing their degree.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Allegany College of Maryland does offer online classes for certain majors. In fact, around 50% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Best Trade Associate Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region
View Best Trade Associate Degree Schools Nationwide >
Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 12 schools only.
References
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- 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 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).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
Featured Schools
![]() |
Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs. Learn More > |