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2024 Best Construction Trades Schools

65 Colleges in the United States
40,802 Construction Trades Degrees Awarded
$39,020 Avg Early-Career Salary
You'll be studying one of the lesser sought-after majors if you pursue a degree in construction trades. It is ranked #34 out of 38 major degree programs in terms of popularity. As such, your educational options may be more limited than if you were in a more popular field.

College Factual looked at 65 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Construction Trades Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 40,802 degrees in construction trades during the 2021-2022 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Construction Trades School

Best Construction Trades Schools Your choice of construction trades school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for construction trades schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your Construction Trades Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Construction Trades
Bachelor's Degrees in Construction Trades

The construction trades school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Construction Trades Schools. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Construction Trades in the United States

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the construction trades degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Schools in Construction Trades

1
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
364 Construction Trades Degrees Awarded
13.7% Growth in Graduates

Texas State Technical College is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in construction trades. Located in the midsize city of Waco, TSTC is a public college with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #148 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means TSTC is a great college overall.

There were approximately 364 construction trades students who graduated with this degree at TSTC in the most recent year we have data available. Those construction trades students who get their degree from Texas State Technical College earn $25,822 more than the average construction trades graduate.

More information about a degree in construction trades from Texas State Technical College

2
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
192 Construction Trades Degrees Awarded
$74,208 Median Starting Salary

It is difficult to beat Honolulu Community College if you wish to pursue a degree in construction trades. Honolulu CC is a small public college located in the city of Honolulu. A Best Colleges rank of #221 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Honolulu CC is a great college overall.

There were about 192 construction trades students who graduated with this degree at Honolulu CC in the most recent data year. Those construction trades students who get their degree from Honolulu Community College earn $35,188 more than the average construction trades student.

More information about a degree in construction trades from Honolulu Community College

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
65 Construction Trades Degrees Awarded
$64,516 Median Starting Salary

Utah Valley University is a great decision for students interested in a degree in construction trades. Located in the small city of Orem, UVU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #279 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UVU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 65 construction trades students who graduated with this degree at UVU in the most recent data year. Those construction trades students who get their degree from Utah Valley University receive $25,496 more than the typical construction trades graduate.

More information about a degree in construction trades from Utah Valley University

4
Graduate Certificate Highest Degree Type
64 Construction Trades Degrees Awarded
$65,254 Median Starting Salary

The University of Texas at San Antonio is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in construction trades. Located in the city of San Antonio, UTSA is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #478 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UTSA is a great university overall.

There were about 64 construction trades students who graduated with this degree at UTSA in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the construction trades degree program at The University of Texas at San Antonio make $26,234 above the standard college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in construction trades from The University of Texas at San Antonio

5
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
1,791 Construction Trades Degrees Awarded
$69,038 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Indianapolis, Ivy Tech Community College is a public college with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #519 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Ivy Tech Community College is a great college overall.

There were approximately 1791 construction trades students who graduated with this degree at Ivy Tech Community College in the most recent data year. Construction Trades degree recipients from Ivy Tech Community College get an earnings boost of about $30,018 above the average earnings of construction trades majors.

More information about a degree in construction trades from Ivy Tech Community College

6
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
40 Construction Trades Degrees Awarded
32.5% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of La Crosse, Western Technical College is a public college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #451 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Western Technical College is a great college overall.

There were roughly 40 construction trades students who graduated with this degree at Western Technical College in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the construction trades program report average early career income of $35,000.

More information about a degree in construction trades from Western Technical College

7
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
151 Construction Trades Degrees Awarded
$41,991 Median Starting Salary

Located in the rural area of Mitchell, Mitchell Tech is a public college with a small student population. This college ranks 7th out of 13 schools for overall quality in the state of South Dakota.

There were about 151 construction trades students who graduated with this degree at Mitchell Tech in the most recent year we have data available. Those construction trades students who get their degree from Mitchell Technical College earn $2,971 more than the typical construction trades grad.

More information about a degree in construction trades from Mitchell Technical College

8
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
101 Construction Trades Degrees Awarded
17.8% Growth in Graduates

Located in the town of Granite Falls, Minnesota West is a public college with a small student population. This college ranks 49th out of 52 schools for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.

There were approximately 101 construction trades students who graduated with this degree at Minnesota West in the most recent year we have data available. Construction Trades degree recipients from Minnesota West Community and Technical College earn a boost of around $2,733 above the average income of construction trades majors.

More information about a degree in construction trades from Minnesota West Community and Technical College

9
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
97 Construction Trades Degrees Awarded
9.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the rural area of Rosemount, DCTC is a public college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #436 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means DCTC is a great college overall.

There were roughly 97 construction trades students who graduated with this degree at DCTC in the most recent data year. Those construction trades students who get their degree from Dakota County Technical College earn $10,376 more than the standard construction trades grad.

More information about a degree in construction trades from Dakota County Technical College

10
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
68 Construction Trades Degrees Awarded
36.8% Growth in Graduates

Richmond Community College is a small public college located in the distant town of Hamlet. This college ranks 63rd out of 93 schools for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were about 68 construction trades students who graduated with this degree at Richmond Community College in the most recent data year. Construction Trades degree recipients from Richmond Community College receive an earnings boost of about $30,306 over the average income of construction trades graduates.

More information about a degree in construction trades from Richmond Community College

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for Construction Trades students that almost earned our Best Construction Trades Schools award.

RankCollegeLocation
11San Joaquin Valley College-TemeculaTemecula, CA
12Wake Technical Community CollegeRaleigh, NC
13Metropolitan Community CollegeOmaha, NE
14Ranken Technical CollegeSaint Louis, MO
15State Technical College of MissouriLinn, MO
16Lansing Community CollegeLansing, MI

Construction Trades by Region

View the Best Construction Trades Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

View All Rankings >

Construction Trades Majors to Study

MajorAnnual Graduates
Electrical & Power Transmission Installers26,459
Building Management & Inspection5,269
Carpentry3,899
Plumbing & Water Supply2,888
Construction1,813
Masonry284
Other Construction190

View All Construction Trades Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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