Best Welding Schools and Colleges In The USA
You can become a certified welder in as few as 7 months. When you attend welding school you are creating the ability for you to not just have a welding job, but for you to have a career in welding.
The right education can help you to develop skills and techniques that will allow you to work as a welder, and become a welding engineer, or weld inspector.
The amount of pay that a welder receives is also dependent on their skills and abilities. Welding school will provide you with the skills you need to make the top amounts of money in your career field.
Best Welding Schools and Colleges in the USA
The following seven welding schools are all USA based. Each of these schools will provide you with the education, skills, and confidence you need to become a welder.
Hobart Institute of Welding Technology
Website: https://www.welding.org/
Phone:+1 800-332-9448
Location
Hobart is located in Troy, Ohio. It began in 1930 as a part of the Hobart Brothers Company and then in 1940 the school received its charter.
Hobart offers complete welding programs, or individual skill classes. If you are new to welding you can learn everything you need to know. If you are a welder you can enhance your potential by learning how to apply different welding skills.
Hobart is accredited by both the ACCSC and the American Weld Society.
The school also meets or exceeds the educational standards that have been established by the Ohio State Board of Career Colleges.
The Lincoln Electric Welding School
Website: https://www.lincolnelectric.com/en-za/education-center/welding-school/Pages/welding-school.aspx
Phone: 216-383-2259
Location
The Lincoln Welding School in Ohio is thought to be one of the oldest welding schools in the world. Since they opened their doors in 1917, more than 150,000 individuals have completed their arc welding training courses.
They offer comprehensive training for stick welders, MIG welders, multi-process welders, advanced process welders, plasma cutting and more.
The students who attend this college receive training in the use of welding equipment, making a perfect weld, and how to be safe while welding. When the student graduates they are completely ready to begin their career, and these students earn more as beginners than many long term welders who never received welding certificates.
Central Louisiana Technical Community College
Central Louisiana technical Community College prepares welders with the ability to work at high skill and high demand careers. When the student completes their welding training at CLTCC they will be prepared and confident enough to start their career. CLTCC has eight campuses.
They are an accredited college that strives to educate their students and prepare them to enter the workforce in less than two years. They aim to produce graduates that are competent, eager, and ready to start their careers,
University of Alaska Anchorage
The University of Alaska Anchorage is an accredited school that is prepared to train welders to fill any welding position. Their educational programs can train the welder’s helper, teach safety in welding, and teach skilled welding.
The students who attend this school can learn how to weld stainless steel, ho to weld aluminum, how to operate oxyfuel systems, and how to read and understand basic blueprints and weld symbols.
They offer diplomas and certificates in tack welding, production line welding, arc welding, thermal cutters, arc cutters, and more.
Albany Technical College
Albany Technical College is a part of the Technical College System of Georgia. Their goal is to prepare their students to enter the workforce and become leaders, teachers, and promising community members.
This school provides the future welder with the unique opportunity to develop skills that range from basic welding to highly specialized welding.
The welding student may finish in as few as seven months, or they may take more classes and learn all of the different types of welding techniques in under two years.
Elite Welding Academy
The Elite welding school begins courses every January, March, May, July, September and November. The courses run for six months.
They also offer night courses that start in September and November, and their night courses last for eleven months.
The school helps their students develop the patience it needs to create perfect welds using different methods and materials.
They prepare their welding students to be work ready by not just letting them learn to weld in a teaching booth, but by also letting them learn to weld on ladders, and in typical welding positions and situations.
Welder Testing and training Institute
This prestigious welding school is located in Allenstown, PA. They offer their students the chance to earn a certificate that has them ready to work and be in compliance with the AWS, ASME, APL, ISO, and Mil-standard codes, among others.
When you pass your welder test to earn your certificate you will receive an identification card showing your welders qualifications, certification paperwork, and a welder qualification maintenance log that you can take to any prospective employer to prove your skills and credentials.
When your classes are over you will truly be ready to begin your career.
Best Welding Schools and Colleges in Texas
Texas is one of the top states in welder opportunities. The following four colleges and schools are some of the top welding schools in the state, and the country.
San Jacinto Community College
San Jacinto Community college is one of the top ten community colleges in the nation. It is a two year school that provides excellence in education, and you can transfer from this community college to a four year college with ease.
They provide many courses in welding that help the individuals who wish to pursue this career path to accomplish their dreams by developing the strategic skill sets and hands on learning experiences the student needs.
At San Jacinto community college you will receive an education that will propel you into the work force as a confident, skilled welding technician.
Lone Star College System
Lone Star College systems offer learning opportunities in Cypress, Houston, Kingwood, Conroe, and Tomball. They have 3 campus locations in the greater Houston area. So courses are always easy for you to get to.
The college has accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges. They provide hands-on instruction that takes your dream of becoming a welder and turns it into a reality.
In less than ten months you can develop the skills and techniques it requires to master the many different welding types. This will allow you to be hired faster, and able to do your job better, than many of the other welding candidates.
Tulsa Welding School & Technology Center
At the Tulsa School & Technology Center you can become a certified welding specialist in seven months. This program will have you ready to hire apply for entry level welding positions for structural welders, pipeline welders, and thin alloy welding.
You will learn all of the safety techniques. The torch cutting processes you need to know, how setup for arc welding projects, the basic welding metallurgy and the basic welding processes of TIG, MIG, and stick welding.
In nine and one half months you can be ready for entry level positions in welding and pipefitting. In less than one year you can be ready to start your career.
South Texas Vocational Technical Institute
South Texas Vocational Technical Institute has three locations in Texas. They are in Corpus Christi, San Antonio, and Weslaco. You need a high school diploma or a GED equivalent to register for the combination welding programs.
You can expect to finish their combination welding program with the ability to identify the over 100 types of welding processes and the tools needed to perform those jobs. You will also be taught to read the welding symbols and blueprints for projects. You will learn the safety requirements, and how to perform your job in the most effective and cost efficient method.
Best Welding Schools and Colleges in Florida
Florida is another beautiful state that has a high amount of welding opportunities. The weather is nice there, and the following schools will allow you to get a comprehensive welding education.
Clewiston Weld School
Clewiston Weld School in Florida is an accredited that provides you the opportunity to become a certified welder in less than a year.
They offer several grants, scholarships, and financial aid packages to help you finance your welding education. The AWS Foundation welder workforce grant helps to provide the educational programs needed so that the welding trade is enhanced through educational opportunities.
The welding trade is more lucrative for individuals who receive certification in specific welding skills. If you want to start your career earning more money, and end your career with the ability to retire in style, then you need to attend an accredited school like Clewiston.
Dixie County High School
The students that attend the Academy of Welding Technology at the Dixie County High School receive an opportunity to be involved in programs that teach welding skills such as: gas welding, TIG welding, MIG welding etc.
The main benefit to this program is that the students are ready to enter the workforce as welders as soon as they graduate high school. They do not have to attend any other classes in order to be qualified to apply for entry level welding positions as certified welders.
The students earn college credits while attending the classes at the high school. When they graduate they have already completed the required welding classes to be certified as a welder.
Santa Fe College
There is more to welding than just making two pieces of metal stick together. If you are serious about welding as a career then you want to obtain an education that will allow you to grow and advance in your career. Santa Fe College offers courses that will help you to do that.
You will have the opportunity to learn to read blueprints, welding drawings, and fabrications specifications. This will allow you to comprehend what the job entails, and allow you to become a leader.
You can enroll in the welding skills development lab and get hands on experience using welding supplies, and learning to weld using the different methods.
You can get certified in vertical welding, overhead welding, and more.
Tulsa Welding School-Jacksonville
This welding school has three locations. They are in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Houston, Texas, and in Jacksonville, Florida.
At all three locations they offer individual training that will allow you to become a welding specialist in seven months. You will receive all of the training you need to apply at any job as an entry level welder with certification.
They offer many financial aid opportunities to help you afford to go to school and become certified.
By attending this welding school you will double your income potential as a welder.
Best Welding Schools and Colleges in California
California is a dream destination for many people. There are excellent welding schools located in
California, and the following four are simply the cream of the crop.
Cal-Trade Welding School in Modesto, California
At Cal-trade there are a variety of welding programs to choose from. You can take the combination welding course, the structural welding course, the MIG/TIG welding course etc.
Each of the courses will provide you with an education that allows you to become a certified welder in the type of welding you wish to do the most. This will allow you to apply for entry level welding jobs at the companies and institutions that you dream of working for.
Welding is a very precise and technical skill that requires a hands-on educational approach to teaching. At Cal-Trade you will get that hands-on training.
Allied Welding School in Richmond
At Allied Welding School you can get a welding diploma or a welding certificate.
You can get the instruction needed to allow you to use the tools needed to weld metal objects. You will learn the techniques applied to cutting and preparation of the materials, and to applying the weld, and to the safety requirements you must employ while doing this type of work.
To be a good welder you must have patience and skill, but to be a great welder you must also have an educational training program that teaches you all of the basic skills so you are ready to increase in skill with each job you do.
Butte College
Butte College is an accredited school that can help you to achieve the dreams and goals you have of becoming an excellent welder.
They offer beginning welding classes, intermediate welding classes, and oxyacetylene welding and flame cutting classes.
They prepare students for specialty welding careers with pipe and tube classes, MIG and ARC classes, Shielded metal arc classes, specialty problems classes, and welding equipment maintenance and service classes.
Butte college trains welders to do every type of welding job, so you can have the career that you want.
Summit College
When you attend Summit College to receive your welding certification you not only get a piece of paper that tells the prospective employer that you have the skills you need to do the job they need done. You show that prospective employer that you have the drive and commitment it takes to do the job right.
The classes at Summit College are designed to teach the beginning welder everything they need to know about the craft, from safety, to job completion techniques.
The college guides their students through the processes of welding and prepares them to enter the workforce as confident, skilled individuals.
Final Note
Going to college to become a welder will allow you to be qualified to apply for a larger number of welding positions, There are a lot of companies that will only accept applications from certified individuals who have attended college or trade school.
Once you get your certification then you will also be able to make higher salaries, and to advance within the company and one day hold a position of authority.
It only takes a few short months to complete these welding classes, and many people work full time jobs while they attend their classes.
Last Updated on 2 years by Richard Boyer
