Welding has been ranked in the top five fastest-growing professions in America, with 488,000 projected job openings by 2028.
Over schools and colleges offer training to become a welder. With an accredited welding degree, you could have a career as an assembler, manufacturing welding technician, a welding inspector, in robotics repair and maintenance, technical sales, or one of many other specialized welding areas.
Welders can expect to earn a median salary of up to $40k/year.
If you’re considering a career in welding, then you owe it to yourself to get trained by the best welding schools. But how do we define “the best”? Affordability, opportunities, and training are three criteria.
Below, we’ve gathered the Best Welding Schools In The USA, based on those criteria.
How long does it take to become a professional welder?
It depends on the duration of your course and the number of courses you need to take to gain a deep insight into the field. A professional welder is rich in inexperience.
As your experience keeps growing, it will increase your professionalism.
Does the job placement percentage of a certain welding school matter?
A well-reputed welding school will increase your chances to get a job sooner. However, the rest depends on your skills and qualities that are actual parameters of your potential and performance in the field and industry.
With low skills, the job placement percentage of your welding school is unnecessary.
What factors are most important in choosing the best welding school?
Several factors contribute to choosing the best welding school to get your welding certification and degree.
The most important is if you want to learn something such as robotics or marine welding, the school has the respective field, and they teach it properly with motivated instructors.
The fee should be as low as possible.
Welding is learnt in a trade school, find other trade schools. See the 15 Best Trade School Online 2022 | Paid and Free
Are there any prerequisites to take a welding training program?
There are several prerequisites for weld training programs, one thing to remember is that different schools have different prerequisites for their training programs.
Therefore, you need to look at their official website to know the details.
10 Best Welding Schools In The U.S
1. Lincoln Electric Welding School, Cleveland, OH
Lincoln Electric Welding School is an excellent school for those looking to join the welding industry. Their comprehensive program will teach you everything from the basics in Intro to Welding, to advanced welding techniques such as submerged welding.
Advanced certifications are also offered for extra specialties. With seven different types of welding equipment from Lincoln Electric, The Lincoln Electric Welding School will prepare you for a successful career in the welding industry.
Lincoln Electric is one of the biggest names in welding equipment, so it’s no surprise that they’re also one of the beswelding schools.
Since 1919, Lincoln Electric Welding School has been offering students an unmatched experience in the field of welding.
A strong reputation and a name synonymous with quality welding products are positives that will help you to get one of the best jobs in the welding industry.
A welder is a technician, I bet you knew that? Here is another technician- EKG technician. Learn How Can I Become An EKG Technician Fast? Schools, Licenses, Salary & Cost.
2. Hobart Institute of Welding Technology, Troy, OH
You might know Hobart as the company that produces high-quality welding equipment, but they also have a decent welding school.
They offer a specialty program in welding that’s accredited by the American Welding Society, and they offer employment assistance to their graduates to make sure you have a career after graduation.
Hobart Institute of Welding Technology has over 80 years of experience building a reputation as an authority on welding. Their curriculum is accredited by the American Welding Society and you can learn quickly and professionally with their employment assistance.
If you want to know more about Hobart welding schools, feel free to contact them for an individualized education program today!
3. Advanced Welding Institute, South Burlington, VT
The Advanced Welding Institute offers accelerated programs that are packed with hands-on training to give you the best education that will prepare you for your new welding career.
You’ll get personalized attention to make sure each student has the tools they need to excel at the highest levels. Each day, you’ll spend eight hours or more in the welding shop, a modern training facility that’s built to teach you in the most immersive way possible.
To become the best welder that you can be, the AWS, ASME, and API-approved Advanced Welding Institute are ready to help. They offer accelerated programs packed with hands-on training.
You’ll get personalized attention to make sure each student has the tools they need to excel at the highest level.
Each day, you’ll spend eight hours or more in the welding shop, a modern training facility that’s built to teach you in the most immersive way possible. Get started today!
4. Welder Training and Testing Institute, Allentown, PA.
Want to get started as a welder? You can go to one of the best welding schools in the United States. This Pennsylvania school has spent more than 44 years training welders.
Its main and most popular career-level program is the 900-hour Welder Fitter option, which is geared toward people with little or no experience in the field.
Students in this program are eligible to receive financial aid. That’s right, you don’t have to be a student to take courses at the institute.
It offers some of the best welding schools in the United States for people from all backgrounds, who can learn a variety of skills at a range of levels.
Do you need a welding certification? TOP 10 WELDING CERTIFICATIONS IN THE WORLD | 2021
5. Tulsa Welding School, Tulsa, OK
When you want to start a career as a welder or want to expand your skillset, the Tulsa Welding School has something for everyone.
Their seven-month professional welder program covers the basics, but each student progresses at their own pace depending on their interests which help them build lasting skills.
At the Texas campus, you can complete the Welding Specialist program.
Get hands-on experience from professional welders in a controlled environment.
At three campuses across the country, you’ll study pipe welding, structural welding, MIG/flux core, and TIG welding. When you finish any of their welding programs, you can get an American Welding Society (AWS) accredited certification.
6. Davis Applied Technology College, Kaysville, UT
Davis Applied Technology College has an excellent track record of placing students into welding careers (placement rate: 72%).
Their certifications’ accreditation is by the American Welding Society, so you’ll know they’re real and hold weight with future employers.
You can learn all kinds of welding here, including GMAW, FCAW, SMAW, GTAW, and many more. Since they are a technical institute, specialized welding certifications will hold the extra weight.
7. Wichita Area Technical College, Wichita, KS
The Wichita Area Technical College offers three different welding programs. With our Fast Track program, you’ll get a Technical Certificate in just 19 credit hours.
If you have more time, 46 credit hours will earn you a Technical Certificate in Welding as well.
For the smoothest path to your career goals, complete 62 credit hours and earn your AAS in Welding Technology.
Welding can be learnt at this trade school. Read about the 15 Best Trade Schools in Florida in 2022
8. Reid State Technical College, Evergreen, AL
Reid State Technical College has welding schools in us. With as little as two semesters of full-time attendance and 28 semester credit hours, you can get your Welding Technology short-term certificate from Reid State Technical College. But that’s not your only option.
If you want more than just a certificate, they also offer an Associate in Occupation Technology (AOT).
This will require six full-time semesters and77 credit hours, but you’ll get a primary technical specialty in welding technology and a secondary in industrial electricity/electronics technology, fully preparing you for a lifetime career in manufacturing and building.
You’ll get a listing in the National Training Registry, and can also receive voluntary certification through the American Welding Society or the National Center for Construction Education and Research.
9. Elite Welding Academy (Cincinnati, OH)
Elite Welding Academy is one of the leading colleges that specialize in training welders. The school began in 2006 and now has two campuses in Cincinnati and Houston.
It has received a rating of a “Military-Friendly School” by Victory Media. The Structural and Pipe Welding program trained students to become pipe welders as well as in structure welding and manufacturing welding.
The Manufacturing Welding/SP Program only at its South Point campus teaches students about welding and particularly structural welding for industrial and commercial worlds as well as manufacturing welding for those types of industries.
Elite Welding Academy is a profitable educational facility for individuals in welding for the industrial and commercial world or manufacturing welding for industries that manufacture portable or permanent equipment.
The school has locations in Cincinnati, Dayton, Houston, South Point.
10. Vincennes University (Vincennes, IN)
Vincennes University offers both a Welding Technology Certificate and an Associate of Science Career/Tech in Welding Technology, students learn on state-of-the-art, multi-process equipment in new welding stations, allowing them to either find work as a welder or move on to a bachelor’s degree.
In both programs, students can expect to spend several hours each week practicing skills in the campus’ welding lab.
Vincennes University offers some of the best welding schools in the United States through their Welding Technology program.
Asides from welding, there are other trades to learn from a trade school. Learn that here. 50 Trades to Learn for a Successful Trade Career
Frequently asked questions about the top 10 welding schools in the US
- The NEIT Welding Engineering Technology program.
- Albany Technical College.
- Arizona Automotive Institute.
- Ashland Community and Technical College.
- Central Louisiana Technical Community College.
- Ferris State University.
- Hobart Institute of Welding.
- Lincoln Electric Welding School.
A career in welding gives you the chance to work with your hands, be outside and travel – all with great income potential. With the right welding job, you can make $100,000 or more a year and enjoy what you do.
Yes, welding school can be worth it because a postsecondary welding education is increasingly becoming a requirement among employers, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Plus, there can be other benefits of completing a welding training program
The highest level for them is usually 6G, which means they can weld 360 degrees around a pipe that doesn’t move. Producing this weld to the satisfaction of a certified welding inspector is tough sledding for a beginner.
Nevertheless, a 6G certification is considered the gold standard of the welding profession
Welding involves intense heat, high electrical current, dangerous fumes, and very bright light so training in procedure and safety is very important but no, if done correctly should not shorten one’s life.
Conclusion
If you want to start a career in welding, there are hundreds of welding schools in America to help you. If you just want to learn a little welding, or even if you want to become a professional welder, you can choose from our list of top American welding schools.
Our top 10 welding schools in the U.S. are offering several certifications for welders. Texas, Michigan, and California have special training programs and degrees in welding as well.
Completing a welding course from any of these schools will land you a job with competitive pay.