Precision Metal Working programs in North Dakota
11 schools in North Dakota teach this, at certificate or associate level. 2 of them report what graduates earn two years out; the highest is $41,565 at North Dakota State College of Science.
What this work pays in North Dakota
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers in North Dakota earn a median of $62,000 a year across 2,590 jobs. That is what the occupation pays everyone in it — not what graduates of any one program below earned.
| Also leads to | Median | Jobs in North Dakota |
|---|---|---|
| Machinists | $61,820 | 560 |
| Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | $49,190 | 490 |
| Sheet Metal Workers | $65,180 | 290 |
| Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators | $60,250 | 250 |
| Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | $48,400 | 230 |
Occupation wages: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.
Schools
| School | Credential | Median debt | Graduate earnings, 2 yrs | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Dakota State College of Science Wahpeton | Associate's degree | $11,123 | $41,565 (37 grads) | 30 |
| Lynnes Welding Training Fargo | Undergraduate certificate | $3,385 | $35,518 (35 grads) | 62 |
| Bismarck State College Bismarck | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 19 |
| Bismarck State College Bismarck | Associate's degree | — | not published | 5 |
| Dickinson State University Dickinson | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| North Dakota State College of Science Wahpeton | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 21 |
| Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College New Town | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 5 |
| Turtle Mountain College Belcourt | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 7 |
| United Tribes Technical College Bismarck | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| Williston State College Williston | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 21 |
| Williston State College Williston | Associate's degree | — | not published | 0 |
A dash under earnings or debt means the U.S. Department of Education has not published a figure for that program — it withholds any median computed from too few graduates, which covers about four of every five programs. It never means zero, and it says nothing about whether the program is any good. Where a figure is shown, the number of graduates behind it is shown with it.
Email me when these figures change
The U.S. Department of Education publishes new cost, debt and earnings figures once a year, and every number on this page changes at once. One email when that happens for Precision Metal Working — nothing else, and nothing in between.
Program and outcome figures: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, released 2026-06-10.