Precision Metal Working programs in Texas
115 schools in Texas teach this, at certificate or associate level. 43 of them report what graduates earn two years out; the highest is $44,384 at Lamar Institute of Technology.
What this work pays in Texas
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers in Texas earn a median of $53,340 a year across 52,000 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 Texas |
|---|---|---|
| Machinists | $59,180 | 21,700 |
| Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | $42,720 | 13,290 |
| Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators | $48,480 | 13,190 |
| Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | $49,050 | 10,540 |
| Sheet Metal Workers | $54,240 | 9,540 |
Occupation wages: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.
Schools
| School | Credential | Median debt | Graduate earnings, 2 yrs | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lamar Institute of Technology Beaumont | Undergraduate certificate | — | $44,384 (19 grads) | 14 |
| Austin Community College District Austin | Associate's degree | — | $43,798 (20 grads) | 34 |
| Lone Star College System The Woodlands | Associate's degree | — | $42,682 (18 grads) | 61 |
| South Plains College Levelland | Associate's degree | — | $42,682 (14 grads) | 6 |
| School of Automotive Machinists & Technology Houston | Undergraduate certificate | $16,354 | $39,729 (32 grads) | 25 |
| Texas State Technical College Waco | Associate's degree | $9,168 | $38,289 (73 grads) | 148 |
| Wharton County Junior College Wharton | Undergraduate certificate | — | $38,289 (23 grads) | 21 |
| Southwest Texas College Uvalde | Undergraduate certificate | — | $36,560 (57 grads) | 106 |
| Frank Phillips College Borger | Undergraduate certificate | — | $36,141 (16 grads) | 13 |
| Amarillo College Amarillo | Undergraduate certificate | — | $35,600 (17 grads) | 73 |
| San Jacinto Community College Pasadena | Undergraduate certificate | — | $35,416 (55 grads) | 334 |
| Tarrant County College District Fort Worth | Associate's degree | — | $34,420 (18 grads) | 17 |
| Lincoln College of Technology-Grand Prairie Grand Prairie | Undergraduate certificate | $8,866 | $34,315 (841 grads) | 248 |
| Texas State Technical College Waco | Undergraduate certificate | $7,667 | $34,259 (156 grads) | 290 |
| Clarendon College Clarendon | Undergraduate certificate | — | $33,993 (13 grads) | 13 |
| Tyler Junior College Tyler | Associate's degree | — | $33,446 (13 grads) | 11 |
| Trinity Valley Community College Athens | Associate's degree | — | $33,281 (26 grads) | 8 |
| Houston City College Houston | Undergraduate certificate | $9,500 | $31,852 (42 grads) | 107 |
| Tulsa Welding School-Dallas Campus Irving | Undergraduate certificate | $9,500 | $30,983 (2,638 grads) | — |
| Tulsa Welding School-Houston Houston | Undergraduate certificate | $9,500 | $30,983 (2,638 grads) | 1,142 |
| San Jacinto Community College Pasadena | Associate's degree | — | $30,771 (31 grads) | 36 |
| South Plains College Levelland | Undergraduate certificate | — | $30,771 (30 grads) | 82 |
| M T Training Center Desoto | Undergraduate certificate | $10,378 | $30,554 (87 grads) | 19 |
| Vernon College Vernon | Associate's degree | — | $29,685 (17 grads) | 2 |
| Miller-Motte College-STVT-Arlington Arlington | Undergraduate certificate | $13,000 | $28,993 (536 grads) | 3 |
| Miller-Motte College-STVT-Corpus Christi Corpus Christi | Undergraduate certificate | $13,000 | $28,993 (536 grads) | 73 |
| Miller-Motte College-STVT-San Antonio San Antonio | Undergraduate certificate | $13,000 | $28,993 (536 grads) | 169 |
| South Texas Vocational Technical Institute-Weslaco Weslaco | Undergraduate certificate | $13,000 | $28,993 (536 grads) | 113 |
| South Texas College McAllen | Undergraduate certificate | — | $27,995 (106 grads) | 322 |
| CET-El Paso El Paso | Undergraduate certificate | $8,500 | $27,675 (409 grads) | — |
| Lone Star College System The Woodlands | Undergraduate certificate | $3,500 | $27,476 (18 grads) | 309 |
| El Paso Community College El Paso | Undergraduate certificate | — | $27,150 (38 grads) | 35 |
| Fortis College Houston | Undergraduate certificate | $12,289 | $26,933 (50 grads) | 0 |
| Texarkana College Texarkana | Undergraduate certificate | $8,896 | $25,194 (14 grads) | 42 |
| Paris Junior College Paris | Undergraduate certificate | — | $24,325 (33 grads) | 84 |
| Southern Careers Institute-Austin Austin | Undergraduate certificate | $7,125 | $24,201 (48 grads) | 109 |
| Southern Careers Institute-Corpus Christi Corpus Christi | Undergraduate certificate | $7,125 | $24,201 (48 grads) | 42 |
| Southern Careers Institute-Harlingen Harlingen | Undergraduate certificate | $7,125 | $24,201 (48 grads) | 135 |
| Southern Careers Institute-Pharr Pharr | Undergraduate certificate | $7,125 | $24,201 (48 grads) | 111 |
| Southern Careers Institute-San Antonio San Antonio | Undergraduate certificate | $7,125 | $24,201 (48 grads) | 156 |
| Southern Careers Institute-Waco Waco | Undergraduate certificate | $7,125 | $24,201 (48 grads) | 29 |
| Western Technical College El Paso | Undergraduate certificate | $17,371 | $24,035 (73 grads) | 158 |
| Laredo College Laredo | Undergraduate certificate | — | $20,921 (27 grads) | 118 |
| Austin Community College District Austin | Undergraduate certificate | $15,721 | not published | 181 |
| Del Mar College Corpus Christi | Associate's degree | — | not published | 28 |
| Hill College Hillsboro | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 74 |
| Hill College Hillsboro | Associate's degree | — | not published | 6 |
| McAllen Careers Institute McAllen | Undergraduate certificate | $9,500 | not published | 95 |
| South Texas College McAllen | Associate's degree | — | not published | 33 |
| Universal Technical Institute of Texas Inc. Houston | Undergraduate certificate | $6,855 | not published | 131 |
| Universal Technical Institute-Dallas Fort Worth Irving | Undergraduate certificate | $6,855 | not published | 162 |
| Universal Technical Institute-West Texas Austin | Undergraduate certificate | $6,855 | not published | 0 |
| Alvin Community College Alvin | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 8 |
| Alvin Community College Alvin | Associate's degree | — | not published | — |
| Amarillo College Amarillo | Associate's degree | — | not published | 15 |
| Angelina College Lufkin | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 43 |
| Angelina College Lufkin | Associate's degree | — | not published | 11 |
| Blinn College District Brenham | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 15 |
| Blinn College District Brenham | Associate's degree | — | not published | 12 |
| Brazosport College Lake Jackson | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 30 |
| Brazosport College Lake Jackson | Associate's degree | — | not published | 6 |
| Central Texas College Killeen | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 24 |
| Central Texas College Killeen | Associate's degree | — | not published | 1 |
| Cisco College Cisco | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 23 |
| Cisco College Cisco | Associate's degree | — | not published | 0 |
| Coastal Bend College Beeville | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 49 |
| Coastal Bend College Beeville | Associate's degree | — | not published | 4 |
| College of the Mainland Texas City | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 24 |
| College of the Mainland Texas City | Associate's degree | — | not published | 5 |
| Collin County Community College District McKinney | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 233 |
| Collin County Community College District McKinney | Associate's degree | — | not published | 20 |
| Dallas College Dallas | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 93 |
| Dallas College Dallas | Associate's degree | — | not published | 12 |
| Del Mar College Corpus Christi | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 127 |
| Frank Phillips College Borger | Associate's degree | — | not published | — |
| Galveston College Galveston | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 58 |
| Galveston College Galveston | Associate's degree | — | not published | 3 |
| Grayson College Denison | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 74 |
| Grayson College Denison | Associate's degree | — | not published | 10 |
| Houston City College Houston | Associate's degree | — | not published | 8 |
| Howard College Big Spring | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | — |
| Kilgore College Kilgore | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 32 |
| Kilgore College Kilgore | Associate's degree | — | not published | 8 |
| Lamar Institute of Technology Beaumont | Associate's degree | — | not published | 10 |
| Lamar State College-Orange Orange | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 7 |
| Lamar State College-Port Arthur Port Arthur | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 16 |
| Lee College Baytown | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 195 |
| Lee College Baytown | Associate's degree | — | not published | 32 |
| Midland College Midland | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 47 |
| Midland College Midland | Associate's degree | — | not published | 1 |
| Navarro College Corsicana | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 36 |
| Navarro College Corsicana | Associate's degree | — | not published | 4 |
| North Central Texas College Gainesville | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 128 |
| North Central Texas College Gainesville | Associate's degree | — | not published | 0 |
| Odessa College Odessa | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 46 |
| Odessa College Odessa | Associate's degree | — | not published | 20 |
| Panola College Carthage | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 64 |
| Panola College Carthage | Associate's degree | — | not published | 7 |
| Paris Junior College Paris | Associate's degree | — | not published | 9 |
| Ranger College Ranger | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 95 |
| Ranger College Ranger | Associate's degree | — | not published | 6 |
| Southwest College for the Deaf Big Spring | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| Southwest Texas College Uvalde | Associate's degree | — | not published | 4 |
| Southwest University at El Paso El Paso | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 21 |
| St Philip's College San Antonio | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 81 |
| St Philip's College San Antonio | Associate's degree | — | not published | 25 |
| Tarrant County College District Fort Worth | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 59 |
| Texarkana College Texarkana | Associate's degree | — | not published | 2 |
| Trinity Valley Community College Athens | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 89 |
| Tyler Junior College Tyler | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 48 |
| Vernon College Vernon | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 9 |
| Victoria College Victoria | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 18 |
| Weatherford College Weatherford | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 7 |
| Western Texas College Snyder | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 33 |
| Western Texas College Snyder | Associate's degree | — | not published | 1 |
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.