According to the Montana Department of Labor and Industry, economic growth in the Treasure State has been outpacing the U.S. national average since the turn of the 21st century. Several top industries in Montana, including trade, education, healthcare, business services and construction, provide a range of jobs for candidates with formal training from trade and vocational schools.
Specific areas of the state offer even more opportunity to students with the right knowledge and skills. Students hoping to work in IT or transportation and logistics should consider the Billings region, where those two industries are well-established and growing. If you're hoping to land a career in business or start your own company, Forbes named Missoula among its best small cities for business and careers in 2019.
Why is Montana Good for Vocational/Technical Schools?
Career technical education (CTE) in Montana is already making a difference in the lives of students. Statistics show that high school students who concentrate on CTE subjects graduate at a rate of 98 percent — fully 12 percentage points higher than the state average rate — and college-level CTE certification in Montana is typically quicker and more affordable than a university degree.
The average charge for a year of tuition and fees at career and technical schools in Montana was around $3,600 for in-state students in 2017-18. University students, on the other hand, paid nearly $6,800 for their study in the same year. On top of that, bachelor's degrees typically take at least four years of study to complete, while associate degrees require around two years of school and trade school certificates can often be earned in a year or less.
On this page, we've got a list of the best trade and vocational schools in Montana and some details about what made each one stand out. If you're thinking about earning CTE certification in Montana, read on to the end for some helpful tips about the financial aid process and info on a few Montana scholarships that might work for you.
Highest-Paying and Fastest-Growing Careers in Montana
Montana Trade and Vocational Schools
We ranked Montana schools using U.S. Department of Education data on affordability, flexibility, student services, graduate career success and more. Check out our list of the best trade and vocational schools in Montana and learn more about your options.
Students hoping to make use of online programs at trade schools in Montana can find what they're looking for at Great Falls College Montana State University. This Great Falls school has the highest proportion of distance education enrollment in the state, reporting in 2019 that over 56 percent of students took advantage of distance education courses. Several degrees and certificates are available entirely online.
What vocational programs GFC MSU offers: A health information coding specialist certificate can be earned fully online and help you make a quick move toward a career in the health care industry. Students hoping to take a more hands-on approach to the health care field can earn associate degrees in physical therapy assisting and registered nursing.
Student success and graduate success were two big bright spots for Helena College. This University of Montana-affiliated institution reported the highest graduation rate and first-year student retention rate in the state in 2018, and the average annual salary earned by graduates with ten or more years experience on the workforce was nearly $40,000 — good for a spot among the top 100 trade schools in the country in that category.
What vocational programs HC offers: Aspiring auto mechanics can earn an Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree in automotive technology and either an A.A.S. or certificate in diesel technology at this Helena school. A two-year degree in industrial welding and metal fabrication can provide a through education in welding principles and techniques.
If you're hoping to save as much money on your college training as possible, Flathead Valley Community College might be the school for you. Average net price is a way to measure college cost that takes the total estimated cost of tuition, fees, housing, books and other essentials and subtracts the average amount of grant and scholarship aid. Students at this Kalispell institution paid less than $8,200 out of pocket for all college expenses in 2018.
What vocational programs FVCC offers: The catalog at FVCC includes degrees or certificates in entrepreneurship, personal training, firearms technologies, graphic design, goldsmithing, phlebotomy and more. Students looking for online trade schools in Montana can take around 100 courses from a wide range of majors in the virtual classroom.
How to Apply for Trade School Financial Aid in Montana
Training at career and technical schools in Montana might be more affordable than earning a university degree, but that doesn't mean that financial aid can't make a big difference to a student's quality of life. If you're not sure how to apply for financial aid in Montana, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the natural first step.
Filling out your FAFSA is one of the smartest moves you can make as a student. Not only is it the only way to find out if you qualify for federal aid programs like Stafford Loans and the Pell Grant, but many institutional and state-funded Montana scholarships use FAFSA data to determine your eligibility. Make sure to talk to a financial aid adviser if you're enrolled but don't yet have a FAFSA on file.
Check out our guide to financial aid for more info about the FAFSA and other important parts of the student aid process. Here are a few Montana scholarships that might be able to help you pay for school:
- Gianforte Trade Scholarship - This award of $1,000 for full-time students and $500 for part-time students is available to Montana residents pursuing trade careers at universities or career and technical schools in Montana.
- Youth Serve Montana Scholarship - Up to 100 Montana high school seniors are selected each year for this program, which awards $1,000 in college financial aid to honor their volunteer service.
- Reach Higher Montana Scholarship - Available to seniors and graduates from Montana high schools, this award provides $1,000 in funding to students enrolled in eligible college programs at least half-time.
Resources for Vocational Students and Vocational Job Seekers in Montana
- Community colleges and trade schools in Montana are part of the Montana University System, which can provide further information about available destinations for career training.
- The Montana Community Foundation provides more than $430,000 in scholarships to students in the state and helps guide them through the application process.
- If you want to make sure that the training you receive will be up to the standards of employers in Montana and elsewhere, it's important to attend an accredited school. Public two-year institutions in Montana earn their accreditation from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). Specific training programs may be accredited by national industry agencies like the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) and the Accreditation Review Council on Education in Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (ARC/STSA).
For some statistics and other information on career technical education in Montana, check the state's page on Advance CTE. Further information on campus-based and online trade schools in Montana and nationwide can be found at the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE).