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Best Trade Programs in Nebraska (2026)

Top 84 of 84 programs in Nebraska · Updated 2026

The best trade school programs in Nebraska, ranked by overall value. We scored 84 programs across Nebraska trade schools on earnings, job demand, and tuition ROI. The top programs average $42,003/yr in graduate earnings.

Programs in NE

Avg Earnings (Top 100)

$42,003/yr

Avg TSW Score

65/100

#1 Program

Construction Management Technology

Northeast Community College

Top Trade Programs in Nebraska

Top 84 programs by TSW Score. Click any row for full analysis.

#	Program	TSW Score	Earnings	ROI
1	Construction Management Technology Northeast Community College · Norfolk, NE	74 71–74	$37,514/yr	60.7x
2	Culinary Arts Southeast Community College Area · Lincoln, NE	83 81–83	$36,734/yr	102.8x
3	Nursing Southeast Community College Area · Lincoln, NE	86 81–87	$71,239/yr	105.3x
4	Nursing Central Community College · Grand Island, NE	85 80–85	$64,945/yr	98.4x
5	Electrical Installation Metropolitan Community College Area · Omaha, NE	83 78–84	$64,751/yr	143.4x
6	Nursing Metropolitan Community College Area · Omaha, NE	87 81–87	$68,874/yr	117.5x
7	Business Administration Metropolitan Community College Area · Omaha, NE	82 76–84	$43,956/yr	73.2x
8	Nursing Mid-Plains Community College · North Platte, NE	84 77–84	$59,746/yr	92.4x
9	Electrical Installation Northeast Community College · Norfolk, NE	80 75–81	$59,177/yr	105.5x
10	Nursing Northeast Community College · Norfolk, NE	83 78–84	$62,930/yr	85.7x
11	Nursing Western Nebraska Community College · Scottsbluff, NE	86 80–87	$62,413/yr	124.6x
12	Vehicle Repair Technology Metropolitan Community College Area · Omaha, NE	79 78–79	$52,060/yr	157.5x
13	Vehicle Repair Technology Southeast Community College Area · Lincoln, NE	73 73–74	$52,556/yr	77.3x
14	Vehicle Repair Technology Metropolitan Community College Area · Omaha, NE	74 71–75	$47,839/yr	91.4x
15	Health Administration Metropolitan Community College Area · Omaha, NE	78 73–80	$44,112/yr	67.7x
16	Information Sciences University of Nebraska at Omaha · Omaha, NE	83 72–86	$58,750/yr	91.5x
17	Welding & Metalworking Southeast Community College Area · Lincoln, NE	69 67–70	$49,114/yr	86.3x
18	Truck Driving & CDL Southeast Community College Area · Lincoln, NE	76 75–76	$30,980/yr	86.5x
19	Practical Nursing Southeast Community College Area · Lincoln, NE	81 78–81	$43,044/yr	146.0x
20	Vehicle Repair Technology Central Community College · Grand Island, NE	71 70–72	$46,758/yr	73.5x
21	Health Administration Central Community College · Grand Island, NE	77 72–79	$43,366/yr	63.5x
22	Information Sciences Southeast Community College Area · Lincoln, NE	83 73–85	$55,738/yr	93.0x
23	Vehicle Repair Technology Northeast Community College · Norfolk, NE	69 67–70	$44,528/yr	65.8x
24	Business Northeast Community College · Norfolk, NE	72 68–74	$35,818/yr	49.6x
25	Agricultural Business Southeast Community College Area · Lincoln, NE	75 70–77	$42,642/yr	66.9x
26	Business Administration Southeast Community College Area · Lincoln, NE	76 70–78	$36,781/yr	59.9x
27	Business Administration Central Community College · Grand Island, NE	76 68–78	$33,898/yr	69.6x
28	Information Sciences Metropolitan Community College Area · Omaha, NE	83 71–85	$48,719/yr	112.3x
29	Welding & Metalworking Central Community College · Grand Island, NE	63 61–64	$39,409/yr	75.2x
30	Business Administration Mid-Plains Community College · North Platte, NE	71 67–73	$33,906/yr	48.1x
31	Criminal Justice Northeast Community College · Norfolk, NE	69 64–71	$33,064/yr	55.5x
32	Medical Assisting Northeast Community College · Norfolk, NE	70 66–70	$42,190/yr	59.4x
33	Culinary Arts Southeast Community College Area · Lincoln, NE	67 63–67	$26,446/yr	47.1x
34	Welding & Metalworking Northeast Community College · Norfolk, NE	68 65–69	$38,353/yr	140.7x
35	Agricultural Business Northeast Community College · Norfolk, NE	71 64–74	$36,223/yr	66.6x
36	Medical Assisting Southeast Community College Area · Lincoln, NE	68 65–68	$39,334/yr	57.7x
37	Medical Assisting Central Community College · Grand Island, NE	67 64–67	$37,307/yr	57.5x
38	Allied Health Professions Metropolitan Community College Area · Omaha, NE	72 69–72	$56,569/yr	83.1x
39	Energy Systems Technology Southeast Community College Area · Lincoln, NE	73 71–74	$104,847/yr	112.0x
40	Dental Assisting Central Community College · Grand Island, NE	69 66–69	$53,860/yr	60.6x
41	Criminal Justice Metropolitan Community College Area · Omaha, NE	69 61–71	$28,511/yr	67.3x
42	Information Sciences Northeast Community College · Norfolk, NE	69 61–71	$37,509/yr	47.8x
43	Criminal Justice Southeast Community College Area · Lincoln, NE	68 60–70	$28,473/yr	64.3x
44	HVAC Technology Southeast Community College Area · Lincoln, NE	67 64–67	$49,666/yr	84.7x
45	Medical Assisting Southeast Community College Area · Lincoln, NE	72 68–73	$35,315/yr	112.2x
46	Allied Health Professions Southeast Community College Area · Lincoln, NE	69 65–70	$48,917/yr	81.4x
47	Electromechanical Technology Northeast Community College · Norfolk, NE	69 66–70	$70,808/yr	91.2x
48	Business Administration Northeast Community College · Norfolk, NE	65 56–68	$24,497/yr	64.8x
49	Quality Control & Safety Technology Southeast Community College Area · Lincoln, NE	73 65–74	$57,207/yr	140.1x
50	Human Development & Family Studies Southeast Community College Area · Lincoln, NE	62 60–64	$29,534/yr	44.4x
51	Clinical Laboratory Science Southeast Community College Area · Lincoln, NE	65 62–65	$46,884/yr	65.2x
52	Plant Sciences Northeast Community College · Norfolk, NE	65 61–67	$49,481/yr	58.3x
53	Teacher Education Northeast Community College · Norfolk, NE	60 54–62	$24,710/yr	46.4x
54	Practical Nursing College of Saint Mary · Omaha, NE	57 55–58	$36,194/yr	14.5x
55	Medical Assisting Clarkson College · Omaha, NE	58 54–58	$41,699/yr	14.8x
56	Electrical Engineering Technology Southeast Community College Area · Lincoln, NE	66 61–68	$56,906/yr	99.9x
57	Dental Assisting Southeast Community College Area · Lincoln, NE	65 62–65	$36,408/yr	114.3x
58	Allied Health Professions Nebraska Methodist College of Nursing & Allied Health · Omaha, NE	56 53–57	$58,162/yr	14.9x
59	Allied Health Professions Clarkson College · Omaha, NE	55 52–56	$52,966/yr	16.5x
60	Medical Assisting Nebraska Methodist College of Nursing & Allied Health · Omaha, NE	55 50–55	$37,878/yr	11.9x
61	Human Services Metropolitan Community College Area · Omaha, NE	56 54–56	$34,392/yr	51.3x
62	Biology Union Adventist University · Lincoln, NE	57 52–58	$74,593/yr	12.3x
63	Liberal Arts & Humanities Metropolitan Community College Area · Omaha, NE	54 52–54	$33,011/yr	66.3x
64	Animal Sciences Northeast Community College · Norfolk, NE	55 50–58	$35,931/yr	55.1x
65	Veterinary Technology Northeast Community College · Norfolk, NE	54 50–53	$34,363/yr	47.9x
66	Mental Health Services Southeast Community College Area · Lincoln, NE	56 49–57	$25,644/yr	51.9x
67	Film & Photography Metropolitan Community College Area · Omaha, NE	57 53–59	$39,877/yr	59.7x
68	Drafting & Design Technology Southeast Community College Area · Lincoln, NE	57 51–59	$41,599/yr	79.3x
69	Liberal Arts & Humanities Southeast Community College Area · Lincoln, NE	52 49–52	$31,041/yr	62.0x
70	Design Metropolitan Community College Area · Omaha, NE	53 48–55	$29,902/yr	54.8x
71	Liberal Arts & Humanities Northeast Community College · Norfolk, NE	49 47–49	$30,292/yr	53.6x
72	Liberal Arts & Humanities Central Community College · Grand Island, NE	47 44–47	$26,198/yr	58.2x
73	Cosmetology Capitol Beauty School · Omaha, NE	47 44–48	$25,942/yr	—
74	Liberal Arts & Humanities Mid-Plains Community College · North Platte, NE	45 41–45	$24,535/yr	55.5x
75	Cosmetology Entourage Institute of Beauty and Esthetics · Lincoln, NE	46 42–46	$24,101/yr	—
76	Cosmetology Joseph's College Cosmetology · Lincoln, NE	45 41–45	$22,479/yr	—
77	Veterinary Technology Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture · Curtis, NE	47 44–47	$32,793/yr	27.5x
78	Cosmetology Stephanie Moss Academy · Omaha, NE	45 42–46	$23,179/yr	—
79	Agricultural Production Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture · Curtis, NE	45 38–47	$24,427/yr	35.4x
80	Cosmetology College of Hair Design-Downtown · Lincoln, NE	43 40–44	$19,274/yr	—
81	Cosmetology College of Hair Design-East Campus · Lincoln, NE	43 40–44	$19,274/yr	—
82	Veterinary Technology University of Nebraska-Lincoln · Lincoln, NE	44 40–44	$32,793/yr	15.2x
83	Agricultural Production University of Nebraska-Lincoln · Lincoln, NE	41 35–43	$24,427/yr	19.7x
84	Massage Therapy Universal College of Healing Arts · Omaha, NE	40 36–40	$26,005/yr	16.8x

About This Ranking

What we ranked

Best Trades in Nebraska ranks 84 programs across the United States by the TradeSchoolOutlook Score, which combines graduate earnings, return on investment, and job-market demand into a single 0-100 metric.

Data sources

Earnings figures come from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, which tracks graduate income one and five years after program completion. Job-market projections use Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024-2034 employment data.

How to read the table

Use the sort controls below the headline to re-rank by earnings, ROI, or other metrics. Click any school name for full earnings projections, three-scenario modeling, and detailed program data. Most students attend a school within driving distance — local rankings are usually more actionable than national.

Caveats & limitations

Rankings reflect what the data can measure: post-graduation earnings, debt levels, and broad labor-market trends. They cannot capture program quality nuances like instructor expertise, hands-on equipment access, or industry connections. Treat rankings as a starting point — visit schools and talk to current students before committing.

Methodology

This ranking includes the top 84 trade programs at Nebraska schools, drawn from 84 total programs with earnings data. Programs are ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score (0–100), which combines graduate earnings, job market demand, and tuition ROI.

Only in-state tuition is used for ROI calculations. Earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best trade program in Nebraska?

By TradeSchoolOutlook Score, Construction Management Technology at Northeast Community College ranks #1 in Nebraska with a score of 74/100 and graduate earnings of $37,514/yr.

How many trade programs are in Nebraska?

Our database includes 84 trade programs across Nebraska schools with reported earnings data from the U.S. Department of Education.

Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024–2034 (employment projections). Last updated 2025.