Best Trade Programs in North Dakota (2026)

Top 64 of 64 programs in North Dakota · Updated 2026

The best trade school programs in North Dakota, ranked by overall value. We scored 64 programs across North Dakota trade schools on earnings, AI resilience, job demand, and tuition ROI. The top programs average $46,345/yr in graduate earnings.

Programs in ND
64
Avg Earnings (Top 100)
$46,345/yr
Avg TSW Score
63/100
#1 Program
Practical Nursing
Bismarck State College

Top Trade Programs in North Dakota

Top 64 programs by TSW Score. Click any row for full analysis.

# Program TSW Score Earnings AI-Proof ROI
1 Practical Nursing
Bismarck State College · Bismarck, ND
84
83–85
$61,629/yr AI-Proof 117.6x
2 Criminal Justice
Lake Region State College · Devils Lake, ND
87
83–88
$57,765/yr Resilient 114.5x
3 Practical Nursing
Dakota College at Bottineau · Bottineau, ND
84
82–85
$60,969/yr AI-Proof 113.0x
4 Nursing
Dakota College at Bottineau · Bottineau, ND
82
77–83
$71,421/yr Moderate 60.7x
5 Sales & Marketing
North Dakota State University-Main Campus · Fargo, ND
78
75–80
$55,734/yr Moderate 50.3x
6 Nursing
Bismarck State College · Bismarck, ND
81
76–81
$66,335/yr Moderate 64.2x
7 Nursing
Lake Region State College · Devils Lake, ND
82
76–82
$68,214/yr Moderate 68.3x
8 Vehicle Repair Technology
North Dakota State College of Science · Wahpeton, ND
70
69–70
$56,659/yr AI-Proof 52.8x
9 Nursing
North Dakota State College of Science · Wahpeton, ND
78
72–79
$59,229/yr Moderate 57.3x
10 Nursing
Williston State College · Williston, ND
79
75–80
$60,944/yr Moderate 61.8x
11 Electrical Installation
Bismarck State College · Bismarck, ND
73
71–73
$57,065/yr AI-Proof 53.9x
12 Electrical Installation
Bismarck State College · Bismarck, ND
80
75–81
$48,853/yr AI-Proof 150.1x
13 Precision Metalworking
North Dakota State College of Science · Wahpeton, ND
63
62–64
$51,647/yr AI-Proof 50.8x
14 Practical Nursing
Rasmussen University-North Dakota · Fargo, ND
69
67–70
$45,271/yr AI-Proof 41.4x
15 Practical Nursing
North Dakota State College of Science · Wahpeton, ND
70
66–71
$41,956/yr AI-Proof 48.8x
16 Subject-Area Teaching
Valley City State University · Valley City, ND
74
71–77
$44,886/yr Moderate 51.7x
17 Vehicle Repair Technology
Bismarck State College · Bismarck, ND
74
71–75
$44,309/yr AI-Proof 105.0x
18 Agricultural Business
North Dakota State College of Science · Wahpeton, ND
72
68–74
$48,646/yr Moderate 43.3x
19 Nursing
Rasmussen University-North Dakota · Fargo, ND
72
67–73
$68,119/yr Moderate 28.9x
20 Agricultural Business
Bismarck State College · Bismarck, ND
71
63–74
$38,623/yr Moderate 56.0x
21 Business
Bismarck State College · Bismarck, ND
69
65–71
$36,062/yr Moderate 38.0x
22 Criminal Justice
Rasmussen University-North Dakota · Fargo, ND
67
63–68
$47,447/yr Resilient 18.4x
23 Industrial Production Technology
Bismarck State College · Bismarck, ND
74
69–75
$82,310/yr Resilient 108.6x
24 Clinical Laboratory Science
University of North Dakota · Grand Forks, ND
67
65–68
$65,073/yr Resilient 58.4x
25 Business Administration
Williston State College · Williston, ND
70
66–71
$36,138/yr Moderate 35.6x
26 Business Administration
Rasmussen University-North Dakota · Fargo, ND
69
63–71
$43,736/yr Moderate 18.9x
27 Accounting
Rasmussen University-North Dakota · Fargo, ND
69
64–71
$47,506/yr Exposed 36.4x
28 Agricultural Mechanization
North Dakota State College of Science · Wahpeton, ND
64
62–65
$62,531/yr Resilient 56.5x
29 Precision Metalworking
Lynnes Welding Training · Fargo, ND
56
55–57
$45,833/yr AI-Proof
30 Electromechanical Technology
Bismarck State College · Bismarck, ND
70
65–72
$77,701/yr Resilient 102.0x
31 Industrial Production Technology
North Dakota State College of Science · Wahpeton, ND
63
61–64
$59,489/yr Resilient 49.2x
32 Business Administration
North Dakota State College of Science · Wahpeton, ND
66
60–68
$31,594/yr Moderate 32.6x
33 Electrical Engineering Technology
Bismarck State College · Bismarck, ND
70
65–72
$89,460/yr Moderate 108.8x
34 Dental Assisting
North Dakota State College of Science · Wahpeton, ND
60
58–60
$48,565/yr Resilient 42.9x
35 Health Administration
Rasmussen University-North Dakota · Fargo, ND
63
57–65
$33,372/yr Moderate 29.4x
36 Health Administration
Rasmussen University-North Dakota · Fargo, ND
63
56–65
$39,372/yr Moderate 15.5x
37 Environmental Technology
North Dakota State College of Science · Wahpeton, ND
58
58–59
$50,780/yr Resilient 41.8x
38 Accounting
Rasmussen University-North Dakota · Fargo, ND
62
55–65
$43,765/yr Exposed 19.5x
39 IT Management
Rasmussen University-North Dakota · Fargo, ND
61
54–64
$42,043/yr Exposed 15.5x
40 Business Operations Support
Rasmussen University-North Dakota · Fargo, ND
58
53–61
$32,345/yr Exposed 25.7x
41 Human Resources
Rasmussen University-North Dakota · Fargo, ND
61
55–63
$45,969/yr Moderate 20.1x
42 Allied Health Professions
Rasmussen University-North Dakota · Fargo, ND
57
53–57
$51,036/yr Resilient 22.9x
43 Teacher Education
Rasmussen University-North Dakota · Fargo, ND
56
53–57
$28,038/yr Moderate 20.9x
44 Computer Engineering
Rasmussen University-North Dakota · Fargo, ND
60
49–63
$48,263/yr Exposed 27.4x
45 Electrical Engineering Technology
North Dakota State College of Science · Wahpeton, ND
58
50–60
$45,253/yr Moderate 57.7x
46 Medical Assisting
Rasmussen University-North Dakota · Fargo, ND
54
50–54
$35,350/yr Resilient 13.1x
47 Teacher Education
Rasmussen University-North Dakota · Fargo, ND
53
50–54
$28,337/yr Moderate 12.3x
48 Medical Assisting
Rasmussen University-North Dakota · Fargo, ND
53
50–54
$29,532/yr Resilient 25.9x
49 Liberal Arts & Humanities
Bismarck State College · Bismarck, ND
50
47–50
$33,358/yr AI-Proof 47.2x
50 Clinical Laboratory Science
Rasmussen University-North Dakota · Fargo, ND
52
48–52
$43,637/yr Resilient 20.7x

Methodology

This ranking includes the top 64 trade programs at North Dakota schools, drawn from 64 total programs with earnings data. Programs are ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score (0–100), which combines graduate earnings, AI automation resilience, 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 North Dakota?
By TradeSchoolOutlook Score, Practical Nursing at Bismarck State College ranks #1 in North Dakota with a score of 84/100 and graduate earnings of $61,629/yr.
How many trade programs are in North Dakota?
Our database includes 64 trade programs across North Dakota 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), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE. Last updated 2025.