Catawba Valley Community College
Catawba Valley Community College (CVCC) offers hands-on training for skilled trades and healthcare, emphasizing career readiness through programs like Industrial Systems Technology and Marine Mechanical Technology. The college's Catawba Apprenticeship Network connects students with local employers for paid apprenticeships, combining on-the-job training with classroom instruction in fields such as Mechatronics Engineering and HVAC. CVCC also features specialized facilities like a Regional Simulated Hospital and the Catawba Valley Furniture Academy, providing practical experience in industry-aligned environments.
Programs Analyzed
Avg Grad Earnings
Avg TradeSchoolOutlook Score
Tuition (In-State)
All Programs at Catawba Valley Community College
8 trade programs at Catawba Valley CC, ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score (combines earnings, ROI, AI resilience, and job market size). Use the “compare” links to see how this school’s programs stack up against others nationally.
| Program | Score | Earnings | Debt |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Nursing
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing Compare nationwide → Compare in NC → |
88 | $64,707/yr | $5,500 |
|
Business Administration
Business Administration, Management and Operations Compare nationwide → Compare in NC → |
83 | $41,425/yr | — |
|
Accounting
Accounting and Related Services Compare nationwide → Compare in NC → |
77 | $35,972/yr | — |
|
Dental Assisting
Dental Support Services and Allied Professions Compare nationwide → Compare in NC → |
73 | $55,128/yr | — |
|
Allied Health Professions
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions Compare nationwide → Compare in NC → |
73 | $52,273/yr | — |
|
Health Administration
Health and Medical Administrative Services Compare nationwide → Compare in NC → |
73 | $27,562/yr | — |
|
Cosmetology
Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services Compare nationwide → Compare in NC → |
52 | $16,506/yr | — |
|
Liberal Arts & Humanities
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities Compare nationwide → Compare in NC → |
49 | $23,951/yr | $5,500 |
Reading the table: Score combines earnings, ROI, AI resilience, and job market size on a 0–100 scale. Earnings = median first-year salary from College Scorecard. Debt = median federal debt at graduation (blank where Scorecard suppresses small samples). 10yr ROI = projected 10-year earnings ÷ in-state tuition. AI Risk reflects task-level AI exposure across mapped occupations. Job Market = annual openings nationwide for connected occupations.
More Trade Schools in North Carolina
Top-scored trade schools elsewhere in North Carolina, ranked by average TradeSchoolOutlook Score across their programs.
Apprenticeship Pathways in North Carolina
Earn-while-you-learn alternatives in North Carolina. Registered apprenticeships skip tuition and pay you during training, though training periods are typically longer.
Trade Schools Near Hickory
Other cities in North Carolina with multiple trade schools, sorted by distance from Hickory.
About This Data
TradeSchoolOutlook analyzes 8 trade and vocational programs at Catawba Valley Community College using earnings data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and employment projections from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024–2034).
The TradeSchoolOutlook Score (0–100) combines graduate earnings, return on investment, AI resilience, and job market size. AI Risk reflects task-level exposure for the occupations each program feeds into. Job Market shows the size of the national hiring pool. Programs without published debt figures had small reporting samples that the College Scorecard suppresses for privacy.