Columbia College
Columbia College in Sonora, CA, offers Career Technical Education (CTE) programs with hands-on training and industry certifications, preparing students for high-demand jobs. The college has an Apprenticeship Initiative that provides practical training with current industry equipment, including pre-apprenticeship programs in Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Fire Science, and Computer Networking. These programs often include field trips, workshops, and vouchers for industry-standard certification exams. Columbia College also hosts a cohort of Modesto Junior College's Registered Nursing program on its campus.
Programs Analyzed
Avg Grad Earnings
Avg TradeSchoolOutlook Score
Tuition (In-State)
All Programs at Columbia College
8 trade programs at Columbia College, 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 CA → |
91 | $103,727/yr | — |
|
Business
Business/Commerce, General Compare nationwide → Compare in CA → |
65 | $41,791/yr | $23,258 |
|
Criminal Justice
Criminal Justice and Corrections Compare nationwide → Compare in CA → |
64 | $47,941/yr | $26,418 |
|
Information Sciences
Computer and Information Sciences, General Compare nationwide → |
62 | $47,167/yr | $22,387 |
|
Liberal Arts & Humanities
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities Compare nationwide → Compare in CA → |
46 | $47,598/yr | $17,447 |
|
Human Services
Human Services, General Compare nationwide → |
43 | $35,001/yr | $28,454 |
|
Massage Therapy
Somatic Bodywork and Related Therapeutic Services Compare nationwide → Compare in CA → |
37 | $17,237/yr | — |
|
English
English Language and Literature, General Compare nationwide → |
35 | $20,322/yr | — |
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 California
Top-scored trade schools elsewhere in California, ranked by average TradeSchoolOutlook Score across their programs.
Apprenticeship Pathways in California
Earn-while-you-learn alternatives in California. Registered apprenticeships skip tuition and pay you during training, though training periods are typically longer.
Trade Schools Near Sonora
Other cities in California with multiple trade schools, sorted by distance from Sonora.
About This Data
TradeSchoolOutlook analyzes 8 trade and vocational programs at Columbia 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.