Lake Area Technical College
Lake Area Technical College offers hands-on training in high-demand fields such as Construction Engineering, Nursing, and Electromechanical Technologies. The school emphasizes career readiness, with 99% of graduates employed or continuing their education, and 82% remaining in South Dakota for work. Many programs offer registered apprenticeships, combining classroom theory with paid on-the-job training at partner businesses.
Programs Analyzed
Avg Grad Earnings
Avg TradeSchoolOutlook Score
Tuition
All Programs at Lake Area Technical College
16 trade programs at Lake Area Tech, 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 SD → |
78 | $66,233/yr | $18,707 |
|
Practical Nursing
Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants Compare nationwide → Compare in SD → |
74 | $42,160/yr | $9,500 |
|
Criminal Justice
Criminal Justice and Corrections Compare nationwide → Compare in SD → |
68 | $41,230/yr | $12,000 |
|
Agricultural Business
Agricultural Business and Management Compare nationwide → |
66 | $41,340/yr | $12,000 |
|
Construction Management Technology
Building/Construction Finishing, Management, and Inspection Compare nationwide → |
66 | $38,635/yr | $12,000 |
|
Finance
Finance and Financial Management Services Compare nationwide → |
65 | $40,070/yr | $12,000 |
|
Construction Engineering Technology
Construction Engineering Technologies Compare nationwide → |
64 | $75,253/yr | $12,000 |
|
Vehicle Repair Technology
Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies Compare nationwide → Compare in SD → |
64 | $47,080/yr | $12,000 |
|
Electromechanical Technology
Electromechanical Instrumentation and Maintenance Technologies/Technicians Compare nationwide → |
59 | $60,085/yr | $12,000 |
|
Dental Assisting
Dental Support Services and Allied Professions Compare nationwide → |
59 | $36,631/yr | $5,500 |
|
Medical Assisting
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services Compare nationwide → Compare in SD → |
59 | $35,932/yr | $12,000 |
|
Clinical Laboratory Science
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions Compare nationwide → |
57 | $47,512/yr | — |
|
Welding & Metalworking
Precision Metal Working Compare nationwide → |
57 | $43,436/yr | $11,000 |
|
Marketing
Compare nationwide → |
52 | $32,043/yr | $12,000 |
|
Cosmetology
Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services Compare nationwide → Compare in SD → |
46 | $20,420/yr | $12,000 |
|
Human Services
Human Services, General Compare nationwide → |
42 | $26,730/yr | $11,273 |
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 South Dakota
Top-scored trade schools elsewhere in South Dakota, ranked by average TradeSchoolOutlook Score across their programs.
Apprenticeship Pathways in South Dakota
Earn-while-you-learn alternatives in South Dakota. Registered apprenticeships skip tuition and pay you during training, though training periods are typically longer.
Trade Schools Near Watertown
Other cities in South Dakota with multiple trade schools, sorted by distance from Watertown.
About This Data
TradeSchoolOutlook analyzes 16 trade and vocational programs at Lake Area Technical 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.