Merced College
Merced College offers hands-on training for a variety of skilled careers, including nursing, automotive technology, welding, and HVAC. Many programs offer certifications and aim to prepare students for direct entry into the workforce. The college also provides internship opportunities through its Workplace Internship Network (WIN) to help students gain industry experience and connect with local employers.
Programs Analyzed
Avg Grad Earnings
Avg TradeSchoolOutlook Score
Tuition (In-State)
All Programs at Merced College
8 trade programs at Merced 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 → |
92 | $107,024/yr | — |
|
Practical Nursing
Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants Compare nationwide → Compare in CA → |
83 | $47,114/yr | — |
|
Allied Health Professions
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions Compare nationwide → Compare in CA → |
81 | $78,871/yr | — |
|
Criminal Justice
Criminal Justice and Corrections Compare nationwide → Compare in CA → |
78 | $31,050/yr | — |
|
Social Sciences
Social Sciences, General Compare nationwide → Compare in CA → |
77 | $34,168/yr | — |
|
Psychology
Psychology, General Compare nationwide → Compare in CA → |
67 | $34,441/yr | — |
|
Welding & Metalworking
Precision Metal Working Compare nationwide → Compare in CA → |
62 | $27,541/yr | — |
|
Liberal Arts & Humanities
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities Compare nationwide → Compare in CA → |
58 | $27,413/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 Merced
Other cities in California with multiple trade schools, sorted by distance from Merced.
About This Data
TradeSchoolOutlook analyzes 8 trade and vocational programs at Merced 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.