Northwestern Michigan College

Traverse City, MI · Public · 2,668 students · Visit Website

Northwestern Michigan College (NMC) provides hands-on training for skilled trades in high-demand fields such as automotive service, construction, welding, and engineering technology. The college is a recognized provider of related technical instruction (RTI) for apprenticeships, allowing students to combine on-the-job training with classroom learning and potentially earn college credit for prior apprenticeship experience. NMC's technical programs utilize industry-experienced instructors and current technologies in their labs, with some construction classes held in a 29,000 sq. ft. facility. The curriculum for many programs, including electrical technology, is designed with industry input and aligns with state apprenticeship requirements.

Programs Analyzed

7

Avg Grad Earnings

$43,233/yr

Avg TradeSchoolOutlook Score

63/100

Tuition (In-State)

$5,350/yr
Out-of-state: $12,762/yr

All Programs at Northwestern Michigan College

7 trade programs at Northwestern Michigan 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 10yr ROI AI Risk Job Market
Criminal Justice
Criminal Justice and Corrections
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87 $61,054/yr 113.1x Moderate Very Large
480 openings/yr
Nursing
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
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80 $64,122/yr $17,227 61.6x High Very Large
292 openings/yr
Culinary Arts
Culinary Arts and Related Services
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64 $26,586/yr $11,000 35.1x Low Very Large
789 openings/yr
Dental Assisting
Dental Support Services and Allied Professions
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58 $34,029/yr 62.6x Moderate Large
99 openings/yr
Engineering Technology
Engineering Technology, General
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57 $50,148/yr 45.9x High Medium
28 openings/yr
Aviation
Air Transportation
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51 $37,988/yr $11,737 34.5x Moderate Large
60 openings/yr
Liberal Arts & Humanities
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
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42 $28,706/yr $9,500 30.9x Low Medium
13 openings/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 Michigan

Top-scored trade schools elsewhere in Michigan, ranked by average TradeSchoolOutlook Score across their programs.

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Apprenticeship Pathways in Michigan

Earn-while-you-learn alternatives in Michigan. Registered apprenticeships skip tuition and pay you during training, though training periods are typically longer.

Browse all apprenticeship trades →

Trade Schools Near Traverse City

Other cities in Michigan with multiple trade schools, sorted by distance from Traverse City.

About This Data

TradeSchoolOutlook analyzes 7 trade and vocational programs at Northwestern Michigan 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.

Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024–2034 (employment projections). Last updated 2026.