Prairie State College
Prairie State College offers hands-on training for in-demand manufacturing and trades careers, including HVAC, CNC machining, and welding, with programs leading to industry-recognized certifications. They also provide comprehensive pre-apprenticeship training in skilled trades and offer job search support and employer connections through the South Suburban American Job Center. The college utilizes Mobile Training Centers to deliver on-site, practical instruction with current technology, including welding and manufacturing units with robotics.
Programs Analyzed
Avg Grad Earnings
Avg TradeSchoolOutlook Score
Tuition (In-State)
All Programs at Prairie State College
5 trade programs at Prairie State 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 IL → |
85 | $68,277/yr | $14,500 |
|
Practical Nursing
Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants Compare nationwide → Compare in IL → |
67 | $30,067/yr | $8,750 |
|
Allied Health Professions
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions Compare nationwide → Compare in IL → |
63 | $35,362/yr | — |
|
Business Administration
Business Administration, Management and Operations Compare nationwide → Compare in IL → |
58 | $18,885/yr | $12,100 |
|
Liberal Arts & Humanities
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities Compare nationwide → Compare in IL → |
51 | $34,909/yr | $13,949 |
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 Illinois
Top-scored trade schools elsewhere in Illinois, ranked by average TradeSchoolOutlook Score across their programs.
Apprenticeship Pathways in Illinois
Earn-while-you-learn alternatives in Illinois. Registered apprenticeships skip tuition and pay you during training, though training periods are typically longer.
Trade Schools Near Chicago Heights
Other cities in Illinois with multiple trade schools, sorted by distance from Chicago Heights.
About This Data
TradeSchoolOutlook analyzes 5 trade and vocational programs at Prairie State 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.