Southwestern Community College
Southwestern Community College in Creston, IA, provides hands-on training in trades like carpentry, electrical technology, automotive repair, and welding. For example, carpentry students construct a residential home each year, and the CDL program includes on-site DOT testing. The college uses the Handshake platform to connect students and graduates with potential employers and offers flexible class schedules, including evening and weekend options, for many programs. The nursing program is also a top program by graduate earnings.
Programs Analyzed
Avg Grad Earnings
Avg TradeSchoolOutlook Score
Tuition (In-State)
All Programs at Southwestern Community College
6 trade programs at Southwestern CC, 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 IA → |
79 | $61,931/yr | $12,244 |
|
Business Administration
Business Administration, Management and Operations Compare nationwide → Compare in IA → |
71 | $30,899/yr | — |
|
Medical Assisting
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services Compare nationwide → Compare in IA → |
64 | $42,374/yr | — |
|
Allied Health Professions
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions Compare nationwide → Compare in IA → |
61 | $48,233/yr | — |
|
Liberal Arts & Humanities
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities Compare nationwide → Compare in IA → |
41 | $28,706/yr | $9,913 |
|
Cosmetology
Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services Compare nationwide → Compare in IA → |
40 | $14,354/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 Iowa
Top-scored trade schools elsewhere in Iowa, ranked by average TradeSchoolOutlook Score across their programs.
Apprenticeship Pathways in Iowa
Earn-while-you-learn alternatives in Iowa. Registered apprenticeships skip tuition and pay you during training, though training periods are typically longer.
Trade Schools Near Creston
Other cities in Iowa with multiple trade schools, sorted by distance from Creston.
About This Data
TradeSchoolOutlook analyzes 6 trade and vocational programs at Southwestern Community 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.