Southwestern Michigan College

Dowagiac, MI · Public · 1,396 students · Visit Website

Southwestern Michigan College offers hands-on training for skilled careers, particularly in Registered Nursing, a program known for preparing graduates for the NCLEX exam. The college also provides career-focused programs in areas like welding, construction trades with a green technology focus, automotive technology, and electrical and automation technology. Many programs emphasize practical experience, utilizing equipment such as industrial robots in their advanced manufacturing and welding labs.

Programs Analyzed

2

Avg Grad Earnings

$43,153/yr

Avg TradeSchoolOutlook Score

58/100

Tuition (In-State)

$6,026/yr
Out-of-state: $7,850/yr

All Programs at Southwestern Michigan College

2 trade programs at Southwestern 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
Nursing
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
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81 $64,034/yr $16,981 64.8x High Very Large
292 openings/yr
Liberal Arts & Humanities
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
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36 $22,272/yr $7,942 26.6x 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.

View all trade schools in Michigan →

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 Dowagiac

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

About This Data

TradeSchoolOutlook analyzes 2 trade and vocational programs at Southwestern 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.