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Building trades instructor education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a building trades instructor. Building trades instructors usually study business, elementary education, or general studies. 50% of building trades instructors hold a bachelor's degree, and 15% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 339 real building trades instructor resumes to see exactly what building trades instructor education sections show.

The most common colleges for building trades instructors are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online building trades instructor courses to help get the education required to be a building trades instructor.

What education do you need to become a building trades instructor?

What degree do you need to be a building trades instructor?

The most common degree for building trades instructors is bachelor's degree, with 50% of building trades instructors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 15% and associate degree degree at 14%.
  • Bachelor's, 50%
  • Associate, 15%
  • High School Diploma, 14%
  • Master's, 13%
  • Other Degrees, 8%

What should I major in to become a building trades instructor?

You should major in business to become a building trades instructor. 21% of building trades instructors major in business. Other common majors for a building trades instructor include elementary education and general studies.

Most common colleges for building trades instructors

Building trades instructors often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Baker College, and Saint Norbert College. Here are the most common colleges for building trades instructors in the US based on their resumes.
Building trades instructor common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix12.77%
Baker College10.64%
Saint Norbert College4.26%
The University of Virginia's College at Wise4.26%
New York University4.26%

Best majors for building trades instructors

RankMajorPercentages
1Business20.7%
2Elementary Education9.1%
3General Studies6.6%
4Psychology5.8%
5Fine Arts5.8%

Best colleges for building trades instructors

The best colleges for building trades instructors are University of Pennsylvania, University of Virginia, and University of Southern California.

A building trades instructor with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for building trades instructors. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become building trades instructors.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

3. University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA • Private

In-state tuition

$17,653

Enrollment

16,405

4. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$9,816

Enrollment

21,047

5. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Enrollment

33,495

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

7. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Enrollment

34,564

8. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

9. University of California, Irvine

Irvine, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$13,700

Enrollment

29,722

10. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

20 best online courses for building trades instructors

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Top 10 most affordable universities for building trades instructors

The most affordable schools for building trades instructors are University of Florida, california state university - los angeles, and hunter college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for building trades instructors are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for building trades instructors.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

3. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

6. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

7. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

8. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

9. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

10. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for building trades instructors

The hardest universities for building trades instructors to get into are University of Pennsylvania, University of Virginia, and University of Southern California.

Some great schools for building trades instructors are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for building trades instructors based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

2. University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA • Private

Admissions rate

26%

SAT average

1,427

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

5. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

Admissions rate

23%

SAT average

1,434

6. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

7. University of Miami

Coral Gables, FL • Private

Admissions rate

32%

SAT average

1,365

8. University of Tulsa

Tulsa, OK • Private

Admissions rate

41%

SAT average

1,321

9. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

10. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, CA • Private

Admissions rate

30%

SAT average

1,339

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for building trades instructors

The easiest schools for building trades instructors to get into are Gwynedd Mercy University, holy names university, and wayland baptist university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a building trades instructor without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for building trades instructors.

1. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

2. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

3. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

4. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

5. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

6. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

7. Thomas More University

Crestview Hills, KY • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

1,099

8. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

9. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

10. Grand View University

Des Moines, IA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,060

Average building trades instructor salary by education level

According to our data, building trades instructors with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $48,521 annually. Building trades instructors with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $41,871.
Building trades instructor education levelBuilding trades instructor salary
Master's Degree$41,871
Doctorate Degree$48,521

Building trades instructor education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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