Welding is a promising career that most people opt to work for contracting and construction companies, build temporary or permanent infrastructures, get into various pipeline jobs, and even in military equipment repair. If you’re thinking about taking welding as a career and worried about welding certification costs, we’re here with all the important aspects of costs you’d need during the journey.
This career demands basic welding knowledge with technical training and a little bit of experience to get on your first job. Starting from the training school costs to purchasing the equipment, in this article, we will have a deeper look at all the costs associated to get welding certification!
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Factors Influencing a Wedding Certification Cost
Welding career demands skills, focus, and experience. To get there, there’s a need for joining a welding school. Keep in mind that you’re making this investment that might go beyond your budget, but in the long run, this career will pay you back.
The factors that determine your welding certification cost are the type of welding school, the length of the course, and the number of equipment you purchase. There are various types of welding institutions that offer degrees and short courses in welding! Some of them include:
- Vocational High School Programs
- Trade Schools
- Community Colleges
Moreover, it’s not limited that you have to take only one course. People usually take several courses paying separate costs for each to have an optimal level of knowledge that helps them in the future. You can go for multiple courses if you don’t have the budget as a limiting factor. While enrolling in any welding program, you have to make sure they offer certification upon completion as well.
A Little About Welding School Costs
The school you are attending greatly determines your tuition fee costs. And the tuition fee depends upon the course length, type of training program, and the state you’re living in. There are many short welding courses lasting up to seven months, or there are long courses or programs of four years duration to get certified.
On average, the short courses having a duration somewhere between three to seven months will cost you $5,000. However, technical schools and community colleges will cost you $5,000-$15,000 for their two-year welding training programs.
Moreover, a 4-year bachelor’s program in welding may cost you between $40,000 to $100,000 depending upon the university and the curriculum. Whatever you choose, it’s all up to you but generally speaking, college programs are way more effective ways of learning welding and they might help you save your budget.
How much does welding school cost? The list of some schools:
- Alexandria Technical and Community College in Minnesota offers a one-year welding program that’s worth $7,000.
- Modern Welding School in Schenectady, New York offers a three-month short welding course that’s worth $6,000.
- The Welders Training and Testing Institute in Allentown, Pennsylvania offers a nine-month technical welding program that costs up to $8,100.
There are some perks of getting the entire four-year bachelor’s or Associate’s degree in welding depending upon whether you’re a non-resident or a resident. If you’re living somewhere nearby your institution, that will help you save substantially. Some of these institutions include:
- Austin Community College in Texas offers a two-year Associate’s degree that costs you $1,900 if you’re a resident and $11,430 if you’re a non-resident. Other schools that are offering Associate’s degrees cost somewhere between $2,000 and $31,000.
- Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan offers a bachelor’s program in welding engineering technology that’s worth $62,640 for non-residents and $41,760 for residents. Generally, the costs of a bachelor’s in welding at different institutions range from $40,000 to & $100,000.
Some Extra Costs Include:
Application Fees
The application fees are charged by nearly all the institutions, whether you’re up for some white-collar degree or a welding training program. But don’t worry! This initial cost might not exceed more than $125 for the application.
Testing Fees
The testing fees are usually independent of your tuition fee and most of the time you need to pay it to get your degree or certification. It ranges from $300 to $550 depending upon the school you’re enrolled in.
Welding Equipment and Books Cost
It doesn’t matter that you’ve opted for a four-year program or a short course, you’ll definitely need books to study. The budget you need to set to spend on your books should be at least up to $220. However, in this field, you’ll also need some safety and welding equipment that costs you somewhere between $500 and $1,500.
Detailed Welding Courses with their Costs
Basic Welding Course
The fundamental welding concepts along with practical applications fall under this course. However, when taken itself, there’s no professional certification you get by the end of it.
This course is useful for newbies who are thinking to start their career in the welding profession. It helps to gain general knowledge regarding the trade to orient your brain for practical training. Moreover, this basic course also suits the people who enjoy trying home crafts from metals, even not opting for commercial welding as a profession.
This basic course will cost you $150 if you take it at Mid-Atlantic Welding Institute; however, the costs of other institutions are similar to this one. This course will help you learn general welding principles, successful setup of equipment, effective welding techniques, and basics of MIG, TIG, and Stick welding.
Visual Weld Inspection Course
Logically, this course comes next after the basic course for the people who want to become commercial welders. However, people who take welding as a hobby can also opt for this course.
This conscientious inspection is an important aspect of welding because it helps save time and money that could’ve been spent on areas of potential weaknesses. This short course will only cost you 300 dollars if you learn it at Mid-Atlantic Welding Institute.
It will help you improve your fluency in welding inspection, detection of discontinuity in base metals, and usage of different tools and gauges to identify various welding issues. Upon completion of the course, the person also gets certification.
Specialized Welding Courses
Welding is a vast field that includes many aspects. The above courses were covering general welding knowledge but if you want to specialize in any particular area, Earlbeck Gas and Technologies offers some well-specialized courses.
The intermediate TIG, MIG, or Stick welding course costs $2,500 to provide its 48-hour practice to build expertise in people for this specified process. There’s also an advanced TIG, MIG, or Stick welding course worth $2,500 for additional 42-hour practice to take your welding to the next level. Both these courses provide certification upon completion.
Welding Tools Cost
Taking the courses to gain sufficient knowledge isn’t enough to get into commercial welding, but you’ll surely need some tools and equipment. Generally speaking, you can keep your $400 aside for this task. But the cost also depends upon the type, of course, you’re enrolled in.
For example, if you’re learning specialized welding, you’ll surely need another set of equipment as compared to general welding. For example, if you’re into MIG welding, you’ll need gauntlet cuff gloves that are tough and thick as compared to TIG welding gloves that are quite flexible.
Some of the tools along with their cost is mentioned below:
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- Safety helmet $17-20
- Safety glasses $11-20
- Ball-pein hammer $20
- Welding Jacket $70-150
- Measuring tape $13-28
- MIG pliers $20-25
The Cost of Welding Certification
We have already talked about specialized and general welding courses along with their costs at various institutions. Still, there’s another certification you might need to pay for, in order to get a job. In some states, this additional welding certification is mandatory, for example, American Welding Association issues a certified welder card for welders to approve that they have cleared particular courses and they are applicable for jobs.
There’s a complete formal process of application, followed by an exam that must be passed to get the certification. It will cost you somewhere between $800 and $1,100. You can also apply for some higher certificates including welding engineer and welding supervisor certification to get higher ranks jobs and stability.
Some specialized welding courses provide approved certificates upon completion. Some of these include:
- A pipe welding course spanning the period of 24 weeks to 52 weeks will cost you $2,500-4,500.
- A fabrication welder course that is 36-week long and costs $3,300.
- A session preparation certification costs $550.
The Bottom Line – How Long Does It Takes to Become a Certified Welder?
Starting from fewer-months short courses to a 4-year bachelor’s program, welding courses will set up your career in the long run. Whether you take multiple short courses or enroll yourself in a bachelor’s degree, it will help you become a certified welder. We have enlisted all the details regarding welding certification costs; you can go through them and decide on your career!