Best Trade Schools in Madison, Alabama

Start here to compare accredited trade schools near Madison. This guide links to programs, state licensing steps, and related career paths so you can get job-ready quickly in Alabama.


How to Get Started in Madison

  • Compare schools and program lengths above
  • Check your state licensing steps: Alabama
  • Explore careers: Skilled trades hub
  • Ask each school about tuition, schedules, and embedded certifications (EPA 608, NCCER, ASE)

Compare Trade Schools Near Madison, Alabama

How We Rank Schools

We first gather the schools closest to the city or state page you are viewing, then rank that local group by BOC Score, with the highest at the top. The BOC Score is computed from federal IPEDS and College Scorecard data; schools without enough data to score appear last.

Location / proximity to this page
Defines the local group
Graduation rate
30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
25%
Average net price (lower is better)
20%
Retention rate
15%
Fully online availability
10%

Schools without enough federal outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

University of Alabama in Huntsville

Huntsville, AL 7.0 miles away BOC Score 65.0
Tuition $12,132 - $27,392
Contact
Key stats
  • Admission rate: 68.6%
  • Graduation rate: 63.1%
  • Programs offered: 8
  • Annual completions: 263
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $81,045 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#3

The Salon Professional Academy-Huntsville

Huntsville, AL 6.3 miles away BOC Score 55.7
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 72.3% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 3
  • Annual completions: 60
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $27,067 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#4

John C Calhoun State Community College

Tanner, AL 11.4 miles away BOC Score 50.8
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 41.1% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 22
  • Annual completions: 1988
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $53,980 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#5

Oakwood University

Huntsville, AL 6.6 miles away BOC Score 32.5
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 46.9% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 12
  • Annual completions: 26
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $50,714 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#6

J. F. Drake State Community and Technical College

Huntsville, AL 11.5 miles away BOC Score 28.9
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 12.5% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 23
  • Annual completions: 329
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $52,160 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#7

Ross Medical Education Center-Huntsville

Huntsville, AL 6.0 miles away BOC Score 28.2
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
  • 930 Old Monrovia Road NW, Suite 9 Huntsville, AL 35806-2509
  • (256) 430-9740
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 55.1%
  • Programs offered: 2
  • Annual completions: 49
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $31,741 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

BOC Score, tuition, graduation rate, and median graduate earnings from federal IPEDS and U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard data. Earnings are reported across all programs at the school (all majors), not a single trade. Distance is measured from the main population center in Alabama.
#SchoolBOC Score (0–100)TuitionMedian grad earnings (all majors)Graduation rateOnlineDistance
156.6Contact school for pricingNot reportedNot reportedYes*10 mi
255.7Contact school for pricing$27,06772%6 mi
350.8Contact school for pricing$53,98041%Yes*11 mi
428.9Contact school for pricing$52,16012%12 mi
528.2Contact school for pricing$31,74155%6 mi
6Not ratedContact school for pricing$25,843Not reported2 mi

Schools closest to the main population center in Alabama are gathered first, then ranked by BOC Score; distance from the main population center in Alabama is shown for reference. The BOC Score is an independent measure of school outcomes (graduation, earnings, net price, retention) expressed as a 0–100 percentile within each school's peer group; higher is better and advertising never affects it. *Online availability refers to coursework; hands-on trade training is completed in person. Read the full methodology.

Median Annual Wage by Trade - Huntsville, AL's most-employed trades
Median annual wage by trade in Huntsville, AL, BLS OEWS May 2025Culinary workers $64000; Electricians $58500; Plumbers $57020; HVAC technicians $49940; Medical assistants $36920.Culinary workers$64,000Electricians$58,500Plumbers$57,020HVAC technicians$49,940Medical assistants$36,920
Trades ranked by local employment (BLS QCEW); wages are median annual pay (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; metro area where reported, otherwise statewide).
Median annual wage by trade in Huntsville, AL
TradeMedian annual wage
Culinary workers$64,000
Electricians$58,500
Plumbers$57,020
HVAC technicians$49,940
Medical assistants$36,920
Median Graduate Earnings by School - Best Trade Schools in Madison, Alabama
Median graduate earnings by school, Best Trade Schools in Madison, Alabama (College Scorecard)John C Calhoun State Community College $53980; J. F. Drake State Community and Technical College $52160; Ross Medical Education Center-Huntsville $31741; The Salon Professional Academy-Huntsville $27067; Paul Mitchell the School-Huntsville $25843.John C Calhoun State Communi...$53,980J. F. Drake State Community ...$52,160Ross Medical Education Cente...$31,741The Salon Professional Acade...$27,067Paul Mitchell the School-Hun...$25,843
Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard - median earnings of all graduates at each school (not a single program).
Median graduate earnings by school for schools serving Best Trade Schools in Madison, Alabama
SchoolMedian graduate earnings
John C Calhoun State Community College$53,980
J. F. Drake State Community and Technical College$52,160
Ross Medical Education Center-Huntsville$31,741
The Salon Professional Academy-Huntsville$27,067
Paul Mitchell the School-Huntsville$25,843

Cost, Earnings, and Program Length in Madison

Among the Huntsville, AL area’s most-employed trades (BLS QCEW 2024), median annual pay ranges from $36,920 to $64,000 per year (BLS OEWS, May 2025); the chart above compares the five with the largest local workforces. Typical culinary worker training runs 1-2 years (culinary school or apprenticeship) (TradeCareerPath program data).

Trade Schools in Nearby Cities

Alabama Trade Career Outlook

Building & Construction Trades

TradeJob Growth (2024-2034, US)
Plumber4.5%
Welder2.2%
Carpenter4.5%
Flooring Installer9.5%
Construction Worker7.3%

Construction Management & Inspection

TradeJob Growth (2024-2034, US)
Construction Manager8.7%
Home Inspector-0.8%

Electrical & Energy Systems

Mechanical, Automotive & Transportation

Healthcare: Administration & Office Support

Therapy, Rehab & Fitness

Animal Care & Training

TradeJob Growth (2024-2034, US)
Dog Trainer5.1%
Veterinary Technician9.1%
Veterinary Assistant8.7%

Beauty & Personal Care

TradeJob Growth (2024-2034, US)
Esthetician6.7%
Beauty Professional5.6%
Cosmetologist5.6%

Culinary & Hospitality Careers

TradeJob Growth (2024-2034, US)
Culinary Chef7.1%
Pastry Chef7.1%

Business & Legal Support

TradeJob Growth (2024-2034, US)
Digital Court Reporter-0.3%
Paralegal0.2%
Bookkeeper-5.8%

Job growth uses state projections when available and national projections (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034) when state data is unavailable. Median pay for each trade is shown in the comparison table above.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections (2024-2034). Projected U.S. change shown for each trade.


Next Steps


About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.

Data sources

Figures on this page are sourced from the federal and state datasets below. Methodology: how we rank and source data.

DataProviderVintage
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMay 2025
Employment ProjectionsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics2024-2034
Integrated Postsecondary Education Data SystemNational Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)2024
College Scorecard (school-level outcomes)U.S. Department of Educationlatest release
College Scorecard (field-of-study earnings)U.S. Department of Educationlatest release (updated 2026-06-12)
Occupational licensing requirementsCareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor)latest release (updated 2026-02-22)
Registered apprenticeship programsCareerOneStop / Apprenticeship.gov (U.S. Department of Labor)latest release (updated 2025-10-25)