Precision Metal Working is of the hottest associate degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #30 most popular major in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.
In 2025, College Factual analyzed 18 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Precision Metal Working Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 675 associate degrees in precision metal working to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Your choice of precision metal working for getting your associate degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.
A Great Overall School
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To take this into account we include a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a collection of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
Early-Career Earnings
Average early-career salary of those graduating with their associate degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. That is, everyone wants their associate degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.
Other Factors We Consider
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
- Major Focus - How much a school focuses on precision metal working students vs. other majors.
- Major Demand - The number of precision metal working students who choose to seek a associate degree at the school.
- Educational Resources - How many resources are allocated to students. These resources may include educational expenditures per student, number of students per instructor, and graduation rate among other things.
- Student Debt - How easy is it for precision metal working to pay back their student loans after receiving their associate degree.
- Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized precision metal working related body.
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for precision metal working students working on their associate degree.
The precision metal working school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Precision Metal Working Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region.
