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24 schools in Georgia offer welding-related programs, compared below on official cost, completion, and earnings data. Prefer to earn while you learn? 14 registered apprenticeship programs in Georgia train welding apprentices — see apprenticeships. Federal program data groups welding with machining & cnc — schools below may offer any of these.
Occupation pay is what working welding professionals in Georgia earn (all experience levels) — school "earnings" figures above are medians for each school's recent federally-aided students across all its programs, which read lower.
Georgia issues no state welding license — welding is not among the 42 professional licensing boards administered by the Secretary of State. The Georgia DOT separately requires its own Field Welder Certification for anyone welding on GDOT bridge projects. For all other work, voluntary AWS Certified Welder credentials are the hiring norm, reachable through 6-18 month technical college programs or a 3-4 year registered apprenticeship.
Official source: Georgia Professional Licensing Boards Division, Secretary of State (welding is not among the 42 licensing boards) · Exam: No state exam. AWS Certified Welder performance test (voluntary); GDOT Field Welder Certification test for state bridge work · Typical requirement: No state-mandated hours. AWS Certified Welder = pass a performance test (no prerequisite coursework). Typical programs 6-18 months at technical colleges; apprenticeships 3-4 years. GDOT field welders must pass GDOT qualification testing.
| School | City | Type | Net price / yr | Completion | Earnings (10 yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wiregrass Georgia Technical College | Valdosta | public | $614 | 46.8% | $30,864 |
| Southern Regional Technical College | Thomasville | public | $813 | 47.7% | $31,293 |
| South Georgia Technical College | Americus | public | $1,164 | 52.6% | $30,364 |
| West Georgia Technical College | Waco | public | $2,457 | 35.5% | $35,479 |
| Chattahoochee Technical College | Marietta | public | $3,407 | 30.4% | $37,138 |
| Columbus Technical College | Columbus | public | $4,001 | 30.3% | $34,238 |
| North Georgia Technical College | Clarkesville | public | $4,005 | 39.7% | $32,932 |
| Albany Technical College | Albany | public | $4,524 | 44.5% | $30,541 |
| Gwinnett Technical College | Lawrenceville | public | $6,696 | 34% | $45,025 |
| Southern Crescent Technical College | Griffin | public | $5,661 | 46.3% | $36,104 |
| Georgia Northwestern Technical College | Rome | public | $5,720 | 47.9% | $35,759 |
| Savannah Technical College | Savannah | public | $6,114 | 43% | $33,018 |
| Athens Technical College | Athens | public | $6,949 | 40.6% | $35,951 |
| Lanier Technical College | Gainesville | public | $7,799 | 41.1% | $37,623 |
| Ogeechee Technical College | Statesboro | public | $6,542 | 53% | $31,248 |
| Central Georgia Technical College | Warner Robins | public | $7,052 | 44.8% | $30,848 |
| Augusta Technical College | Augusta | public | $10,485 | 36.8% | $33,523 |
| Southeastern Technical College | Vidalia | public | $10,612 | 45.5% | $30,329 |
| Georgia Piedmont Technical College | Clarkston | public | $13,761 | 38.9% | $34,619 |
| Oconee Fall Line Technical College | Sandersville | public | $12,844 | 43.6% | $30,899 |
| Aviation Institute of Maintenance-Atlanta | Duluth | private for-profit | $27,365 | 64.5% | $48,191 |
| Fortis College-Smyrna | Smyrna | private for-profit | $23,657 | 54.6% | $36,368 |
| Atlanta Technical College | Atlanta | public | $-914 | 37.9% | $30,350 |
| Coastal Pines Technical College | Waycross | public | $-126 | 55.2% | $30,214 |
Ranking = median earnings 10 years after entry per $1,000 of average yearly net price (methodology). Figures are institution-wide federal medians for each school as a whole — not welding graduates specifically. Schools without both figures sort last — "not reported" means the federal dataset lacks the value, not that the school is bad.
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