Home › Texas › Diesel Mechanics schools
52 schools in Texas offer diesel mechanics-related programs, compared below on official cost, completion, and earnings data. Prefer to earn while you learn? 20 registered apprenticeship programs in Texas train diesel mechanics apprentices — see apprenticeships. Federal program data groups diesel mechanics with automotive technology and aviation maintenance — schools below may offer any of these.
Occupation pay is what working diesel mechanics professionals in Texas 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.
Texas does not license diesel mechanics — the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, which regulates 39 industries, has no mechanic or auto-repair program. Employers hire on skill, and the voluntary ASE Medium-Heavy Truck (T-series) certification is the credential most shops expect; it takes 2 years of experience (formal training can replace up to 1 year). Only techs who service vehicle air conditioning need the federal EPA Section 609 certification.
Official source: No board licenses mechanics; Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) has no automotive/diesel mechanic program · Exam: None required by the state. Voluntary: ASE T1-T8 exams; EPA 609 exam for A/C work. · Typical requirement: No state-set hours. Employers typically look for a 9-24 month diesel tech diploma or equivalent experience. ASE T-series requires 2 years of hands-on experience (formal training substitutes for up to 1 year). EPA Section 609 certification (federal) required only for servicing vehicle A/C refrigerant.
| School | City | Type | Net price / yr | Completion | Earnings (10 yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Texas College | McAllen | public | $1,751 | 32.7% | $36,788 |
| Southwest College for the Deaf | Big Spring | public | $2,458 | 38.1% | $38,382 |
| Texas Southmost College | Brownsville | public | $3,085 | 32.9% | $41,900 |
| Lamar State College-Port Arthur | Port Arthur | public | $2,846 | 32.5% | $37,120 |
| Dallas College | Dallas | public | $3,214 | 22.8% | $41,714 |
| Del Mar College | Corpus Christi | public | $3,399 | 23.7% | $38,656 |
| El Paso Community College | El Paso | public | $3,206 | 24.1% | $35,212 |
| Tarrant County College District | Fort Worth | public | $4,337 | 24.5% | $42,727 |
| Midland College | Midland | public | $4,512 | 23.9% | $43,958 |
| Brazosport College | Lake Jackson | public | $4,732 | 35.9% | $45,910 |
| Wharton County Junior College | Wharton | public | $4,666 | 24.6% | $44,960 |
| Trinity Valley Community College | Athens | public | $4,092 | 29.1% | $38,567 |
| Amarillo College | Amarillo | public | $4,600 | 35.8% | $41,302 |
| St Philip's College | San Antonio | public | $4,273 | 18.5% | $38,224 |
| Coastal Bend College | Beeville | public | $4,237 | 28.8% | $35,086 |
| Kilgore College | Kilgore | public | $5,364 | 33.1% | $37,975 |
| Grayson College | Denison | public | $5,880 | 32.1% | $40,873 |
| Houston City College | Houston | public | $5,737 | 20.5% | $39,254 |
| Austin Community College District | Austin | public | $6,390 | 16.1% | $43,177 |
| Odessa College | Odessa | public | $6,368 | 23% | $42,026 |
| Vernon College | Vernon | public | $6,404 | 28.9% | $40,464 |
| Howard College | Big Spring | public | $6,147 | 32.3% | $38,382 |
| Lee College | Baytown | public | $6,879 | 54.5% | $42,178 |
| South Plains College | Levelland | public | $6,791 | 24.2% | $41,276 |
| Laredo College | Laredo | public | $5,798 | 32.7% | $33,934 |
| Ranger College | Ranger | public | $6,182 | 26.9% | $35,552 |
| Northeast Texas Community College | Mount Pleasant | public | $6,706 | 44.5% | $37,870 |
| Collin County Community College District | McKinney | public | $8,969 | 20.3% | $48,701 |
| Alvin Community College | Alvin | public | $8,525 | 30.2% | $45,762 |
| Hill College | Hillsboro | public | $7,577 | 24% | $39,572 |
| Southwest Texas College | Uvalde | public | $7,372 | 38.9% | $35,563 |
| Angelina College | Lufkin | public | $7,773 | 24.9% | $37,301 |
| Weatherford College | Weatherford | public | $9,967 | 27.9% | $42,397 |
| Cisco College | Cisco | public | $9,624 | 26.1% | $39,092 |
| Central Texas College | Killeen | public | $10,265 | 17% | $40,995 |
| Texarkana College | Texarkana | public | $8,812 | 44.6% | $34,647 |
| Lone Star College System | The Woodlands | public | $11,252 | 20.2% | $42,466 |
| Tyler Junior College | Tyler | public | $10,206 | 26.2% | $38,140 |
| San Jacinto Community College | Pasadena | public | $12,143 | 32.2% | $43,062 |
| Texas State Technical College | Waco | public | $13,508 | 40.4% | $38,916 |
| Lamar Institute of Technology | Beaumont | public | $13,866 | 37.2% | $38,991 |
| Aviation Institute of Maintenance-Houston | Houston | private for-profit | $23,529 | 62.3% | $58,327 |
| Universal Technical Institute of Texas Inc. | Houston | private for-profit | $23,096 | 61.6% | $51,222 |
| School of Automotive Machinists & Technology | Houston | private for-profit | $28,242 | 93% | $57,529 |
| Universal Technical Institute-West Texas | Austin | private for-profit | $26,117 | 74.7% | $51,222 |
| Universal Technical Institute-Dallas Fort Worth | Irving | private for-profit | $26,265 | 63.6% | $51,222 |
| Southwest University at El Paso | El Paso | private for-profit | $16,906 | 82.1% | $29,648 |
| Aviation Institute of Maintenance-Dallas | Irving | private for-profit | $27,139 | 54.4% | $42,375 |
| Miller-Motte College-STVT-San Antonio | San Antonio | private for-profit | $20,077 | 69.6% | $31,102 |
| Miller-Motte College-STVT-Corpus Christi | Corpus Christi | private for-profit | $20,477 | 70.9% | $31,102 |
| Lincoln College of Technology-Grand Prairie | Grand Prairie | private for-profit | $33,250 | 71.1% | $46,396 |
| Western Technical College | El Paso | private for-profit | not reported | 67.9% | $36,156 |
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 diesel mechanics 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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