Carpentry and Building Construction Technology

Rough framing, forms, finish carpentry and building construction, taught in Florida as clock-hour career certificates at technical colleges. ⚠⚠ A small programme: about 150 credentials a year across two codes, for an occupation most people enter through a job or a registered apprenticeship.

The degrees this program covers

⚠⚠ Carpentry (46.0201) produces 57 certificates a year at 15 Florida public institutions: Atlantic Technical 12, Erwin Technical 12, Fort Myers Technical 10, Pensacola State 6. Building Construction Technology (46.0415) adds 97 certificates at 15, led by Manatee Technical 21 and Pinellas Technical 12. No associate or bachelor's degree is awarded in either code. ⚠ The clock-hour courses are titled after jobs (Carpenter Helper, Carpenter Rough, Trim and Finish Carpenter, Building Construction Technician), but colleges carry different versions of the ladder, so ask which courses and how many hours make up the certificate. ⚠⚠ Florida licenses the contractor, not the carpenter: the certified contractor exam needs four years of experience including one as foreman, and college credit in building construction can replace up to three of those years (s. 489.111, F.S.). A registered apprenticeship in carpentry also exists.

Careers this program leads to

Each one sets out the courses along the way, the licence or certification at the end, and the sources behind it.

Carpenter

⚠⚠⚠ Florida carpenters earn a median $49,870, $10,710 below the national figure, and the gap grows to $29,960 at the 90th percentile. The way up in Florida is to become the contractor. ⚠⚠ Florida licenses contractors, not carpenters: the contractor exam needs four years of experience including one as foreman, and college credit can replace up to three of them. Florida trains only about 150 carpenters a year in programmes; most learn on the job or through apprenticeship.

Programs similar to this one

Neighbouring fields that share much of the same coursework, and often the same employers. ⚠ Read these before you commit to a major — which doors a neighbouring degree keeps open is the part no catalog tells you, and it is far cheaper to change now than later.

Construction Management 30 Florida schools

⚠⚠ The college route that shortens the way to a contractor's licence. Florida lets college credit replace up to three of the four experience years for the certified contractor exam, and a building construction bachelor's leaves one year (s. 489.111). The step a carpenter takes to work for themselves.

Drafting and Design Technology 25 Florida schools

⚠ Reading and producing construction drawings. Blueprint reading is part of a lead carpenter's job.

Electrical Technology 41 Florida schools

⚠ The neighbouring building trade, taught at many of the same technical colleges. Unlike carpentry, electrical work is licensed at the contractor level under a separate part of chapter 489.

Florida public institutions offering this program

25 institutions awarded a credential in this field in 2023, at these levels: Certificate (1-2 years), Certificate (2-4 years). A school appears here if it awards anything in the field, however limited its offering — a technical college teaching only practical nursing has a nursing program. Listed alphabetically, not ranked.

Atlantic Technical College

Certificate (1-2 years)

Chipola College

Certificate (1-2 years)

Daytona State College

Certificate (1-2 years)

Erwin Technical College

Certificate (1-2 years)

Florida Panhandle Technical College

Certificate (1-2 years)

Fort Myers Technical College

Certificate (1-2 years)

Gadsden Technical College

Certificate (1-2 years)

Hillsborough Community College

Certificate (2-4 years)

Immokalee Technical College

Certificate (1-2 years)

Indian River State College

Certificate (1-2 years)

Lively Technical College

Certificate (1-2 years)

Manatee Technical College

Certificate (1-2 years)

Okaloosa Technical College

Certificate (1-2 years)

Orange Technical College-West Campus

Certificate (1-2 years) · Certificate (2-4 years)

Osceola Technical College

Certificate (1-2 years)

Palm Beach State College

Certificate (1-2 years)

Pasco-Hernando State College

Certificate (2-4 years)

Pensacola State College

Certificate (1-2 years)

Pinellas Technical College-St. Petersburg

Certificate (1-2 years)

Ridge Technical College

Certificate (1-2 years)

Santa Fe College

Certificate (2-4 years)

Seminole State College of Florida

Certificate (1-2 years)

Sheridan Technical College

Certificate (1-2 years)

Suncoast Technical College

Certificate (1-2 years)

The College of the Florida Keys

Certificate (2-4 years)

Source: federal IPEDS completions data for 2023, first majors only — the most recent year published. ⚠ It records what was awarded, which is strong evidence of what is offered, but a program launched since 2023 will not appear here. Check the institution’s own catalog before applying.

Updated 23 September 2026. ⚠ Program pages describe a field of study, not one school’s degree — always read the catalog of the institution you are applying to.