Welding programmes teach people to join metal to a code standard — shielded metal arc, gas metal arc, flux-cored and gas tungsten arc welding, on plate and on pipe, in every position. ⚠ It is a test-based trade: what you can weld is decided by a test coupon, not by a transcript.
The degrees this program covers
Florida teaches this as CLOCK-HOUR career certificates. The state framework Welding Technology runs 1,050 hours across three occupational completion points — welder assistant, shielded metal arc welder, then welder — and each is a hireable exit on its own. An Advanced Welding Technology certificate (750 hours, two more completion points) adds pipe and career preparation. ⚠⚠ Florida renumbered these courses in 2025 and BOTH families are still being taught: the new staged sequence (PMT0070–0074) at 30 institutions and the older process-by-process one (PMT0011–0016 — SMAW, GMAW, FCAW, GTAW, pipe) at 19, with 16 colleges carrying both. Register by the PROGRAMME, not the course number. ⚠ A few state colleges add an associate degree above the certificates, usually in welding or manufacturing technology.
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.
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.
47 institutions awarded a credential in this field in 2023,
at these levels: Certificate (1-2 years), Certificate (12 weeks-1 year), 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.
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 21 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.